Climate change isn’t the only danger to Africa’s crop farming. Recently, illegal gold mining has increasingly endangered cocoa farming in West Africa, with over 20,000 hectares affected in Ghana.
Famously known as Galamsey, the illegal gold-mining activities are out of control considering the active destruction of cacao trees. Additionally, cacao landowners are forcefully evacuated to give space for the activity.
Also, there are no efforts to rehabilitate the mining land, leading to soil degradation, desertification, and flooding. The deep water trenches in the mining zones are also a health danger. They can attract diseases like malaria, and cholera, or lead to injuries/death due to drowning cases.
Global warming further escalates the all-time low cocoa production through the Cacao Swollen Shoot Virus. According to Ghana’s Cocobod, over 35,000 hectares of cacao plantations have been affected by the deadly virus. Similarly, neighboring country Ivory Coast, cocoa plantations are struggling to handle the outbreak.
Africa’s farming capability is in danger due to climate change. Other African countries like Kenya, and South Africa are also struggling to sustain their main food crops because of global warming and human factors like mining, and deforestation.
Therefore, it’s time to hasten Africa’s climate mitigation agenda and enforce laws to stop respective harmful human activities. This will help the continent to actively compete with other crop-producing continents like South America.
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