Africa Needs Technology

African Technology Powerhouses

Mr. Ochango, manager of Western Kenya based Imwo Agrovet observes: “Eating sweet potatoes and tea for breakfast is a sign of poverty. To show improved status; one has to have tea, milk and buttered bread here in the village.” During my research days in Mutomo (an arid part of Eastern Kenya) farmers would point out to me that they were so poor that they had to eat 'namba;' a fruit from the Baobab tree (Adansonia digitata). Africa's indigenous foods and fruits are vanishing from the scene either due to change of dietary habits and little use of technology to sustain them.

Besides the mindset that has eroded the African thirst for indigenous foods such as millet, sorghum, Marula, Tamarind and Ebony among others; disregard to tap into technological advancements has made it difficult for indigenous crops to survive the seasoned global counterparts such as maize, wheat, mangoes, pawpaw, oranges among other plants that were brought by explorers and colonialists. Why are our scientists spending little time to research and commercialize some of the indigenous plants varieties that are suited to climates of Africa?

I came across an interesting internet posting that read thus: “Starved by the rich: the cult of organic food imposed on Africa.” The writer Waldo Vanderhaeghen, argued that Wealthy countries are blocking biotechnological progress from deprived regions like Africa by giving adverse incentives that make it difficult for our peasants to access technology. The organic 'cult' members according to Waldo are basically anti technology; they abhor use of pesticides, large industrial farms and seek to consume locally grown food to avoid a 'large carbon foot print.' (This means soon, you will not export far and wide lest you violate the foot print!)

Our commodity prices are shooting through the ceiling; a 2kgs of cooking fat which cost Ksh 250 last year, is at Ksh 350; 1 kg of sugar up from Ksh 60 to Ksh 100; half litre of milk up from Ksh 22 to 32; a bunch of 'sukuma wiki' ksh 12 up to 20, 2kg of Rice up from Ksh 120 to 160 and the list goes on. Note that indigenous 'commodities' are rare to come by! Globally, Wheat prices doubled in U.S.A to close at $345 per tonne. A looming global food shortage is set to drive the debate on technology on a different path. For Kenya, we attribute high prices to election after shocks; world over its either drought and or Climate Change drive towards bio-fuels.

Africa's population is projected to hit 1.6 billion people by the year 2030. In less than 10 years, Kenya's population has shot up from 30.84 million in the year 2000 to an estimated 36.9 million in 2007. Over 200 million Africans are faced with starvation partly because they changed their dietary habits and disregarded crops that would survive some of the harshest climatic environs on the continent. Talk of malnutrition in Africa; and scientists will point you to indigenous plants in Ethiopia, Kenya, Sudan, Tanzania, and Namibia among others that are full of nutrients and currently treated as weeds! People are a country's ultimate resource, how are we going to feed them if we denounce technology in favor of climate driven agriculture as propagated by our some from the West?

Kenyan peasants and by extension over 70% of Africa's farming population already practice organic farming. They cannot access technology, fertilizer, pesticides, and quality seeds and heavily depend on the 'will of nature' to harvest their crops. Our farmers use hand-held back-breaking hoes, and are exposed to hot sun rays on average of 6 hours per day in order to finally deliver 'ugali' on the table. We are starving precisely because we practice organic farming albeit inadvertently! 'For us, it is not a matter of religion, it is a matter of predicament with which our hope is to look to our sons and daughters who have gone to school to free us from the shackles of inefficient agricultural practice' said a farmer in Mumias.

African farmers have several battle fronts, unpredictable climate, depleted soils, bad science and 'cultists' keen to maintain the status quo on the continent. Some friends from wealthy nations have handed us a bad check on technology; we cannot feed our children if we choose to shun technology. For Kenya and by extension Africa to gain first world status, we must judiciously embrace technology as part of our strategy to feed ourselves. It's through technological advancement that our farmers can respond to the present market stimuli that clearly indicates a high demand for agricultural produce. Strengthened financial and political institutions coupled with sound science will feed our people.

James Shikwati is the Founder President of the Inter Region Economic Network and CEO of The African Executive an online business magazine. Mr. Shikwati was named a 2008 Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum. [email protected]