Adoption of modern agric technology: Africa in need of high-level advocacy

Food production in Africa has, over time struggled to meet up the optimum requirements for the sustainance of the people, for which poor quality seed, lack of modern technology to reduce drudgery and adoption of climate smart way of farming have been identified as key reasons.

However, modern agriculture technologies have been recognised as the only solution for achieving food security especially in Africa amid the preponderant hunger that has been exacerbated by the uncontrollable rise in the region’s population.

It has been established that modern agriculture technology enables farmers to maximise the available land to produce enough quality food using climate smart seeds, mechanization and other improved farm inputs to grow food.
The opposition that trailed the introduction of modern agricultural technologies, has not been able to downplay its importance.

Biotechnology, as a scion of modern agricultural technology has been a tool used to produce quality seeds which are climate smart, insect resistant and drought tolerant, early maturing, with the capacity to yield more than the conventional varieties.

The African Agriculture Technology Foundation (AATF) since inception has been championing the adoption of technologies through partnerships with other development partners in the areas of research to find solutions to some of the challenges farmers face using technology.

In Nigeria, AATF is working closely with the Institute for Agricultural Research (IAR), the Agricultural Research Council of Nigeria (ARCN) and other research institutes have taken research and development of genetically modified organisms to a new height, with the development of improved varieties of indigenous crops.

This partnership has led to the development and release of BT Cotton and Pod Borer Resistant cowpea, two transgenic crops and have shown improved field performance when compared to their conventional varieties.

There is also the TELA Maize, a genetically modified maize that is at the advanced stage towards its release that has also shown remarkable field performance against conventional varieties.

In spite of the proven advantages, the lack of political will by the African governments has contributed to the low adoption of modern agriculture technology which has seen farmers struggling to produce food in commercial quantity.

Africa is in dire need of high level advocacy to sensitise policy makers on the importance of investing in agricultural technology to rev food production in the continent.

As at 2018, 17 million farmers in 26 countries planted biotechnology crops spread across 191.7 million hectares. Unfortunately, Africa was poorly represented, as it continues to rely on imports to feed its growing population.

Several meetings have heard that mutual understanding, advocacy and dialogue will enable the African government to understand the importance of investing technologies such as biotechnology and mechanization.

Efforts to encourage stakeholders to participate in evidence-based discussions are also needed to allow decisions to be made to build consensus regarding the acceptance and adoption of technology in Africa.

However, advocating for the adoption of modern technology in Africa would require a well though-out strategy that addresses the concerns and interests of various stakeholders, including farmers, policymakers, scientists and the public.

AATF is already embarking on advocacy and education of farmers, stakeholders and policymakers through partnerships with public agencies such as the National Biotechnology Development Agency (NABDA) in Nigeria.

Also, through its Stewardship program, AATF is reaching to farmers directly to educate them on the importance of using technology rightly to get the desired result.

The Open Forum on Agriculture Biotechnology (OFAB) which was instituted by the AATF has been in the forefront of advocacy using the conventional media and traditional media to shape public opinion on the adoption of biotechnology.

It is important for stakeholders to commence thorough assessment of the current agricultural landscape in Africa, understand the challenges faced by farmers which modern agricultural technology can address.

There is also the need to identify and collaborate with organizations with same mandate which include scientists, agricultural associations, medical leaders; research institutes Non-Governmental Organizations that support adoption of modern agriculture technology.

The aim is to have a very strong and united voice from different sections to advocate for the adoption of modern agriculture technology to advance food security in Africa.

It is also very pertinent to develop a comprehensive educational campaign to inform key players in the sector and the general public on the economic benefits of modern agriculture technology.

The farmers and farmer associations must be carried along in order to understand their needs. This will also determine the dimension the advocacy will take because farmers are very important when it comes to technology adoption.

Seeing is believing trials is also important where stakeholders especially the policymakers would be invited and the benefits of technology showcased, such as increase in yield, reduced use of chemicals or insect resistance.

In one of its advocacies in Nigeria, NABDA invited some senior editors in Nigeria to a workshop to sensitise them on the importance of giving prominence to reports on modern agriculture technology.

Managing Editor, Northern Operation of The Nation Newspaper, Yusuf Ali said his perception of biotechnology changed after he attended the workshop.

He said “I came here with bias, I have never been a believer of biotechnology products, I used to see experts as tempting God, but I have a different perception now. If we want to increase our yield, then we should look the biotechnology direction. Even our ageing farming population, we can also bridge that gap by using biotechnology.

After visiting the PBR beans field at NABDA headquarters, the Abuja Bureau Chief of Nigerian Tribune Newspapers, Dr Leon Usigbe said that knowing that the beans variety can be harvested as much as four times is a great breakthrough for farmers and Nigeria as a country.

He stressed the importance of adequate communication of vital research works done in order to get it across to the people who need it.

Dr Bridget Onochie, the Abuja Bureau Chief of the Guardian Newspaper, said the fears and clouds of doubt that still surrounds biotechnology in the country could be dispelled by more strategic communications and deliberate sensitization campaigns among rural farmers”.

Effective communication and advocacy strategy is needed in Africa to drive the message of modern biotechnology adoption. The communication and advocacy strategy include and not limited to media engagement, town hall meetings, inter-personal communications, field trials, visits to policymakers.

The adoption of modern technology in African will be a breakthrough for the continent as it will be less dependent of the West to feed, also, the continent can export food among itself, thereby growing the local economies of countries.