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Soil science has a vital message for food security
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ACCORDING to the United Nations, sometime around 2050, the planet’s human population will be close to 10 billion, a threshold that will stress many of the world’s most important systems, especially agriculture. How will farmers — including poor growers in developing countries — increase crop productivity to meet growing food demand?
Feeding the world efficiently will not be easy, and intangibles such as climate change, violent conflict, and the availability of fresh water will complicate it further. New farming techniques that use data and drones to monitor crop health will help. But one of the most powerful methods for increasing yields sustainably will come from leveraging what is already in the ground.
Naturally occurring microbes in soils help foster crop health and improve plant output. But poor soil management can lead to a loss of microbial content. By replenishing depleted soils with these beneficial organisms, farm productivity can be increased, without reliance on costly inputs like fertilizers and pesticides, thereby helping to meet the daunting challenges of feeding a growing population while protecting the environment.
Several start-up companies are already working to harness the power of microbes. Big companies, too, are getting in on the act.
One of the major reasons farmers find microbial products attractive is that they are formulated from naturally occurring organisms, and do not carry the same risks as synthetic chemicals. The current market value for these products is US$2.3 billion, and the market is expected to grow to US$5 billion over the next four years.
It is hard to overemphasize the benefits of microbial soil treatment for agricultural productivity, especially in the developing world, where increasing crop yields is a matter of survival for smallholder farms. This is particularly true for farmers in Africa.
Today, roughly 65 percent of Africa’s agricultural soil is degraded, lacking sufficient nutrients and microbial life to support plant health.
But research on African soil microbes remains limited, with most microbial solutions being developed for Western markets. This should change. More investment could enable scientists to discover new microbial strains with unique abilities to influence soil and crop health locally, thereby leveraging Africa’s own natural environment to improve agricultural productivity.
Greater investment in soil research could also have spillover benefits for African economies. With new discoveries leading to patents and licenses, the resulting research could spur the formation of new agribusinesses and farm-related industries.
Meeting the food demands of the planet’s growing population will require new farming products, technologies, and practices to increase productivity. For agricultural scientists like me, no issue facing future generations is more important than food security.
Esther Ngumbi is a 2017 Clinton Global Initiative University Mentor for Agriculture and a 2015 Food Security New Voices Fellow at the Aspen Institute. Copyright: Project Syndicate, 2017.
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