390 Enabling Policies and Institutions for Sustainable Agricultural and Food Systems
over the period from May 1993 (Toulmin, 1997). It is reasonable to ask whether
such sums are justifiable given the end product and the likelihood of the intended
beneficiaries gaining anything tangible from the National Action Programmes cur-
rently being formulated. But the third, and most important, problem concerns the
approach taken by these international plans and strategies. Despite a rhetorical
flourish in favour of participation and consultation, and a nod in recognition of
diversity, such initiatives continue to be led by international donors, and empha-
size the important role of international coordination and facilitation, rather than
taking measures to ensure real interest and ownership in the countries concerned.
It is vital to have an agreed consensus regarding the nature of the policy prob-
lem being faced, and the system of which it forms part. The ‘crisis narrative’
expressed in many international statements about the state of African agriculture
tells a particular story which is appealing in its simplicity. It suggests that things are
bad and getting worse, and something must be done urgently. While this may be
good at raising the interest of donors and others, it may result in poorly thought-
out and hastily implemented projects which make it difficult for other more con-
sidered approaches to be carried out. Such interventions may, in some cases,
undermine livelihoods and reduce the potential for sustainability in the long term.
Programmes which stress inorganic fertilizer use may, for example, push out a
more balanced approach including biomass management which would help assure
the longer-term structure and productivity of soils.
An alternative, more cautious way forward is needed. Such an approach does
not state that ‘there is no soil-fertility problem’, but rather that problems are local,
specific, differentiated and dynamic and will require mostly local efforts to be
addressed effectively. This approach proceeds through a combination of farmer
experimentation, monitoring and sequential learning as part of a longer-term par-
ticipatory process. It is less glamorous than global initiatives and spends aid money
less on technical aspects and more on building local skills and reforming institu-
tional and policy processes. Such an approach pays particular attention to the
phasing and skills required for pursuing this kind of programme, it acknowledges
the very diverse set of conditions and practices found at farm level, and it recog-
nizes that African farmers have been very creative in their ability to adapt and cope
with rapid changes to the economic, institutional, technical and political settings
in which they find themselves. While such an approach focuses on the local and
the particular, it recognizes the importance of the broader macro conditions within
which local practices are set.
Those in favour of this approach need to establish a rather different kind of
debate at global level which avoids simplification. The narrative for such an
approach tells a story of diversity and dynamics and the need to support a set of
locally generated processes, pay attention to institutional and policy settings and
place soil-fertility management issues in their broader livelihood context. It is
hoped that this book can make a contribution to this alternative vision and so help
set the debate on how best to support soil management in Africa on a new and
more productive path.