Better millet instead of corn and beans

Millet instead of corn and beans: Climate change is forcing Africa to change direction
The clock is ticking - especially in Africa. In some places, there is not much time left to adapt agricultural practices to changing climatic conditions to avoid food bottlenecks. Scientists at the University of Bonn have now specified the need for action as part of a study.
Countries such as Niger, Senegal or the Gambia, which are located near and south of the Sahara, would therefore have to start immediately with the conversion of their food production. Countries slightly further from the Sahara Belt, such as Tanzania, Namibia and Botswana, have about ten years to convert maize-stressed crops, according to scientists.

Millet instead of rice. Picture: kuvona - fotolia

The problem: In many of these countries, much corn is traditionally consumed and grown accordingly. It will therefore take some time to persuade the population and peasants to switch to less water-intensive millet or sorghum cultivation and its consumption. Angola, South Africa and Uganda would have until the middle of the century to change from the previously popular beans to other, drought-tolerant crops.

So it is time not only to take care of the slowing down of climate change, but to develop concrete adaptation strategies if entire regions are not to lose their livelihoods. By the end of the century, the crop potential of three major staple foods will plummet: up to 30 percent of corn and banana growing areas and up to 60 percent of bean-growing areas will be affected, the researchers said. One problem may be that this process is progressing very slowly. A second, is the difficult to implement agricultural advice due to widespread small-scale farming structures. (Friederike Heidenhof, aid)