PART ONE: Undergraduate Final Year Project
Problem Statement
Given the falling mortality and some of the highest birth rates in the world, Africa is and will remain by far the largest source of population growth globally. According to the United Nations, Africa’s total population has increased tenfold. It now stands at over 1.4 billion, projected to reach 2.5 billion by 2050 -more than 25% of the world population. And it is estimated to get close to 40% by the end of the century. However, there is a challenge; you will agree with me that the land area for planting crops or rearing animals is neither increasing nor catching up with the pace. To further emphasis this, by 2030 from my knowledge of the SDGs agenda, under No-To-Poverty; it is expected to eradicate every form of extreme poverty including lack of food, etc. Moving a step further by quoting; SDG-2 ZERO HUNGER “End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture.”
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Hence, there is a need to boost farming productivity with the available resources that are at our disposal. Though how to produce more with little is a global challenge, however, for now, I will be focusing on my backyard, Africa! For a young Animal Nutritionist and Biotechnologist like me, I consider this an opportunity; since we are learning to see opportunity in crisis. This is why I am so happy about my final year undergraduate research project, which is in the area of boosting the growth of poultry birds! The project investigates and proposes a replacement for the use of synthetic drugs like growth boosters and vaccines, most of which have the following two(2) main challenges:
The first is the Adverse Effect of Synthetic Drugs on Poultry Birds and Consumers: residues of synthetic drugs in meat and poultry products; which can affect the quality of these products and also pose health risks to consumers. An easy illustration is the carcinogenic properties of synthetic drugs which can be linked to cause cancer. Moreso, it might also lead to environmental degradation through the downstream supply chain of these synthetic drugs. In African terrain, not all farmers have the know-how or can afford to hire a consultant; so in the end, if these drugs are not properly managed during vaccination, there can even be an outbreak of more diseases. These consequences go on.
The second challenge is the economics of these feeds or additives. To keep this short, Synthetic additives are not affordable, sometimes accessible, or available to a large percentage of African poultry farmers, especially rural farmers.
In my next post; I will be sharing the detailed objectives of the project with you, stay tuned!
#FYproject #FoodSecurity #Sustainability #ResilientFarming #AnimalNutritionistandBiotechnologist
