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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) – When Benson Wanjala started farming in a western Kenyan village two and a half decades ago, his 10-hectare farm yielded a whopping 200 sacks of maize. That has reduced to 30. It is said that the land that used to be fertile has become a field with almost no life that no longer earns a living.
Like many other farmers, he blames the acid fertilizers that have been pushed in Kenya and other African countries in recent years. He said he started using fertilizer to boost his yield and worked _ until it didn’t. The Kenyan government first introduced fertilizer subsidies in 2008, making chemical fertilizers more accessible to small-scale farmers.
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About 63% of Kenya’s agricultural land is now acidic, according to the agriculture ministry, which has recorded a decline in production of staples such as maize and exports of horticulture and tea. Maize production is down 4% to 44 million tons in 2022, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization, which does not know why.
The agriculture ministry did not respond to questions, especially after the scandal about fake fertilizers in April. The fertilizer was found to be mine dirt in mislabeled bags distributed to farmers through a national subsidy program. President William Ruto said about 7,000 farmers bought fake fertilizer and will compensate them with the correct product.
Problems with soil health are growing as the African continent struggles to feed itself. Africa has 65% of the world’s remaining agricultural land but already spends about $60 billion a year on food imports, according to the African Development Bank. The spending is expected to increase to $110 billion by 2025 due to increased demand and changing consumption habits.
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In May, Kenya hosted an Africa-wide soil health summit to discuss declining production, climate change and other issues that exacerbate food security issues. Agriculture is an important part of the economy in Kenya, making up more than a quarter of the GDP.
At the summit, Stephen Muchiri, executive director of the East African Farmers’ Federation, advocated a return to traditional farming practices to replenish lifeless soil, including planting a variety of crops and doing little to disturb the land.
“Inorganic fertilizers have never been the foundation of crop production,” he said, adding that because of “commercially oriented agriculture, our soils are now poor, acidic, with little biomass resources, and without life!”
He said that farmers should change the crops in the soil and source compost material from livestock such as sheep: “There must be some kind of transition and adaptation for our soil to return to fertility.”
Experts say that soil acidity leads to soil degradation by reducing the availability of plants and essential nutrients, making the soil more susceptible to structural loss and erosion.
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Program coordinator for the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa, Bridget Mugambe, advises against chemical fertilizers.
“Soil health goes beyond the quick fixes provided by chemical fertilizers. In fact, chemical fertilizers are already destroying our soils in Africa. We need to think about our soils in a more holistic way,” he said.
A soil health summit by the African Union – which in 2006 recommended that members use more chemical fertilizers – adopted a 10-year plan that requires increased investment to produce organic and chemical fertilizers locally and use them three times for increased production.
During the summit, AU Agriculture Commissioner Josefa Leonel Correia Sacko stressed that the continent “loses more than $4 billion in soil nutrients every year.”
Kenya is heavily dependent on imported fertilizers due to low local production. The main supplier is the European Union, followed by Saudi Arabia and Russia.
Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa’s Kenya manager, John Macharia, says Kenya’s recent fertilizer scandal should not discourage farmers.
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“It is still important that we work together with the government to ensure that the right fertilizer reaches our stores,” Macharia said. He recommended both chemical and organic as long as they solve specific problems in the soil, and said soil analysis will guide farmers.
Decreasing soil quality is a food security problem across Africa.
In Zimbabwe, once a regional breadbasket, about 70% of the soil is acidic, according to the government. The government in the past introduced chemical fertilizers to strengthen the soil, but their misuse led to a decrease in organic matter.
“Before the introduction of mineral fertilizers, our ancestors had the knowledge and understanding that if you add organic fertilizers, the soil becomes fertile, and the harvest is better,” said Wonder Ngezimana, associate professor of agricultural sciences at Marondera University of Agricultural Sciences and Zimbabwe. Technology. “This has become the traditional norm in Zimbabwe and elsewhere in Africa where people look for organic matter to improve the soil.”
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These include animal manure, grass, leaves and twigs, crop residues, ash and compost. But many farmers in Zimbabwe no longer have cattle because of the recent drought, Ngezimana said: “Farmers are struggling to maintain soil health because they cannot produce enough organic matter.”
AGRA recommends that farmers test soil acidity and apply lime to reverse high acidity.
But farmers say both are limited and expensive. Soil testing services are available at government agricultural agencies, public universities and private organizations for prices ranging from $20 to $40.
Wanjala, a farmer, said he couldn’t find cow money for fertiliser, and hardly any for seeds.
“I can’t afford to pay more,” he said.
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Farai Mutsaka in Harare, Zimbabwe contributed to this report.
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For more on Africa and development: https://apnews.com/hub/africa-pulse
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The Associated Press receives financial support for global health and development coverage in Africa from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation Trust. AP is solely responsible for all content. Find AP’s standards for working with philanthropy, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at AP.org.
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