Don't convert Africa's savanna to agricultural land

During the launch of the Transformation of the African Savannah Initiative, African Development Bank (AfDB) President Akinwumi Adesina proposed developing savanna lands where the soils are healthy and can support the cultivation of many crops, including corn and soybeans.

The AfDB plans to start the initiative by converting approximately two million hectares of savanna into farmland in eight African countries: Ghana, Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, and Mozambique. It will be used to cultivate maize and soybeans, and to keep livestock.

While we understand why the AfDB has made this proposal, we disagree with it. Of course, there is precedent for the suggestion of development, like in the United States, where grasslands are major contributors to food and livestock production. But we see there are many benefits to not developing Africa’s savanna grasslands, but leaving them intact.

http://www.dw.com/en/dont-convert-africas-savanna-to-agricultural-land/a-41388543?maca=en-Socialflow-Wirtschaft-Tweet-25489-xml-mrss

Sergei Golyshev

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