Глобальный форум по продовольственной безопасности и питанию (Форум FSN)

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Д-р. Joseph Ahenda

Член с
Организация: FAO
Страна: Сомали
Область (области) знаний:
I am working on:

Establishment of a sustainable seed system in Somalia based on the local land races of sorghum, maize and cowpea. The local land races are quiet diverse and highly adapted to prevailing arid conditions and farming systems reducing the risks of crop failure. Over the years, civil unrest and recurrent droughts have led to the land races being unavailable and in some case mixed (physically and genetically). Twenty four local varieties of sorghum, maize and cowpea have been cleaned, described, multiplied and re-introduced into seed and farming systems in Somalia. Key partners are Ministry of Agriculture, Farmers, Agro-input dealers and universities.

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    • Questions

      Comments

      Is an International Code of Conduct for the Use and Management of Fertilizers beneficial and useful? To whom, and why?

      Yes, it is important especially to policy makers, public institutions such as agricultural/Environment regulatory authorities and many countries especially those in developing may depend on the framework to address some of the fertilizer related emerging issues. Countries developing fertilizer related laws and regulations may make reference to the code. The code may also contribute to harmonized regional and even global trade in fertilizers, this will in turn increase access to the agro-input.

      Does this Fertilizer Code of Conduct address all aspects necessary to ensure the responsible use of fertilizers, optimizing benefits while minimizing risks?

      Yes, it does but the role of public sector is more pronounced than the other key players such as manufacturers and dealers. Private sector’s roles and responsibilities should also be captured for greater ownership, compliance and positive impact.

      Are there any topics or subject matter missing from this Fertilizer Code of Conduct? If so, what are they?

      Soil conditioners and bio-fertilizers

      Are there redundancies or unnecessary items or subjects within this Code of Conduct? If so, what are they?

      Yes, highlighted in the text in tracked changes.

      Do you have any other suggestions or comments not covered in the above questions? If so, please elaborate.

      Fertilizer quality and safety is quite an issue to traders,  farmers and consumers of the resultant crop yields in many developing countries; The code could bring out some focus on quality assurance and international trade (import/export),

       

      See the attachments:

    • Below ground biodiversity is very important for maintaining the resilience of soil ecosystem for sustainable agricultural production. Besides this, soil flora and fauna play a vital role in sustaining the above ground biodiversity and terrestrial ecosystems in general. Despite these, many modern agricultural development interventions pay little attention to these subterranean resources.

      The well-being of the soil biodiversity is always being ignored in most agricultural development interventions which emphasise on intensification, large scale monoculture and some time in unstable (erosion prone) landscapes. This leads to decline in soil biodiversity which in turn disrupts agro-ecosystem by reducing plant diversity, organic matter decomposition, nutrient retention and cycling. Many soils become ‘’lifeless’’ and can only support crop production through application of fertilizers.  

      Many agricultural systems have adopted intensive use of inorganic fertilizers and soil conditioners to compensate for the reduced soil regeneration capacity. However, these inputs further change soil physical and chemical environments, complicating the matters by irreversibly impacting negatively on the soil organisms. This makes farmers increasingly rely on inorganic fertilizers which is not sustainable in the long run in terms of production cost and environment. However, many farmers in Africa can ill afford the inputs leading to steady decline in productivity and production levels in regions.

      It is therefore important that agricultural development interventions deploy appropriate strategies to safeguard the below ground biodiversity to ensure soil resilience and sustainable agro-ecosystem.