Det danske Fredsakademi
Kronologi over fredssagen og international politik 14. januar 2021 / Time Line January 14, 2021
Version 3.513. Januar 2021, 15. Januar 2021
01/14/2021
Positive Efforts to End World Hunger
By Don Monkerud
Worldwatch's State of the World report brings an unusual
optimism to a world desperately in need of alternatives.
Recent figures indicate that 2010 tied 2005 as the hottest year on
record. Indeed, 9 of the 10 warmest years occurred since 2001 as
climate chaos creates havoc around the world. Last year, frigid
snowstorms blanketed the U.S. and Europe, floods ravaged Pakistan,
Australia and the U.S., and scorching heat led to forest fires and
deaths in Russia as humans continue to dump carbon dioxide into the
air.
The resulting climate chaos bodes ill for the food supply. The most
recent projections indicate this will likely be the worst year
since 2008 for grains. Corn stocks will likely be at the lowest
supply since 1995, and soybeans will be at their lowest levels
since becoming a major crop in the U.S. Observers predict food
riots over higher prices around the world, similar to those in
2008. Such developments will increase world hunger.
According to the UN, 925 million people around the world go hungry
every day. A third of these live in sub-Saharan Africa. Meager
agricultural investments haven't helped; they've fallen from 16
percent of total development investment in 1980 to four percent
today. With slum dwellers increasing one percent a year-14 million
people-and urbanization increasing four percent a year, 1 out of 7
people in the world face a grim future.
Speculation exacerbates hunger by driving food prices higher.
Climate chaos disrupts harvests, and wars and political strife
dislocate populations. Current agricultural policies are sadly out
of date because genetically-modified seed offers a short-term
solution that exacerbates long-term environmental problems and does
little to help small farmers rise above poverty.
In an effort to tackle such problems, Worldwatch conducted a
two-year study on ways to eliminate world hunger. The State of the
World report, "Innovations that Nourish the Planet" focuses on the
small landholders who produce 70 percent of the world's food. In
sub-Saharan Africa, small owners produce 90 percent of the food.
Historic land ownership patterns, culture, and lack of investment
will prevent corporate farming from changing these figures any time
soon. In the meantime, people are working on their own
solutions.
Teams of experts visited 25 African countries to study agricultural
innovations that are protecting the environment, reducing poverty
and meeting basic human needs. The report focuses on 15
environmentally specific projects that currently work to alleviate
hunger and poverty in Africa.
According to Worldwatch, assistance programs for official
development assistance in Africa amounted to $1.7 billion in 2008.
Investments neglect to take into account environmental destruction,
global warming trends and such problems as soil destruction,
distribution and storage, and small-scale irrigation.
"The international community has been neglecting entire segments of
the food system in its efforts to reduce hunger and poverty," said
Danielle Nierenberg, co-director of the project. "The solutions
won't necessarily come from producing more food, but from changing
what children eat in schools, how foods are processed and marketed,
and what sorts of food businesses we are investing in."
Current agri-business practices are tremendously destructive of
soil, use large amounts of fossil fuel in production and
distribution, poison the land and water with fertilizer and
insecticides, contribute to species destruction, and ultimately
augment climate change. More than 33 percent of global greenhouse
emissions can be traced to current food production practices.
Moreover, the Green Revolution focused on staples of rice, corn,
cassava and wheat, which do little for the one billion people in
Africa who have nutrient deficiencies.
Worldwatch looked at alternatives to agribusiness practices and
found abundant examples in Africa. Some 530,000 farmers use green
manure, crop rotation, composting and biological pest control to
grow organic produce. Over 417,000 farmers mix trees and shrubs
with croplands and pasture to absorb nutrients, recycle water,
promote wildlife and moderate microclimates. Some 350,000 families
practice zero or minimal tillage, permanent soil cover, and topsoil
management to increase food production by 30 to 100 percent.
Water is a major problem in many areas and innovative approaches
such as human-powered pumps, affordable drip micro-irrigation, and
effective use of rainwater is increasing yields. School breakfast
and lunch programs blend community gardens, food preparation and
nutrition information to feed hungry children. Scientists are
currently working with farmers to cultivate local seed stocks that
will increase crop diversity and drought resistance. For example,
after root rot decimated the bean harvest in the 1990s, scientist
developed 245 new disease-resistant bean varieties and distributed
them to 35 million farmers.
Such projects represent a new approach to agricultural development
and slow the dire progression of climate chaos. Americans can learn
from methods that promote biodiversity, work within natural limits,
target root problems, improve soil quality, and lead to sustainable
solutions.
It's an uphill battle against globalization and monoculture, as our
energy-intensive agriculture poisons the air and soil, leads to the
loss of topsoil, and becomes increasingly reliant on
genetically-modified Frankenfoods, not to mention speeding up
climate change. However, it's a battle millions are joining, as
Americans seek healthier alternatives in organic food and local
markets.
Don Monkerud is an Aptos, California-based writer who follows
cultural issues and politics and writes occasional satire.
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