When Machines and Corporates Rule: A World Without Food Producers

When Machines and Corporates Rule: A World Without Food Producers

According to Oxfam , despite promises put forth , nearly ¾ of African governments reduced their agricultural budgets while paying almost double on arms[1]. As African leaders vowed to improve food security in the continent, this is yet to be achieved as over 20 million people have been pushed into severe hunger. Additionally 278 million people which is equivalent to 1/5 of Africa’s population us undernourished .Rhetorically, this is also the UN Decade of Family Farming (2019-2028) , which seeks to place family farming at the centre of investments and policies[2] and yet the  number of hungry people in the world continues to soar.

In such a scenario full of contradictions , the advocacy goal is a return back to Afro-centric ways of doing things .This is through mobilizing smallholder farmers to appreciate their indigenous seeds and farming methods as a way of building local seed sovereignty as well as resilience to climate crisis. Going back to your roots does not mean backwardness. The so- called industrial agriculture has largely contributed to   the climate crisis mess that the world is in today and eroded our indigenous seeds, making some varieties to become extinct.

The intended audience for such as advocacy includes smallholder farmers and consumers who get affected by the ravages of climate change on their food systems through rising prices of food, scarcity, prolonged drought adding to death of cattle, forced migration and inherent conflict when pastoralists and agro-producers clash over water and pasture.

The key message in this process is “Indigenous Seeds is Heritage “this is because indigenous seeds have been passed on from generations to generations. They are the seeds that fed our great grandparents and enabled them to live too long. These seeds had adequate nutrition. As one Veronica Kalondu at 90 years says , when you eat food prepared from indigenous seeds , the hunger pangs  are kept at bay  and you can stay for longer without having to take more meals in between .Kalondu reminisces of the past when every homestead had a granary and food was readily available .When asked about her views on climate change -Kalondu says she does not understand what is happening to the world today and in her 90 years she has never seen a season so dry. She says in Kiswahili , Hii ni shetani tu .Meaning climate change is like the devil. Perphaps reflecting on the damages climate change has caused to her country Kenya and the wilting crops that she sees everyday in her already semi-arid community of Eastern Kenya.

Kalondu’s  lamentation are also echoed by the Kenya Global Hunger Index Report which ranks Kenya at number 94 out of 121 countries. [3]The glaring hopelessness in relation to hunger in Kenya also experienced by pastoralist communities .

This calls for a rethink of practices that have to deal with water. Conflicts over pasture is a perennial problem in the country  and some communities due to drought have been relegated to receivers of food aid. There is no dignity in receiving food aid especially in a country that boasts of being an agricultural country .Without water there is no food , for a country where the bulk of the population depends on rainfed agriculture. Why not invest in irrigation systems to allow food producers to grow food ? .Why can’t  governments provide water for their populations , ensuring every household enjoys this basic right?. Why not invest in water harvesting practices that will ensure that hunger becomes a thing of the past? and at the same time ,   when will African government redirect funding to  adequately support smallholder farmers because in essence they feed Africa , they feed the world and without food , there is no life.

[1] https://www.oxfam.org/en/press-releases/over-20-million-more-people-hungry-africas-year-nutrition

[2] https://www.landcoalition.org/en/newsroom/decade-family-farming-2019-2028-officially-adopted-un-general-assembly/

https://www.globalhungerindex.org/kenya.html

[3] https://www.globalhungerindex.org/kenya.html