Agenda B: Proposing new paradigms of aid for the horn of Africa
The Food and Agriculture Organization of UN needs to turn its attention to the Horn of Africa and renovate their efforts in combating starvation and other relevant problems in the area. The FAO previously focused on the supply of food resources from other regions. This was because in most countries, starvation is primarily due to lack of edible and nutritional food gained through harvest. However, Kenya suffers from a different type of starvation problem. Kenya’s fertile farms produce enough crops to feed the whole population with crops of rich nutritional value; yet, every day thousands of families cry because they cannot find something to eat.
The primary reason why many Kenyan families have problem finding food is the low level of stable transportation. Because transportation between areas with farms yielding more crops than one area can consumes and areas where crops are rare is not stable, farmers cannot sell their crops to starving people even though they want to do so. If the Food and Agriculture Organization will aid Kenya’s efforts at constructing better railroads and water ways, the crisis in Kenya can be elevated by a great degree. This is also beneficial for both Kenya and the donor countries of FAO because if the transportation problem is solved, Kenyans can become independent of food aid brought by FAO and donor countries can put to more efficient use of their donations.
Moreover, the increasing rate of farms growing only cash crops is another fearsome problem in the Horn of Africa. In recent years, horticulture produce and tea have become crops of more value than most staple crops in Kenya. Since then, more farms in the fertile highlands have turned to harvesting cash crops. This is not merely an issue of Kenya because the Kenyan highlands are one of the most fertile lands in Africa and with proper adaptation of stable transportation, can become the main supplier of food for all of the Horn of Africa. Therefore, the FAO need to take measures to stop the decrease of farms growing staple crops. To illustrate, sending FAO agents to help the Kenyan government at forming an education program for farmers can be a way for FAO to help ease the problem.
The current cassava crisis is another problem threatening Kenya and the rest of the horn of Africa. Recently, a deadly virus has been found that attacks cassavas and make them inedible. This epidemic started from Uganda and is spreading into adjacent Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. This is an especially fearsome problem because the signs of infection are shown only at the roots of the plant and farmers become aware of their failure only when they start their harvest. This virus might just be the cause for the next Irish potato crisis back in the 19th century. This is due to the similar rate of dependence Irish people of that time had on potatoes and East African people have on cassavas. Since cassava grows exceptionally well at places with relatively low rainfall and poor soil, it has become the staple crop of many drought-ridden countries at the horn of Africa. Thus, the FAO needs to organize their scientists and fund them adequately so that they will find a cure before the next crops are planted. Also, FAO can help countries to regulate the distribution of cassavas in the area so that the disease will not spread to the already drought-ridden regions.
To conclude, the Food and Agriculture Organization have to renew their methods of aid in Kenya and the rest of the Horn of Africa in order to properly combat food and agricultural problems in the area. FAO should not limit their aid to merely fields of agriculture and food import, but also focus on the foundations on which food is delivered to the tables of hungry people. FAO needs to be wary of the decreasing proportion of staple crop growing farms in the region and help local governments to maintain a sufficient level of staple crop producing farms. FAO is sorely needed in combating the casaba crisis in East Africa and can make a significant difference to the search for the cure.
No comments:
Post a Comment