PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Marie K. Thompson
DATE:
October 19, 2002
Farmers Get Help
From Outer Space
MUSCLE SHOALS -
A Shoals-based international organization is going into outer space
to help farmers see the errors of their ways.
Scientists at IFDC,
an International Center for Soil Fertility and Agricultural
Development, are leading a program that uses satellite photographs
to create computer-enhanced maps to track problems caused by bad
farming practices in Africa.
"We're using a
geographic information system to monitor the depletion of nutrients
in the soil," said Lawrence Hammond, director of IFDC's
resource development division.
Numerous
universities, government agencies - including the U.S. Agency for
International Development -- and private organizations are
participating in the program.
The geographic
information system allows IFDC to create detailed maps that show
where nutrients are being removed from the soil faster than they can
be replaced.
Hammond said
farmers who do not use fertilizer have to clear forestland often to
create new fields after the soil nutrients have been depleted in the
old ones.
The old fields are
prone to erosion. The eroded soils can choke waterways.
He said cutting
trees and depleting soil of its nutrients are causing parts of
Africa to become new deserts.
By using the
satellite images, scientists can more easily see where the
desertification is occurring and identify problem areas sooner than
they could by conventional methods.
"Sometimes,
the problems are not as obvious to someone riding around looking at
the countryside as they are on the maps," Hammond said.
When problem areas
are identified, the maps can be used to help convince government
leaders and farmers to adopt practices that protect the soil.
Amit Roy, IFDC
president and chief executive officer, said increasing the use of
fertilizer on African farms is a priority of the organization.
Roy said many
African farmers have been unable to afford fertilizer in the past.
However, IFDC is
working with fertilizer distributors in Africa to create more
affordable fertilizers.
It is also working
to educate farmers on the importance of using fertilizer to grow
their crops.
In addition to
slowing the desertification of Africa, encouraging farmers to use
fertilizer increases crop yields, which improves the nation's food
supply, Roy said.
The work of IFDC
with the geographic information system and its efforts to preserve
soil fertility in Africa was featured at the World Summit on
Sustainable Development in September in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Hammond was part of
the three-person delegation that represented IFDC at the summit.
Return
to What's New?
|
