Tropical Africa:

Food Production and the Inquiry Model
 
Hunger is the result of disasters such as drought, floods,
the changing of the jet stream patterns and other natural
disasters. They are beyond our control. It has been
estimated that one third of the land in Tropical Africa is
potentially cultivable, though only about 6% of it is
currently cultivated. However, to change farming from a
low-input, low-yield pattern to a high-input, high-yield
pattern necessitates the use of more fertilizer and the
planting of high-yielding varieties of crops. There are a
number of environmental factors, related mostly to climate,
soils and health, resisting easy developmental solutions.
Rainfall reliability is closely connected to rainfall
quantity. The rainfall in the equatorial heart is very
plentiful and reliable. However, there is much less
rainfall towards the outer edges of the rain belt. Periodic
and unpredictable droughts are a characteristic feature of
these border zones. 
 
There are three climatic zones in Tropical Africa:
 
1. a region of persistent rain at and near the Equator,
 
2. a region on each side of the Equator of summer rain and
winter drought, and
 
3. a region at the northern and southern edges afflicted by
drought.
 
All the climates listed in the previous paragraph are
modified in the eastern parts of Tropical Africa by the
mountains and monsoons.
 
The soils of Tropical Africa pose another problem. They are
unlike the soils of temperate areas. Soils are largely
products of their climates, and tropical soils are
different from temperate soils because the climate is
different. Because of the great heat of the tropics tends
to bake the soils, while on the other hand, the rainfall
leaches them. The combined heat and moisture tend to
produce very deep soils because the surface rock is rapidly
broken down by chemical weathering. All this causes the
food's rate of growth to slow down or maybe even stop and
as a result food production won't even come close in
catching up to the rate of population increase; therefore
starvation and hunger is present.
 
In the process of a flood and drought, the roots of trees
are shallow and virtually no nutrients are obtained from
the soil. The vegetation survives on its own humus waste,
which is plentiful. If the vegetation is cleared, then the
source of humus is removed and the natural infertility of
the soils becomes obvious. As being another factor, this
will cause the soil to produce wasteful and useless
products which in turn will decrease the production.
 
To conclude this essay, the climates in Tropical Africa
take a big role as being factors that could endanger or
destroy the process of plantation. On the other hand, it
could also bring good fortune if climatic regions are
fairly good.