Implementing the millennium development food security goals – Challenges of the southern African context

摘要: The Millennium Development Goals’ target to halve the proportion of people who suffer from hunger is extremely important in southern Africa, where food security has become increasingly problematic over last 20 years. One "quick-win" proposal replenishment soil nutrients for smallholder farmers, through free or subsidised chemical fertilisers. Other proposals include appropriate irrigation technology, improved inputs and interventions targeted at women. Analysis 10 years agro-hydrological agro-economic studies African show that a different approach required proposed. There are sustainability problems with fertiliser: much costs transport ancillary costs. Furthermore, recent Zimbabwe Mozambique significant increases yield can only be obtained when fertility management combined good crop husbandry, e.g. timely planting weeding. Ongoing would dependent on continued supply, system so on. Increasing access will help, but not solution cannot reach even majority farmers. It been determined short dryspells often major cause low yields sub-Saharan Africa. Soil-water conservation approaches, off-season weeding tillage, reduce risk increase yield. following specific recommendations made urgent contribute sustainably Africa: (i) To fertiliser, consider development strong input markets end-user level distribution subsidies level, fertiliser. (ii) Intensification technology transfer, focusing capacity building transfer existing technologies closer collaboration between state NGO sectors agronomists water engineers. (iii) uptake soil-water methods, including tillage weeding, supplementary dryspells, investments farmer training. (iv) Linking strategies livestock practices strategies. (v) Investment decrease degradation, especially grazing lands. (vi) Freeing up women's labour (access drinking water, cooking fuel). (vii) Improved produce markets, landlocked countries, price information dissemination transport.