Don't Convert Africa's Savanna to Agricultural Land
Leaving the continent’s grasslands intact is good for the climate, for biodiversity and for the health of the soil
By Esther Ngumbi, Sam Dindi on November 7, 2017
To feed the increasing number of Africans who are poor, hungry and malnourished, during the launch of the Transformation of the African Savannah Initiative, the African Development Bank (AfDB) President Akinwumi Adesina proposed developing Africa’s 400 million hectares of cultivatable savanna lands. The soils are healthy there and can support the cultivation of many crops, including corn and soybeans.
To begin this initiative, the AfDB plans to convert approximately 2 million hectares of savanna into farmland in eight African countries: Ghana, Guinea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Central African Republic, Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, and Mozambique. It will be used to cultivate maize and soybeans, and to keep livestock.
https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/observations/dont-convert-africas-savanna-to-agricultural-land/