• Scientists are also working round the clock using their knowledge and discipline to break yield barriers through some research programmes aimed at improving organic resource management.

By Nicholas Mwale –

Nothing in the world is more important than food. Commentators say, ‘’A nation that does not feed itself becomes a threat to its own sovereign existence.’ ‘
It is clear that various national and international efforts acknowledge that agricultural development shall for some time remain a significant path in the fight against hunger and poverty.
On the other hand, soils remain a silent ally in food production world over.
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) once posted on its Facebook page that, “as long as soils are at risk, sustainable agriculture, food security and the provisions of eco-system services are comprised.”
The importance of the soil management for food security and eco-system roles is further witnessed in its world recognition as an area of great interest.
This was evidenced through the 68th United Nations (UN) General Assembly that saw the declaration of the year 2015 as the international year for of soils, which aims to be a platform for raising awareness of the importance of soils for food security and essential eco-system functions.
In many African countries including Zambia, low productivity has become common in with smallholder agriculture, and is mainly associated with a number of hindrances that include limited technological options coupled with low adoption of appropriate technologies.
The low productivity is also highly attributed to other factors, including the declining soil fertility and land conditions, application of non-sustainable farming practices as well as climatic calamities of the recent past.
These are challenges that have seen various stakeholders looking for innovative options to mitigate effects.
Scientists are also working round the clock using their knowledge and discipline to break yield barriers through some research programmes aimed at improving organic resource management.
One such project is the recently launched Farmer-Driven Organic Resource Management to Build Soil Fertility Research, ORM4 Soil in short, which has taken a particular focus on building and conserving soil organic matter in various agro-ecological and social-cultural conditions of Sub-Sahara Africa.
The School of Agricultural Sciences at the University of Zambia, Kasisi Agricultural Training Centre and other institutions in Ghana, Mali and Kenya are collaborating with the Research Institute of Organic Agriculture in Switzerland to implement the research project.
ORM4 Soil has attracted financial support from the Swiss National Science Foundation and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and is destined to receive funds to the tune of US$1.3million dollars for six years.
“As this research programme builds on the experiences from four participating countries, it is our view that the lessons from these countries will be concretised to bring about an improved implementation and enhanced farmer adoption of principles of sustainable agriculture,” Zambia Agricultural Research Institute (ZARI) Director Moses Mwale said during the project launch in Lusaka.
Mr Mwale, who represented Agriculture and Livestock Permanent Secretary Julius Shawa, said the project would in turn induce environmentally friendly agricultural production and also improve productivity of farmers.
Expected outcomes for ORM4 Soil include testing and application of innovative institutional measures on sustainable organic resource management to reach and influence farmers and leaders of the society, politics as well as economy at local and national levels.
It also aims at changing the regulatory framework and societal institutions to be more conducive to persuade transformation, thus contributing to improved organic resource management at national level.
While Mr Mwale agrees that adoption of conservation agriculture has enhanced productivity and cushioned against the drought and poor rainfall distribution which affects most farmers, he also realises that more and high impacting home grown innovations must be found to sustain agricultural production and productivity.
During the project period, Mr Mwale observed that all stakeholders need to be committed and work tirelessly to ensure that its goals and expectations are attained.
“In doing so, farmers will be aware of the benefits and the utilisation of organic resources in agricultural systems and technologies,” said Mr Mwale. “It is our vision that the four African countries take the lead in the area of sustainable agriculture and in food security on the African continent.”
The University of Zambia observes the need for funding for science education and workforce development to include soil science.
Speaking on behalf of UNZA Vice-Chancellor Professor Stephen Simukanga, Acting Deputy Vice Chancellor Professor Bizeck Phiri noted that research, education and training were essential to train the next generation of interdisciplinary soil scientists.
“Only with adequate investment in soil science, will the nation have the workforce necessary to safeguard this irreplaceable resource and ensure ecosystem health as well as the continued sustainable production of feed, fibre, food and fuel,” Prof. Phiri observed.
He explained that the project was important to the institution as it was directly contributing to the promotion of beneficial partnerships in the knowledge economy, which is one of the university’s strategic directions in its strategic plan for 2013 to 2017.
Prof. Phiri said the project also had a strong postgraduate programme and the University of Zambia was at a point of strengthening the development of postgraduate programmes.
“The ORM4Soil project has deliberate emphasis on scientific publications and this is an important research output for us,” Prof. Phiri explained.
The project, according to Prof. Phiri is providing UNZA staff an opportunity to be more engaged in outreach programmes with farmers.
“This is highly commendable,” he observed. “As an institution, we have not done very well in this area,” he said.
Prof. Phiri explained that science, technologies and innovations would become even more important as the world’s population continued to rise, with less land available to produce food and decline water levels.
“The focus must therefore be on how to produce more food with less land and water while conserving the environment,” he observed.
Dean of Students at the School of Agricultural Sciences Dr Mick Mwala pointed out that even high yielding varieties can only perform to their expected standards when grown in the right environment.
Dr Mwala, who is a Seed Breeder said; “I have come to realise that the 10 tonne per hectare varieties that we develop are only true to such performance levels if the environment in which these varieties are grown is right.
Soil fertility, according to Dr Mwala remains the key component of the environment.
With increased support towards organic resource management and soil science fertility, it is expected that sustainable organic agriculture will slowly gain ground and start achieving meaningful results in terms of many farmers adopting the technology-NAIS