The Courier

Gulda El Magamba, “Sanga divination ceremonies” from “Congo Eza”, Africalia Editions & Roularta Books.

Courtesy of Africalia. Website: www.africalia.be

A deeply-rooted ancestral fear – that of suffering through famine – was awakened by worldwide skirmishes which were quickly dubbed “hunger riots”. Even better-off countries that seemed to have protected themselves against this sort of scourge were affected. As news seeped through, increasingly tense words were used to put across the increasing manifestations of fear: demonstrations in Egypt, riots in Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Senegal, Sri Lanka and Côte d’Ivoire, and violent clashes in Haiti.

Watching these events unfold, some may recall that the rich economic blocs were originally created to protect against famine. In the past, the European Union allocated up to two-thirds of its budget to its agricultural policy. This was the price for peace of mind over the fear of hunger that cruelly played on the minds of those who had known such suffering and which was stamped on their collective memory. Others recall that while in the past no country had ever have ever become rich through scrupulous respect for nature, good governance or human rights, the demands placed on poor countries today to meet such expectations are unparalleled. 

Today still the major economic powers are the ones that have managed to feed themselves rather than those with exportable raw materials, whether oil or diamonds. This is not simply a matter of good governance. Both China and India are entering the circles of the powerful, but only after firstly becoming more successful at feeding their own populations. And India had already been providing engineers and mathematicians to the world for some time. 

Until recently that which had been little cause for concern was quickly shown in its true dimensions: as a global disaster. European Development Commissioner, Louis Michel, who in the past had already expressed his concern, now described this as a “tsunami.” Moreover, the World Food Programme (WFP) already sounded the alarm back in March, a month before the outbreaks.

But how many of the forecasters, economists and analysts saw anything coming, despite the fact that there’s nothing really new to all this in the countries affected? In Haiti, for example, under the first presidency of René Préval in the late 1990s, rice fields vanished. Haiti is a country that was at one time a net exporter of rice. The blame for this was put on irrigation problems, but was above all it was due to the actions of US agro-food giants that sold their rice below the local production price until Haitian farmers were finally forced out of business.

Of course, explanations existed: bad governance, lack of freedom, low quality education and health. While such reasons are all valid, they do not alone suffice.Then there were the advice given to many emerging economies when it seemed that economic development was being held back by rising energy prices.The solution? More biodiesel had to be produced – but it seems that the soya, palm oil or maize used to manufacture the product came at the expense of crops grown for food. Of course, biodiesel initially won over as it commanded a higher price. This is an economic game that can prove extremely dangerous and lead to spiralling food prices. The road to hell really is paved with good intentions.This issue of The Courier looks at the dilemma.

We also report on Sierra Leone, a country at the very bottom of the UNDP development rankings. It is today a place of hope: the expansion of electricity in the country coinciding with a new government in office. Although the nation’s agriculture minister is being wooed to produce biofuel from palm oil, he would rather think this through before making a final decision. It would appear he is not ready to let the ‘golden calf’ of energy take the place of staple foodstuffs like rice and cocoa. There is light in such uncertainty.