Ask Slashdot: How To Feed Africa?

gbrumfiel writes "Africa has some of the poorest soil of anywhere on the earth, and over farming is only making matters worse. As the population grows, governments and NGOs must decide whether to subsidize chemical fertilizers like those used in the west or promote more sustainable agricultural practices. In Malawi, the government has decided to subsidize fertilizers, with impressive results. Corn yields have tripled since the subsidies were introduced. More sustainable practices, such as fertilizer trees can't deliver those kind of results in just a few years. The question is simple: does Africa follow the same, unsustainable road as the rest of the world? Or do they become a testing ground for potentially game-changing new techniques? OR is there a third path? Discuss."

Comments

Re:the bigger problem

[Githaron]

I have no problem with birth control in general. I have a problem with abortion.

Re:Solution

[roman_mir]

Mouth control.

How about you control your mouth.

As I said, people are not a drain on the system, they are a resource.

Maybe if the foreign countries stopped sponsoring dictators around the world and giving them weapons there would be less of a problem around the world as well.

Next best thing foreign countries can do is leave Africa to itself and also reduce subsidies to domestic farmers. Let the real market work and all of a sudden Africa will become a net food exporter.