Market Information
Can organic farming improve food
security for Sa ’ s poor communities ?
14 million South Africans do not have access to regular food supply , and seven million are chronically hungry despite South Africa producing enough food to feed its 53 million citizens . Produce crop yields that can provide food and income to families , require soils containing plenty of minerals and water . While commercial farmers use chemical fertilisers to add nutrients to the soil , these fertilisers are unaffordable for small-scale farmers . Organic matter such as compost , manure , and bone meal offers a cheaper source of both nutrients and carbon , which improve the soil ' s ability to hold precious water . �is is what prompted Professor Raymond Auerbach , a senior researcher affiliated to the DST-NRF Centre of Excellence in Food Security to undertake research comparing crops grown using organic and chemical fertilisers .
Collaborating with researchers from the
University of Pretoria and the University of Limpopo , Professor Auerbach , who is based at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University , wanted to nd out whether smallholder farmers could use organic practices to improve yield and nutritional quality of their crops .
While chemical fertilisers increased the amount of phosphorus available to the plants , they also made the soil more acidic . Organic treatments , meanwhile , increased phosphorus and potassium slightly , but also reduced soil acidity and increased soil organic matter . �ese ndings suggest that less acidity and greater organic matter in the organicallytreated soils made more potassium available to the plants .
“ Importantly , for drought-prone areas like Mpumalanga , North West , Limpopo and the Free State , the organically-treated soils held more moisture a�er a three-week dry spell than did chemically-treated soils ,” Auerbach said .
Although there are clear bene ts to organic farming , initial low yields due to low soil phosphate pose a major hurdle for organic farmers . Putting grain or vegetables on the table or the market is ultimately all that matters to the farmer . Yet , organically treated crops provided 20-40 % less yield than their chemically treated counterparts in the rst two years . However , input costs were also signi cantly lower ; usually by the fourth year , the soil biology has improved enough to help with soil phosphate availability .
“ If organic farming methods are to improve the wellbeing of South Africa ' s poorest communities , the yield-gap between organic and chemical treatments will have to be closed . �is is a priority for future research ,” says Professor Auerbach .
www . farmersreviewafrica . com January - February 2017
FARMERS
[ 13 ] REVIEW AFRICA