Find out how Agro Kings is engaging in climate-smart agriculture
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We all can’t deny the impact of climate change — it is a major issue for humanity, and the way we produce food will be greatly affected by these changes. The United Nations predicts that in 2050 there will be 9.7 billion people on earth, while Africa’s population is expected to triple from 1 billion up to 2–4 more billion inhabitants. Experts hint that if agricultural production doesn’t increase by at least 50% over the next 30 years, then our ability to feed all those billions may come into question.
If you’re still reading this, then it means one of two things: either you are generally interested in matters about climate actions or curious about how an agricultural processing plant like us, Agro Kings, is contributing to combat the impacts of environmental changes while simultaneously improving efficiency and boosting output levels.
Use of irrigation channels
Agro Kings has invested in a comprehensive irrigation system which ensures water availability all year round. This is over 40km in natural man-made canals carefully designed around the farm with an intentional focus on the CSA goal of sustainable food production and water conservation. Rice cultivation requires much more water (5000l/kg) than other crops. At Agro Kings, our irrigation engineering team designed our canals and drains to optimize water usage by established measures like returning drained-backwaters into their main source supply while simultaneously draining excess water off fields during rainy seasons.
Use of renewable energy
Some of our farm houses and storage facilities are powered using solar energy. Again, our warehouse and farm houses are constructed using reusable shipping containers and we have employed the use of e-bikes for transportation on the farm. By reducing the production of pollutants and reducing its global carbon footprint, they are taking one step forward in making Earth greener and less polluted.
Planting trees, hybrid seeds and soybeans
We are always on the lookout for ways to improve soil fertility through good agricultural practices. Specifically, we cultivate soybeans on our farm providing nitrogen-rich residues which allows us to use fewer fertilizers. Additionally, using hybrid seeds resistant to disease allows us more flexibility when faced with environmental stressors like flooding and drought. In doing this, our farmers can both maintain a resilient crop production system without sacrificing yield at all. Lastly, we are planting trees that can help protect against windstorms or reduce carbon footprint emissions while boosting resilience in plants by sequestering atmospheric carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Written by: Naa Adei Kotey
