What are the root causes of food scarcity in African counties

On this last date of the current year, we are going to tackle the issue of food scarcity in Africa, especially in Kenya and Zambia counties which will give us a better understanding of how those countries can deal with the problem of hunger and avoid its impending calamity. It’s evident that there is much to be done when it comes to addressing starvation in Africa because as you will see, the continent can never feed itself.

Food insecurity has become more pronounced within Africa than anywhere else in the world. According to Oxfam, “In 2014, about one billion people were hungry” (as quoted from BBC). So, it becomes even more critical to understand what specifically drives the population into poverty. Well, one thing that they all had in common was some form of agriculture. Agriculture isn’t just good for farming but also contributes to our environment. As stated by John Hopkins University, “Agriculture contributes $1 trillion to global GDP and plays an integral role in economic progress. By providing jobs, it supports nearly 7 million jobs, directly and indirectly. Agricultural land is used twice as often as public land—an average of 43 times each year—and a third of the world’s natural resources are used for agricultural production.” That being said, it is not only farmers who need support with their crops; it is also essential for communities like women, children, and the elderly whose jobs depend on it too. With such a massive sector, where are the root causes? Let our solutions start from here.

1) Lack Of Access To Good Healthcare In Sub-Saharan Countries

In Sub-Saharan Africa for example, health care services that have been considered the most important social development tool are still very scarce, especially for girls ages 5 to 14, according to the 2015 United Nations Population Fund Report. This report mentioned that despite having increased life expectancy in recent years, many girls still grow up without access to basic health care services and nutrition as well. Furthermore, almost half of the young men in the country are living with HIV and other STDs, making them vulnerable to contracting diseases related to malnutrition. Now, let’s delve deeper into why our generation should take advantage of these issues. First as explained by Alex Kiely, who is a senior executive advisor at OCHA, the UN Population Fund, “A child, whose parents had an income of less than US$10,000, is likely to miss school, suffer from bullying at school or face discrimination at home. They are unlikely to join sports, or join non-governmental organizations and are more likely to drop out of education. When schools close, children are unable to interact with friends, so most don’t learn to speak at all, and a shocking number is becoming pregnant or have their first baby late. These girls face enormous hardships and often don’t manage to complete primary education properly enough.” Not only does maternal mortality affect pregnancy outcomes, but also child growth, so with such high rates, if young girls are not provided the required opportunities to improve their lives in one way or another, then more kids are set to fall into poverty.

2) Poverty & Gender Roles

The second reason why women can no longer afford to stay at home and have adequate domestic chores has to do with the fact that mothers carry a lot of responsibilities and cannot do everything at once. For instance, in rural Zambia, female genital mutilation is an extremely common practice. Female circumcision is practiced in Zambia due to religious reasons such as cultural beliefs that say that women are not supposed to cover their genitals. Yet the practice has been legalized since 1999 following several appeals and petitions by rights groups. However, there have been arguments as to whether the act violates human rights. Most of their argument is based on the fact that it’s a patriarchal culture and thus should definitely be stopped. However, due to societal pressure, this cultural belief is now changing and women are learning more about their body and its functions and are actually embracing it. Moreover, in 2016, President Joe Biden issued a presidential directive on combating sexual violence and committed to ending all forms of gender-based discrimination. One of his directives included ensuring equal rights for everyone regardless of their biological sex such as women in his administration. Another directive includes creating partnerships with different programs that provide services for survivors of sexual violence and educating survivors of any kind of abuse in order for them to overcome their trauma. But perhaps more importantly, he pledged to ensure that survivors of gender-based violence receive safe and accessible justice. But even though women have finally started getting their right to choose, there are also limitations that come along with it. There are also those who argue they cannot choose whom to marry. Lastly, they are limited in the things they can do, especially regarding finances. Such a conservative attitude only serves to keep women trapped in poverty.

3) Global Climate Change

Climate change is something that impacts every single continent and the whole planet can be affected by it even in smaller countries. The effects of climate change on the African continent could lead to crop scarcity due to water rationing. Additionally, according to the World Bank, drought will also disrupt the main source of livelihood, agriculture, a major contributor to poverty and food insecurity in Africa. It also means that the lack of rain will reduce farming output. However, experts believe that the key to solving the problems presented by climate change is by using it positively. According to James Haidar of the Council on Foreign Relations, “Climate change can be a powerful force for growth and development. We can adapt to new ways of producing, processing, transporting, storing, and distributing goods and foods while also building adaptive capacity. And we must also use our international networks and alliances.” An example provided by Martin Schoch, Director of Policy Research Lab at Germany’s Friedrich August Universität was the distribution of flood-resistant seeds last week. He stated, “When it rains, the seed becomes a valuable investment that allows farmers to grow crops in extreme conditions in South Sudan and Ethiopia. Flood-resistant seeds provide a great opportunity to increase food security in many parts of Africa, and for sustainable agriculture, which is now central to future success, as climate change threatens to completely undo our gains so far.” We hope these words will help in setting a greater awareness in our circles and make others realize what needs to be done. The time for us to end poverty is now and this is how.