Picture: North West University’s Director of Food Security and Safety at the School for Microbiology in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Prof Olubukola Babalola/Supplied
By OBAKENG MAJE
The North West University’s Director of Food Security and Safety at the School for Microbiology in the Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Prof Olubukola Babalola said, the African continent is ravaged by a host of factors inhibiting food security and is trapped in what a recent report by the World Bank calls “the perfect storm”.
Babalola said its consequences are disastrous. She further said the COVID-19 pandemic was followed by the war in the Ukraine, which has led to severe food and fertilizer shortages.
“Now, Africa is in the midst of a tempest of increased debt and inflation, as well as the effects of climate change. The World Bank states that at least one in five Africans goes to bed hungry and that about 140 million people in Africa are in a food insecurity stranglehold.
“For us, these numbers are unacceptably high and among a host of other endeavours, are being addressed by the university’s niche area Food Security and Safety (FSS). Microbiology is one of the building blocks that is relevant to ensuring the safety, quality, and integrity of the food system,” said Babalola.
She added that FSS, helps to ensure the farm-to-fork passage of safe and secure food, as it is an essential way to prevent most human health challenges in recent times. Babalola said their research aims to propose safe and secure plant growth-promoting microorganisms as alternatives to using chemicals in agriculture.
“We also investigate the microorganisms causing plant diseases and sources of food contamination and we develop appropriate measures to control these. There is also an emphasis placed on investigating microorganisms that are tolerant to stresses caused by drought, as well as microorganisms that are disease-resistant.
“We look at plant cultivators that can be grown in adverse environmental conditions and investigate the sources of post-harvest and food spoilage including the shelf-life extension of food items to enhance preservation,” she said.
Babalola said what is especially important in an African context – and keeping in mind how climate change is severely affecting food security on the continent, is that, Food Security and Safety at the university also examines the contribution of agricultural systems. She said they do that from production, marketing, processing, and value-adding to technology and consumption – to household food security.
“Our research deals with both the technical and socio-economic dynamics of food security. It develops strategies for the sustainable improvement of rural households’ productive local crop and livestock systems, with the role of indigenous foods in household food security as a particular concern.
“The training of master’s-degree, doctoral and postdoctoral students is high on the entity’s priority list. These students conduct research in the sub-programs, namely Food production and availability, Food affordability and accessibility, Food safety, and, lastly, Climate change,” said Babalola.
She said the NWU is committed to helping achieve the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), of which SDG 2 (Zero Hunger) is only one priority. Babalola said this entails ending hunger, achieving food security and improved nutrition, as well as promoting sustainable agriculture.
“The importance of this work cannot be underestimated, not only to the continent but to South Africa as well. Food insecurity is a global problem, despite commitments to ensure safe food production and poverty alleviation. Environmental organisations such as the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) say South Africa faces an impending food security crisis if there is no urgent action to correct unsustainable practices,” she said.
Babalola said the agricultural sector is in trouble as load-shedding costs farmers billions of rands to keep the supply chain afloat. She said this impacts negatively on South Africa’s state of food production by making food expensive and inaccessible to many and increasing the number of people and households experiencing food inadequacy and hunger.
The Guardian 