Sunday, March 15, 2009

Famines in Africa

Africa is plagued with famines, many of which are triggered by natural disasters such as drought, locusts, livestock and crop disease. Recently, famines have increasingly been triggered or aggravated by conflict and war. The table below lists some African famines, their causes and estimated mortality statistics.

Year Location Causal triggers Estimated mortality
1902-1908 Nigeria Drought 5 000
1906-1907 Tanzania Conflict 37 500
1913-1914 Sahel, West Africa Drought 125 000
1917-1919 Tanzania Drought & Conflict 30 000
1922 Zimbabwe Drought 47
1929 Tanzania Drought 500
1943-1944 Rwanda Drought & Conflict 300 000
1949 Malawi Drought 200
1957-1958 Ethiopia Drought & Locusts 250 000
1966 Ethiopia Drought 50 000
1968-1970 Nigeria Conflict 1 000 000
1969-1974 Sahel, West Africa Drought 101 000
1972-1975 Ethiopia Drought 350 000
1974-1975 Somalia Drought 20 000
1980-1981 Uganda Drought & Conflict 30 000
1982-1985 Mozambique Drought & Conflict 100 000
1983-1985 Ethiopia Drought 800 000
1984-1985 Sudan Drought 250 000
1988 Sudan Conflict 250 000
1991-1993 Somalia Drought & Conflict 400 000
1998 Sudan Drought & Conflict 70 000
2003-2008 Zimbabwe??? Land reform???
2003- Sudan Drought & Conflict


Africa has the potential to eradicate famines. All that is required is political will and long-term commitment by national governments, regional bodies and the international community. Otherwise, many Africans will die or be pushed further into poverty and food insecurity in famines that can be prevented.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

Poverty, Food Security and the Environment

Are poor people forced to degrade their environment in order to cope with food insecurity?

When hard times threaten poor people’s food security, they employ coping strategies to meet their immediate food needs, increase their disposable income, and preserve their asset portfolios. Some of these strategies are: over harvesting wild foods (leaves, roots and game meat); cutting trees to make charcoal for sale; clearing forests for cultivation; draining swamps and encroaching on other marginal areas; and over grazing. These activities have detrimental effects on the environment, particularly causing soil erosion and degradation. These problems are worsened by population pressure.

Are the poor people unaware of the consequences of their actions on the environment? They are most likely aware but often have no better alternative. For example a poor person who has to choose between selling his livestock and cutting trees to make charcoal will choose the latter. To the poor person, meeting an immediate need takes preference over a longer-term one.

Is it possible to create a sustainable food secure environment without undermining or destabilising the natural environment and resource base? Are the tradeoffs between food security and the environment reconcilable? Can environmental protection be achieved without destabilising the livelihoods of the poor people who depend on the environment for their survival?