Farmers in Africa Can Build Resilience Against Climate Through Regenerative Agriculture – Kwasari

During a regional media engagement on Agro-ecology and climate justice event organized by ActionAid Nigeria, Mr. Samuel Robert Kwasari, a Technical Officer at Be the Help Foundation (BHF), highlighted the significance of Regenerative Agriculture (RA) in building resilience against the impacts of climate change for smallholder farmers in Africa.

RA, described as a holistic farming system, aims to improve water and air quality, enhance ecosystem biodiversity, produce nutrient-dense food, and store carbon to mitigate the effects of climate change. Mr. Kwasari emphasized that RA involves community-based food production systems, enabling communities, especially in underserved areas, to access fresh and nutritious foods.

The engagement, part of the Strategic Partnerships for Agro-ecology and Climate Justice in West Africa (SPAC-West Africa) project, aimed to enhance the knowledge of climate change and agriculture reporters from across the continent on agro-ecology and climate justice.

The 2024 seasonal forecasts of Agro-hydro-climatic characteristics of the major rainy season in the Gulf of Guinea Countries, released recently, recommended farmers to adopt RA. The forecast predicted a rainfall deficit in the coastal areas of Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, Liberia, Togo, Benin, and Nigeria during the major rainy season in the southern parts of the Gulf of Guinea countries.

Mr. Kwasari emphasized that RA is a reliable farming method that can contribute to food security and poverty reduction in rural areas. He highlighted the self-sufficiency aspect of RA systems, which aim to reduce dependency on external inputs such as seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides, ultimately lowering input costs for farmers. According to him, RA systems promote on-farm production of inputs, allowing farmers to invest once and harvest throughout the year and even lifelong.

The discussions underscored the potential of RA in reshaping agricultural practices in Africa, fostering sustainability, and mitigating the adverse effects of climate change on smallholder farmers across the continent.