USIU-Africa wins grant to document the impact of covid-19 on food systems in sub-saharan africa

Zagro Asia Limited has recently conducted testing of its key disinfectant, Ultraxide™, against African Swine Fever (ASF). Zagro believes that at this point in time, only a sound biosecurity measure is feasible against ASF, with no vaccine nor other medical treatment currently available. ASF has been causing a large number of infections in pigs across Europe, China and Southeast Asia with devastating effect to the farms and to the Economy. The United States International University-Africa has been selected as one of the ten recipients of an International Development Research Center (IDRC) COVID-19 rapid response initiative grant to document the pandemic’s impact on food systems in sub-Saharan Africa. The research will be studying gender-sensitive implications of COVID-19 on youth Agripreneurship resilience targeting over 500 entrepreneurs across the country.

Of the 16 organizations targeted by IDRC for funding, 10 were selected for their capacity and leadership to generate locally relevant evidence. Other organizations selected alongside USIUAfrica include the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organization (KALRO), the University of Malawi, Agricultural Model Intercomparison and Improvement Project in Zimbabwe, Economic and Social Research Foundation in Tanzania, The SAMRC/Wits Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science in South Africa, National Agricultural Research Organization of Uganda, the Centre for Population and Environment Development in Nigeria, the Cooperation Society for International Development in Canada and the Consortium for Economic and Social Research in Senegal.

The project will be collecting short-term data on the impact of the pandemic (and control measures) on local food systems, specifically, on the most vulnerable populations, document planned and spontaneous responses in real-time and the rewiring of food systems as they happen, and inform recovery policies for a more efficient and equitable policy and action that minimizes or alleviates the impacts of COVID-19 on nutrition and food security.

FOR AFRICAN AGRICULTURE THAT IS NATURALLY FERTILE !

In the future, agricultural production should be intensified sustainably and with respect for the environment.

Who are FCA Fertilisants and Fertilux ?

Proven by the results of official experiments, the performances of FCA Fertilisants and Fertilux solutions provide an answer in the African context.

SUMMARY :

All the continents, and especially Africa, should take on a challenge for the future :

To feed more and more populations under increasingly difficult soil and climatic conditions.

Despite significant progress, productivity in the African continent is still below the other regions in the world and remains a primary concern. At present, one person in four on the continent still suffers from chronic malnutrition. The situation will get worse over the next decades, considering that demographic growth in Africa, forecast at 1.3 billion additional inhabitants by 2050, will further increase the challenge to the African food system.

This is compounded by intensifying climatic changes which will put crops and animal rearing in peril and heighten food safety issues. Without adaptation strategies, the production of corn, which is a basic food in Africa, could fall by 40% between now and 2050. Although the extension of cultivated land has considerably increased agricultural production in the past, it has been to the detriment of the environment.

Located in the middle of Europe, the geographic position of their production sites gives FCA Fertilisants and Fertilux direct access to natural raw materials for the agro-industry and microbiology.

Through their patented know-how in soil life biostimulation technologies, FCA Fertilisants and Fertilux enable farmers to take the initiative towards a naturally fertile agriculture by following four principles :

Enriching soil fertility Significantly reducing the carbon effect in comparison to standard fertilisers Increasing the effectiveness of inputs Decreasing the environmental impact

What are the solutions ?

The solutions for eco-friendly fertilisation provided by FCA Fertilisants and Fertilux stabilise the soil by including nutrients and nourishing the microorganisms that are naturally present.

Through a symbiotic relationship with plants, these microorganisms shape plant health in two ways :

By helping to fight off diseases or pests By reinforcing the resistance to biotic and abiotic stress

Eco-friendly fertilisation has several advantages :

> An increase in yield

> Sustainable strengthening of soil and plant health

> Perpetuation of the biological, physical and chemical fertility of the soil

FCA Fertilisants and Fertilux are dedicated to the preservation of relations with farmers and devotedly carry out tests each year directly on "pilot" farms in order to continuously evaluate the pertinence of their solutions and optimise their recommendations and fertilisation programmes.

We invite you to follow the results of these tests and partnerships in the next issues of Farmers Review of Africa...

To contact us : Mr. Sébastien DAVID

sebastien.david@group-shfc.com +33.6.51.17.54.62

Mr. Christophe MONNOT

christophe.monnot@fertilux.lu +33.6.74.23.68.27