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Development of Sustainable Integrated Crop-Livestock Farming System in KAFACI member countries
- 언어ENG
- URLhttps://db.koreascholar.com/Article/Detail/416756
Climate change has severely impacted food security and agricultural productivity in Africa. The scarcity of rains and the severe drought affecting the Sub-Saharan and the horn of Africa have impoverished the soil, and water resources, and have caused the death of livestock in countries like Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Niger, and etc. On the other hand, the usage of chemical fertilizers for soil and crop nutrients is becoming an economic and environmental burden for African farmers. Thus, the necessity to implement sustainable agricultural technics to maintain and improve soil fertility by applying natural nutrients obtained from livestock manure while livestock is fed with crop residues in a single agricultural area. Although this farming system offers environmental and economic benefits to farmers, particularly in the rural and semi-urban areas, its implementation is very low in Africa because of: 1) constant migration of herders in the search of green pasture for livestock, making the collection of manure difficult, 2) religious and traditional beliefs considering animal waste as not being pure to be applied on crops, 3) conflicts between herders and farmers over the control of water resources and arable lands, making the cohabitation of livestock and crops in one farmland unlikely, and 4) the habit of crop residues burning, which is not just harmful to the environment but also a waste of natural livestock fed. Based on the reviewed literature, the Korea-Africa Food and Agriculture Cooperation Initiative (KAFACI) plans to develop and implement an integrated crop-livestock project in KAFACI member countries with the mission 1) to diffuse the importance of using natural nutrients for improving soil fertility and enhancing crop and livestock productivity in Africa, 2) to train researchers and farmers on new technologies for manure treatments, 3) to demonstrate the benefits of using livestock manure for soil fertility, crops nutrients, while using crop residues as livestock nutrients, and 4) contribute to enhancing sustainable agriculture in Africa through the reduction of greenhouse gas by reducing livestock’s waste and crop residues burning.
