Feeding the hungry in Africa: not all is lost.

• Author: Oniang'o, Ruth K.

Africa. This one word is sufficient to evoke images of a doomed people. Africa's population is largely ill-insured against external shocks brought about by natural disasters, adverse climate, war and conflict. It is here too that the ravages of the AIDS pandemic have been most felt. Indeed, the region is plagued by many problems which hurt its ability to ensure food and nutrition security for its people. The situation seems to repeat itself year in, year out. Yet not all is bad in Africa: it is probably the most bountiful continent in terms of natural resources.

Africa boasts vast arable land, wildlife, the highest equatorial mountains and tropical rainforests in the world, despite possessing some of the world's driest deserts, Since the 1970s, the environment and key natural resources in most African countries were increasingly threatened by escalating pressure from fast growing populations and cities, as well as expanding agricultural and industrial activities, until the emergence of HIV/AIDS, which retarded development considerably. (1), (2). Politics have also done a great disservice to the continent, with a number of countries experiencing forced leadership that goes against the tenets of sound democratic principle.

There are several factors that have been identified as constraints to food production in Africa. These include land degradation, mismanagement of available water resources, pests and diseases, inappropriate food production and storage practices inadequate food processing technologies, civil conflicts and wars, poor economic policies to support food production, as well as the majority of food producers. (3), (4). These factors have resulted in a steadily declining food security, which in turn has led to a doubling of those undernourished in Africa, from 100 million in the late 1960s to 200 million in 1995. It is projected that the region will be unable to feed 60 per cent of its population by 2025. (2), (3) The African population, estimated at 118 million at the turn of the twentieth century, had risen to 788.5 million in 1997 and is projected to be 1.5 billion by 2025. (4), (5) The fast increase is not so much a problem as is the failure for the region's economic growth to match population growth. After all, Africa's vast agricultural potential and huge natural resource-base are still largely untapped.

Urbanization has been one of the most notable developments of the twentieth century. In Africa, 5 per cent of the population lived in urban areas at the beginning of the last century, but this figure had grown to 20 per cent by the 1960s and 35 per cent in the 1990s. At 4 per cent, Africa's annual urban growth rate is the highest in the world. It has been established that most of the growth in the global population is taking place in developing countries. In addition, most of the projected increase of 1 billion people between 1995 and 2010 will likely be absorbed by cities in these countries. Needless to say, these cities are already faced with enormous backlogs in housing and infrastructure development. Housing is both poor and inadequate, hence the mush-rooming of slums. It is these same cities that are also struggling with increasingly overcrowded transport systems, insufficient water supplies, deteriorating sanitation and rising food insecurity. (4), (6-9)

Poverty in rural areas continues to drive many to urban districts in search of better livelihoods. Rural economies, which greatly depend on agriculture, have largely been destroyed by land degradation and deprived of human labour, as the young and able-bodied leave for the cities in search of jobs. Farmers continue to farm without the use of inputs, thus realizing very low yields. Political instability has also greatly disrupted economic activities, further contributing to poverty. In addition, there is an inequitable distribution of wealth, with a small percentage of people owning the bulk of resources, while the majority continue to wallow in poverty. (4)

Although one can see that Africa's problems are enormous, there are many opportunities to improve conditions for the majority of the suffering poor. There are trouble-free spots on the continent, but unfortunately these are rarely heard of, as many ob-servers tend to erroneously treat Africa as one block.

POVERTY AND HUNGER: A CYCLICAL RELATIONSHIP

Hunger in Africa can be "hidden", as well as chronic. The number of people living with hunger, estimated at 180 million on the continent, is high and continues to escalate, 10 yet is still less than the latest World Bank figures.

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