African countries need to work jointly to reduce hunger

Food crises have become a major world concern. This has made “feed the hungry” campaign a household theme for international development practitioners, charitable institutions and human rights organisations. Since 2006, prices of major food crops such as wheat, rice, maize and soya beans have greatly increased, exposing millions of people across the globe to hunger, mass-starvation and poverty. Development organisations have reported that within the next 15 – 20 years, prices of staple foods will more than double, which could lead to an unparalleled setback in human development. The hardest-hit will be Low developed Countries (LDCs), where the majority of the population spend a significant portion of their income on nutritional sustenance. According to projections, by 2030 the rise of international prices of staple food could skyrocket by as much as 180 per cent, mainly due to the impact of climate change. This means that the number of hungry people is rapidly increasing as demand outpaces food production. Reputable economists and other experts, argue that the root cause is the fact that world leaders have failed to think ahead. From an African perspective, the continent should, in the short-term, start acting regionally prior to lobbying for fusion into a global food-drive that is geared towards averting the problem. From a global perspective, though, it is necessary that we clearly understand the primary causes of this looming calamity, and recognise the stark reality of its impact, especially on the most vulnerable. It should be noted, for example, that the US and the EU have adopted trade policies through which domestic grain-producing companies are subsidised to convert grain into ethanol. Trends clearly show that this practice creates unfair competition on the market. In essence, developed countries are encouraging their farmers to ‘grow’ oil instead of food, which has had a crippling impact on poor, net-importing countries. One of the long-term policy options is to encourage investment in agriculture by prioritising training of farmers in developing countries. This could be done through sensitisation drives on how to initiate and implement, monitor and evaluate, and support and sustain more efficient farming methods for expansion of long-run supply. Assistance should also be offered for regional strategies that are geared towards harnessing co-operation and nurturing comparative advantage so as to reduce unnecessary and costly competition and, above all, utilise productive land that is currently unused. Ultimately, the food and energy crises have become a confluence of unfavourable events. It would be wise to find ways to reduce greenhouse emissions, and all its adverse effects before it’s too late. Jeffrey Sachs put it well by stating that, globally, we urgently need to “weather-proof” the world’s crops as soon as is effectively possible. However, the argument here is that Africa should, first and foremost, think regionally, especially owing to the fact that no other continent in the world has more fertile, extensive and yet more fallow land than Africa. Therefore, what may seem to be a looming crisis could indeed be an opportunity for Africa, but this will require countries to amalgamate their agricultural policies and start thinking ahead from regional perspectives. It is reassuring to learn that East African Community (EAC) member states opted for the regional vantage point by enacting the “EAC Food Security Action Plan” (2011-2015) to enhance intra-regional trade share in the food products market, from the current 10 per cent to 30 per cent by 2015. Under the plan, the bloc will also strategically improve utilisation of non-conventional sources of food supply that stem from crops, livestock, fisheries and forestry. The plan also proposes an improvement of capacity for emergency preparedness and adaptation to climate change, all in a bid to improve stability of food supply and enhancing food nutrition and safety. It is from well-concerted regional perspectives such as these that Africa will be able to feed its hungry, plan for the future, neutralise social unrest before it occurs and counter misguided policies from elsewhere. In comparison to middle-income and advanced economies, Africa would be hardest-hit by a food crisis, and recovery from such ‘injury’ would be an uphill task. Therefore, even as we labour to feed our hungry based on lessons learned from the past, we should go the extra mile and work overtime to strategically ‘think today’ about tomorrow. This can only happen by jointly laying solid foundations upon which we can raise efficient safeguards for quick response and recovery to turn the situation that could potentially be an environmental crisis into an opportunity. Let the EAC initiative serve as an example and offer a nucleus for the rest of the continent. The writer is the PSF director for research and policy