African farmers growingorganic crops for Europeanmarkets

African farmers are making
money producing
organically grown crops for
European markets, where
demand for healthier food
is growing.
Nearly 5,000 farmers in
Burkina Faso, Cameroon,
Ghana, Senegal, and Sierra
Leone are exporting
organically-grown produce to
Europe, after gaining organic
and fair-trade certification with
help from the U.N. Food and
Agriculture Organisation (FAO).
The programme focuses on all
stages of production from planting and
harvesting to packaging and promotion,
increasing the profitability of farmers who
previously struggled to afford costly chemical
fertilisers.
"Organic agriculture in general is well suited to
small-scale farmers because usually small-scale
farmers do not have much cash to purchase
external inputs, chemical inputs, pesticides, or
chemical fertilisers," says Pascal Liu, an economist
with the FAO's trade and markets division.
Liu says the programme helps West African
farmers learn organic means of production using
compost and natural predators.
A total of 30 small-scale pineapple farmers in
Ghana saw sales grow from 26 tons to more than
115 tons after gaining their organic certification.
"The market for organic foods has been growing
very rapidly," he added. "Even though there has
been a slow down because of the economic crisis,
but it is still growing much faster than the market
for conventional foods."
Liu says the United Nations expects demand for
organic foods will grow by between 5% and 15%
annually during the next five years. And African
farmers are well positioned to benefit from more
people eating healthier food.
"There are opportunities for small farmers in
Africa in this market for some tropical products
that cannot be grown in North America or
Europe, for example products like organic cocoa
or organic sugar, organic fruits and vegetables,"
explained Liu. "And usually there is a price
premium for organic products. The price is a little
higher than the price for conventional foods."
Some farmers who are not in the programme
have begun adopting organic farming techniques
in hopes of joining small organic cooperatives that
are beginning to negotiate long-term contracts
with European organic and fair-trade wholesalers.
– VOA