By Mary Mwendwa
Big investments in agriculture sector across Sub -Saharan Africa has been cited as one of the ways to curb food insecurity in the region.
Speaking during the sixth African Green Revoluton Forum, (AGRF) where heads of states, high level officials from over 40 countries among them 5000 agriculture experts, all agreed that there needs to be a transformational change in innovation and technology in agriculture.The experts promised “Seize the moment” and deliver hundreds of millions of dollars in investments for the African farmers and agribusiness.
President Uhuru Kenyatta of the Republic of Kenya agreed to the fact that huge investments in agriculture are key to food security and strong economic growth.”We need to look into this matter especially drought which brings long -standing vulnerabilities in food production and crashing commodity prices demanding more sustainable economic strategies that agriculture can clearly provide.”He said.
Dominique Charron, Director of IDRC’s(International Development Research Centre ) Agriculture and Environment program who oversees research that seeks innovative, evidence-based solutions to help people face the world’s toughest development and environmental challenges by pursuing IDRC’s tradition of research excellence, noted that as an organization they have built partnerships in the agriculture sector.”We know that farmers in Africa do experience post harvest loses and we work with them through a project ;cultivate Africa project.Innovative leaders are also needed in this agriculture chain to see innovation agenda is pushed foward.”She said.
One area that was noted to have huge potential in agriculture was the use of insects to curb food insecurity. Dr. Segeneti Kelemu, Director General , International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology ICIPE noted ow her organization focuses on strategic issues that enable discoveries in the science field.She empasized that the ordinary person needs to be made extra ordinary by embracing science and innovation .
“For transformation to occur in agriculture technology alone is not enough, their needs to be a systematic change in the way things are done, this means that areas in infrastructure, curriculum review in education institutions , youth investments and women empowerment are some of the areas of key interventions.”
She specifically talked about the role insects play in lives.”Insects contribute to agriculture in a significant way.For example bee pollination is very important in agriculture where it helps in production of food crops.”
“Two Billion people consume insects in the world and around 500 species of insects are found in Africa. if insects were promoted as food many people would benefit because insects do not need alot of food to feed therefore they can be less costly to have .Insects can provide a solution to the undernourishment in this region, because they reproduce quickly, and are valuable sources of protein, minerals and vitamins that are essential for human development.”
Dr.Kelemu continues to say,” Recent observations show that edible insects have an outstanding protein quality. Several essential amino acids, especially lysine, threonine, and methionine, which are limited in cereal- and legume-based diets, are also present in adequate quantities in edible insects. Compared to conventional sources, edible insects are rich in zinc. For instance, while 100 g of beef contains only 12.5 mg of zinc; the same amount of palm weevils contains 26.5 mg. ”
Dr.Kelemu further said that youth need to be targeted to have a transformative agriculture sector in Africa.Citing that technology was not enough but deliberate change in Agriculture systems was critical.
