Through the provision of affordable sustainable energy, it would be possible to have crops such as cereals, legumes and fish dried and treated to reduce moisture content hence increase their shelf life, making it possible to have the produce during drought.
In this age of technological revolutions, breakthroughs in all sectors of the economy are deeply intertwined. Now innovative achievements are being successfully employed in the agricultural sector across all Africa.
When nuclear technology is mentioned in relation to agriculture, four main areas of development emerge: Decline in pests/insects, increased crop production, improved food processing as well as improved animal health.
Chairman of Nigerian Senate Committee of Science and Technology Prof Ajayi Boroffice argues that the synergy between agriculture and energy technologies can have quite a positive effect on economic efficiency of the industry.
Thus, the development of the agricultural sector should not be neglected but put on a premium as potentially one of the most vibrant sectors.
How does energy technologies plug into the mainstream economic sectors like agriculture? How does the provision of nuclear energy on to the grid supplement the entire agriculture sector?
Another example from South Africa shows that nuclear technology has saved Western Cape’s orange industry, which was about to collapse.
The application of nuclear technology helped local farmers put an end to infestation that damaged the environment, seriously affecting the citrus industry that employed 10 per cent of South African agricultural labour force.
Local farmers used the sterile insect technique, which is a form of inspect pest control that uses ionising radiation to sterilise pests that are mass-produced in special rearing facilities.
The sterile insects are released systematically from the ground or by air into pest-infested areas, where they mate with wild populations, which subsequently do not produce offspring. In the few cases when sterilised males and wild females do have an offspring, it is always completely sterile.
As a result, this technique can suppress and, in some cases, eradicate populations of insect pests. This technique is among the most environmentally friendly control tactics available, and is applied as part of an integrated campaign to control insect populations.
Employing this technique Tanzania’s Zanzibar declared itself tsetse-free by 1997.
Food irradiation is life-saving technology, as it eradicates bacteria and parasites that can cause foodborne diseases. According to the World Health Organisation, each year around 600 million people suffer from consuming contaminated food.
Africa has the highest level of foodborne diseases with more than 90 million people falling ill and around 130,000 dying each year.
Against this background, the importance of nuclear technologies in agriculture is even higher that it was before. That is why Nigeria, which already has one nuclear science facility able to operate in six different modes, plans to boost its economic and scientific potential.
In Kenya, adequate energy supply would make it possible to address huge challenges of post-harvest loss. This explains the need to advance the nuclear agenda to address energy gaps and increase productivity in the entire food chain.
Additionally, through the provision of affordable sustainable energy, it would be possible to have crops such as cereals, legumes and fish dried and treated to reduce moisture content hence increase their shelf life, making it possible to have the produce during drought.
Conscious of benefits that nuclear technology can bring to the well-being of the ordinary citizens, more countries in Africa are considering raising nuclear capacities.
For example, Zambia is looking at nuclear science development, as the country is planning to build a nuclear university and install a special radioisotope complex with the help of Russian partners to meet rising demands in key spheres of social and economic activity.
According to global estimates, some 25-30 per cent of the food harvested in many developing countries is lost because of spoilage by microbes and pests. The reduction of such spoilage is of the utmost importance, particularly in countries with humid climates.
Daniel Njoroge Thuo is an energy expert, economics and policy analysis lecturer at Karatina University School of Business in Kenya. E-mail: [email protected]
