65% of Africa’s Arable Land ‘Too Damaged’ for Food Production

NO ORDINARY MATTER:

Soil degradation affecting 180 million people in SSA alone

The impacts of land degradation in Africa are substantial: 65% of arable land, 30% of grazing land and 20% of forests are too damaged for food production, according to a report published by the Montpellier Panel—a group of agriculture, ecology and trade experts from Africa and Europe.

“Affecting nearly one-third of the earth’s land area, land degradation reduces the productive capacity of agricultural land by eroding topsoil and depleting nutrients resulting in enormous environmental, social and economic costs. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) an estimated 180 million people are affected, while the economic loss due to land degradation is estimated at $68 billion per year.”

Types of soil degradation in Africa. Source: MONTPELLIER PANEL December 2014 Report.  Read more…

 Related Links

• YESTERDAY Was World Soil Day 2014 December 6, 2014

Disaster Declared as Deadly Floods Swamp Third of Malawi

Floods Kill Many in Malawi and Mozambique

At least 52 people have been killed and about 50,000 forced to flee their homes amid severe flooding in Malawi, UNOCHA reported.

Authorities have declared more than a third of the country disaster areas, as torrential rains inundated large swathes of land, destroying crops, homes, roads, railroads and other infrastructure.

Heavy rain is expected to continue for at least another week or so, forecasters said.

“People have fled into schools and churches on higher ground, others are in the open because there is not enough space,” a senior official  told  the AP.

Mozambique

The National Institute for Disaster Management activated institutional orange alert country wide. A total of 9,652 families have been affected, with Maputo city, Gaza, Nampula and Cabo Delgado provinces being most affected.

A group of 25 schoolchildren were swept away by floodwaters earlier this week, said reports.

Zimbabwe

Heavy rains have been falling throughout Zimbabwe since early December 2014. According to the Department of Civil Protection, 11 deaths were reported and over 1,500 people have been affected by rainfall and flooding country-wide.

Related Links

• Thousands Displaced by Deadly Floods in Malawi January 11, 2015