SOIL, FOREST AND COFFEE PROTECTION THE AGRO-ECOLOGICAL TRANSITION TO SAVE THE PRODUCTION SYSTEM

The viability of our agricultural model is based on the agro-ecological transition, which must transcend political regimes. It is a question of survival in a context of degradation of our environment. This analysis is done by Marième Sow, Chair of the Board of Directors of Enda Tiers-Monde’s international network.

The chairman of Enda Tiers-Monde’s international network, Marième Sow, is delighted. The call that civil society organizations have made since the 1970s has finally been heard. The appropriation of the principles of the agro-ecological transition had been their workhorse for decades. This emblematic figure of clean agriculture salutes the awareness of the authorities to move towards a model of agricultural production that does not degrade our forests or our soil, and that does not pollute our groundwater and surface water. Indeed, in his message to the nation of December 31, 2018, President Macky Sall announced a preparation of Senegal, Sahelian country, to the ecological transition through the “Pse Vert”. “If we talk about an agro-ecological transition, it means that there is a need to change our production system. Drought, excessive logging and the uncontrolled use of chemical fertilizers are the root causes of environmental degradation. The alternative is the agro-ecological transition, “said Marième Sow. This Senegalese is part of civil society associations that had alerted, since the 1970s, the consequences of an agriculture that abuses chemical inputs. In fact, what is the agro-ecological transition? It is the switch to a production system that impacts our forest formations less and does not degrade our soils. In fact, agro-ecology borrows a lot from known agricultural techniques in Africa. That’s why, since the 70s, Enda Tiers-Monde campaigns for the popularization of agro-ecology. Experts believe that the sustainability of the agricultural production system depends to a large extent on this “alternative”. “The agro-ecological transition is to bring back to life the land, our forests, the microorganisms that are in the soil. On the basis of pesticide residues analysis in the soil, Enda Pronat has initiated farmers’ organizations to use other cultivation techniques, “says Sow, who praises the president’s vision of Republic to make the agro-ecological transition a strategic axis of the Pse. it’s about to bring back to life the land, our forests, the micro-organisms that are in the ground. On the basis of pesticide residues analysis in the soil, Enda Pronat has initiated farmers’ organizations to use other cultivation techniques, “says Sow, who praises the president’s vision of Republic to make the agro-ecological transition a strategic axis of the Pse. it’s about to bring back to life the land, our forests, the micro-organisms that are in the ground. On the basis of pesticide residues analysis in the soil, Enda Pronat has initiated farmers’ organizations to use other cultivation techniques, “says Sow, who praises the president’s vision of Republic to make the agro-ecological transition a strategic axis of the Pse.

Mastering the management of land assets

She believes that the agro-ecological transition must transcend political regimes. It is a question of survival in a context marked by the consequences of climate change for a Sahelian country like Senegal. “If you look closely, the agro-ecological transition is a social project. We welcome the option of President Macky Sall to make it a priority area of ​​his policy. Even other presidents who come after him must make it a major concern. We are satisfied with this call, because to succeed in the agro-ecological transition, it must be carried by the political decision-makers, the communities and the actors of the civil society “, specified the executive secretary of Enda Pronat, Marième Sow.

Since the 1970s, the actors at the grassroots have started this shift towards organic farming using less chemical inputs. Today, there are more than 150 farmers’ organizations that have adopted Senegal’s own production techniques. However, the activist refuses to summarize the agro-ecological transition to the preservation of the environment. This notion, she adds, encompasses the way land is managed. For her, a balance must be struck between the use of land for agriculture, the restoration of vegetation cover, the protection of forests, among others. “The success of the ecological transition depends on managing the management of our land assets. And, we must accept that this resource is used to satisfy both the agricultural needs and the restoration of vegetation cover. We must also control the governance of our water resources. We can not grant land to multinationals that are agro-business, using all kinds of chemical inputs and claiming to arrive at the agro-ecological transition, “warned this activist. Mrs. Sow welcomed the flourishing organic vegetable markets both in Dakar and inland. The sensitization carried out since the 1970s has really paid off. Mrs. Sow welcomed the flourishing organic vegetable markets both in Dakar and inland. The sensitization carried out since the 1970s has really paid off. Mrs. Sow welcomed the flourishing organic vegetable markets both in Dakar and inland. The sensitization carried out since the 1970s has really paid off.