1. Importance of Africa agricultural biodiversity

2. Africas challenges Africa is the second largest continent after Asia Its agriculture is diverse, with both TK and genetic resources under-valued and poorly studied It is the least populated, e.g. DCR is the size of Europe but has a population the same size as Belgium Its population is young, 75% under 30 It has lost countless people through the slave trade, and continues to loose its brightest and best to brain drain Infrastructure investment has focused on extraction (minerals) and not internal communication and integration Very poor R&D investment, particularly for agriculture It continues to be disturbed by conflicts AND, the present push for an African Green Revolution will not be sustainable

3. AFRICAS AGRICULTURAL SYSTEMS

4. THE MAIN FLORISTIC REGIONS OF AFRICA AND MADAGASCAR FROM WHITE (1983)

5. Africas Agricultural Systems Diversity is the norm 10 or more crops plus livestock Smallholder farmers, mainly women, are the main producers Four farming systemsmaize mixed, cereal/root crop mixed, root crop, and agro-pastoral millet/sorghumprovide the livelihoods for half of the population and occupy 42 percent of the land area in Sub-Saharan Africa Sorghum Africas neglected crop

6. Maintain its agricultural diversity

7. Ecological Intensification Before a Green Revolution, Africa needs a BROWN REVOLUTION The soil needs to be built up and maintained through establishing effective cycling of nutrients Organic fertilizers: Compost (including bioslurry) Cover crops Agroforestry with multipurpose trees THIS CAN DOUBLE YIELDS IN AROUND 4 YEARS

8. Impact of using compost - Results from over 900 samples from farmers fields over 7 years, 2001-2006 inclusive 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 Average mean grain yields in kg/ha for 4 cereals and 1 pulse crop from Tigray, northern Ethiopia, 2000-2006 inclusive Barley (n=444) Durum wheat (n=546) Maize (n=273) Teff (n=741) Faba bean (n=141) kg/ha Crop (n=number of observations/fields sampled) Check Compost Chemical fertilizer

9. Figure 1: Effects of bioslurry compost, chemical fertilizer and no inputs (check) on wheat in Waza, Hintalo Wejerat, 2010 2739 Grain Straw 2578 1494 3756 3617 2322 4000 3500 3000 2500 2000 1500 1000 500 0 Compost Fertilizer Check Yield in kg/ha Treatment Note: This is from the first year of using bioslurry compost

10. Increase in grain index for selected crops in Tigray, 2000-2006 These are all farmers varieties Durum wheat, from 34 to 39% grain Maize from 33 to 43% grain Sorghum from 35 to 41% grain Teff from 32 to 36% grain

11. Organic Agriculture in Africa African Union, Executive Council, Eighteenth Ordinary Session, 24-28 January 2011 EX.CL/Dec.621 (XVIII), DECISION ON ORGANIC FARMING Doc. EX.CL/631 (XVIII) 1. TAKES NOTE of the Report of the Conference of Ministers of Agriculture held in Lilongwe, Malawi on 28 and 29 October 2010 on Organic Farming, and ENDORSES the Resolution contained therein; 2. EXPRESSES concern over the current practice of exploitation of the organic farmers in Africa;

12. 3. REQUESTS the Commission and its New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) Planning and Coordinating Agency (NPCA) to: i) Initiate and provide guidance for an African Union (AU)-led coalition of international partners on the establishment of an African organic farming platform based on available best practices; and ii) Provide guidance in support of the development of sustainable organic farming systems and improve seed quality; 4. CALLS UPON development partners to provide the necessary technical and financial support for the implementation of this Decision; 5. REQUESTS the Commission to report regularly on the implementation of this Decision.

13. Ecological Organic Agriculture Initiative for Africa This is supported by Sida through SSNC It has 6 pillars: 1. Research, Training and Extension 2. Information and Communication 3. Value Chain and Market Development 4. Networking and Partnerships 5. Policy and Programme Development 6. Institutional Capacity Development

14. Therefore, we need to invest in the ecological intensification of Africas agriculture Support farmers rights to develop, save and use their own seed And Show that the Africa CAN feed itself and provide food for people in other parts of the world BUT Peace and Security must prevail

15. This presentation is largely based on the chapter AFRICAS POTENTIAL FOR ECOLOGICAL INTENSIFICATION OF AGRICULTURE And others in the book CLIMATE CHANGE AND FOOD SYSTEMS RESILIENCE IN SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA

16. THANK YOU Sue Edwards, with Tewolde Berhan Gebre Egzibher Dereje Gebremichael, Hailu Araya, and Arefayne Asmelash Institute for Sustainable Development, Ethiopia sustaindeveth@ethionet.et / sustainet@yahoo.co.uk