After 45 years of research at Wageningen University,
Prof. Leo Stroosnijder is taking stock of the
facts and fables surrounding his field. His specialist area
explores the erosion of agricultural land, soil and water
management and the role played by millions of smallholders (often
women) in developing countries.
The first myth to be upturned relates to the lack of rational
decisions made by African farmers. According to the departing
professor, the neoclassical economics of the free market, rational
decision-making and maximum profit are impractical in developing
countries. Instead, so-called cultural economics state that
travelling to family in times of drought, for example, is more
profitable than taking conservation measures, partly because
drought is often very localised (within 20 km). Forging and
strengthening relations provides greater food security than
investing in anti-drought measures. The accusations of a lack of
market focus often aimed at African farmers are also based on
myths, says Prof. Stroosnijder. Restricted access to the market is
what curbs farmers in production. In order to increase production,
loans are needed for investment. But in countries like Benin, for
example, the interest rate is 100 % and so the benefits of extra
production are immediately swallowed up by interest payments,
resulting in a debt crisis.
Land degradation no imminent threat to food
security
There is another widely-held belief that sustainable development
can only be achieved if all farmers participate fully. The
so-called participative approach in development aid cooperation is
very popular, but interviewers seldom hear an 'honest' answer to
their questions. More frequently, the farmer being interviewed
gives the answer he thinks the interviewer wants to hear. The gap
between illiterate smallholders and better-educated third parties
is often far too wide.
A number of myths also exist in the area of soil-protection
measures, continues Prof. Stroosnijder. Land degradation, for
example, is thought to be a threat to food security. Prof.
Stroosnijder does not believe in this doom scenario. The myth dates
back to 1995, when it was reported that agricultural production
would drop by 8% per year, leading to a current production level of
just 20%. This assertion could not have been further from the
truth, even though the FAO still claims that 'urgent steps need to
be taken'.
The following phrase crops up frequently in all kinds of research
grant applications: 'proven changes in rainfall patterns due to
climate change'. However, analysis of long series of rainfall
measurements in Zimbabwe, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Burkina Faso and
Benin show no significant changes in rainfall, says Stroosnijder.
"So it's a myth. The world is not being jeopardised by land
degradation or changes in rainfall. A change in land usage and land
quality is often referred to as land degradation, but land
development would probably be a better word."
Human factor omitted in models
Stroosnijder also quashes the fable of the beneficial effects of a
large-scale approach to land degradation if a small-scale approach
fails to achieve the desired results. This is a direct reference to
plans to construct an 8,000 km-long and 40 km-wide green belt in
the Sahel in an attempt to stop the desertification of the area.
"Doomed before it even starts", is his opinion. This zone naturally
moves hundreds of kilometres in a north/south direction in line
with consecutive years of heavy rainfall or drought.
The professor goes a step further in busting the final category of
myths: research models. Although there are certainly a number of
basic questions for soil physics, there is "no need to know more
physical details, as it is by no means certain that this will
advance our applied field of study", says Prof. Stroosnijder. "So
the idea that we can generate a perfect picture of land degradation
is simply another myth. Models can never be more than part of
reality, and can never be of better quality than the data entered
to compile them. It is the human factor that is missing in
models."