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| Cereal Grain Farming in Africa |
Agriculture and livestock provide a livelihood for more than half of Mauritanians, but only provides one third of the national food needs of the country. Farmers in Mauritania mostly produce cereal grains and struggle to produce a relatively even yield of crops each year. Unpredictable drought and rain have caused serious instability in this sector and are made worse by the struggles with modernization. To combat these issues, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations created a program in 2009 called the Integrated Production and Pest Management Programme in Africa.
In Mauritania specifically, the IPPM programme focuses on innovations to improve crop yield and reduce poverty and starvation in the nation. Farmers have been educated through the farmer field school network in agronomy, or the science of soil management and crop production, and use this knowledge to fertilize and plant the crops in strategic ways. They are encouraged to practice nutritional diversity and plant several different types of crops. They have also been taught economic skills which provide them with strategies for increasing profit in the market. Nearly 7,000 farmers have been educated in these skills, and 15% of them are women.
In Mauritania specifically, the IPPM programme focuses on innovations to improve crop yield and reduce poverty and starvation in the nation. Farmers have been educated through the farmer field school network in agronomy, or the science of soil management and crop production, and use this knowledge to fertilize and plant the crops in strategic ways. They are encouraged to practice nutritional diversity and plant several different types of crops. They have also been taught economic skills which provide them with strategies for increasing profit in the market. Nearly 7,000 farmers have been educated in these skills, and 15% of them are women.
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| Visualization of the Reoccurring Effects of Pesticides |
Another key farming innovation that has occurred in the last 10 years is the increased awareness of the danger of pesticides. Chemical pesticides are the most common pest management system in the region and are used generously, often even when pests are not present. They ultimately do very little to increase production and actually reduce farmer profit due to the significant effects of pesticides on human and environmental health. In order to combat this destructive practice, the IPPM programme has joined with governmental organizations to test the quality of bodies of water and to promote the passing of legislation and awareness of the dangers associated with pesticides.
Source: http://www.fao.org/agriculture/ippm/projects/mauritania/en/
Source: http://www.fao.org/agriculture/ippm/projects/mauritania/en/
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