Taking actions against Hunger at the Horn of Africa

Transcription

1 Media Visit 2012 Documentation for Journalists Invitation for the Media trip to Ethiopia: Taking actions against Hunger at the Horn of Africa Last summer, Dadaab with its refugee camps in the Northeast of Kenya- gained a gloomy notoriety. For weeks, horrifying images of famine refugees from neighboring Somalia, Ethiopia, and even Kenya itself, traveled across the globe. But suddenly it got quiet around Dadaab, even though the problems of hunger at the Horn of Africa are nowhere near to be solved. Rather, it is to be feared that the next drama in this region affected by drought, civil unrest and war might be imminent. Courses of Action to combat hunger The reasons for the hunger problems in East Africa are complex. Causes include the war in Somalia, speculations and overall increases in commodity prices, as well as the increasing occurrences of droughts due to climate change. Nevertheless, effective approaches exist in the fight against hunger. For more than 10 years the Biovision Foundation together with its partner organizations in East Africa disseminates novel practical knowledge for small-scale producers and farmers, with a clear focus on ecological agriculture. This method allows for an improvement of soil fertility and resulting sustainable increases in yields. Additionally, it incorporates the control of pests and diseases in humans, livestock and crops drawing on ecologically appropriate methods. While these methods are unable to prevent crises like the one from last summer, they help the impacted countries and their people to fundamentally tackle the hunger problem and lessen their consequences. Biovision and its longstanding partner organization BEA BioEconomy Africa are looking forward to highlighted to the participants of the media trip to Ethiopia these courses of actions drawing on concrete examples from development projects in both the rural and urban region. The complex backgrounds to the recurrent hunger crises at the Horn of Africa are illustrated at each location together with competent experts from the region. From Ethiopia to Rio Next June, twenty years after the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, the UN Conference for Sustainable Development (UNCSD) Rio+20 will be launched with the goal to discuss actions for a sustainable future of our planet. The summit takes place between the 20 th and the 22 nd of June in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Already 110 heads of state have confirmed their participation at this UN conference. In addition to the 1

2 two main themes of creating a 1) green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication; and a 2) institutional framework for sustainable development, food is explicitly one of the seven key themes up for discussion at the Rio+20 conference. With regards to these topics, ecological agriculture holds a key position. The developing countries and the Group of 77 have expressed that it is essential that a green economy is not solely understood as high tech, but rather that poverty reduction and sustainable development are placed in the foreground. As stated by UN General Secretary Ban Ki-Moon: We need to transform the way we approach food security, in particular by unleashing the potential of millions of small farmers and food producers. These calls for change were also supported by the participants at the High-Level Roundtable on Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture which took place on the 15 th and 16 th of March in New York City. Food production is also significantly influenced by policies and governance. Biovision therefore supports the call for paving the way for a paradigmatic change in the course in global agricultural and nutritional policies at the UN Sustainable Development Conference in Rio: away from adverse effects done to human and animals, away from the overexploitation and degradation of nature towards fairness, species-appropriate husbandry and ecological agriculture. The projects visited during this trip will showcase ways in which agricultural and rural development can promote a green economy in the context of poverty reduction and sustainable development. They will also illustrate concrete examples of the direction a global change in agriculture can take if it aims to reduce poverty and hunger, while accounting for a sustainable use of natural resources. It is within this context that the project visits in Ethiopia represent concrete and timely reference points for continued media coverage of the Earth Summit Rio+20. Current Situation in Ethiopia Currently in Ethiopia, the situation has considerably improved due to a more favorable rainy season in the Fall of 2011, in combination with a good harvest as well as strong cereal- and livestock prices (FAO 2012). The high commodity prices the cereal prices have increased by 60 percent are however increasing food insecurities of small-scale farmers as net consumers and the urban poor. One of the goals of the Ethiopian taskforce to combat the aftermath of the drought in 2012 consequently is to provide continued support for small-scale farmers. This takes place by increasing incentives for diversification of production, taking measures for the improvement of soil fertility, water conservation, combating flooding, as well as creating improved market access (FAO 2012). These measures are important elements of the FAO-framework of tackling the Twin Tracks to Food Security (FAO 2011b), 2

3 which include three sustainable middle- to long-term interventions: achieve sustained and equitable growth and rural development; ensure adequate availability of and access to nutritious food for all; and build sustainable livelihoods to increase resilience in the face of accelerated disaster cycles and climate variability. World Food Programme Refugee Map Even though levels of food insecurities in western Ethiopia are lower (see map of the early warning system for 2012 below), there are increasing reports of refugee movements along the Ethiopian borders to the Sudan. In September 2011, for example, refugees from the Blue Nile region found refuge in the Beneshangul Gumuz region (Figaro 2011b). Most recently in March 2012 there was also a report that numerous refugees were fleeing fights from the Sudanese borders and found refuge in Ethiopia (Schuler 2012). In Ethiopia as a whole, an estimated total of refugees are currently supported by the World Food Program (WFP; see also WFP Refugee Map above). As a result, it is clear that even after the drought of 2011, food security has not increased everywhere. One of the most important interventions to improve this situation are sustainable agriculture methods. These will be displayed in both visited Biovision-Projects: in the rural countryside and in the urban capital city. 3

4 Urban and Rural Population Ethiopia has a rich tradition, marked by large cultural and geographical diversities. Approximately 80 percent of its 85 million people live in rural regions (FAO 2011a). Divided into 11 administrative regions, Addis Abeba as the capital city is the clear urban centre of Ethiopia, exhibiting a strong pull effect: the urban population in Addis has nearly doubled each of the last decades, with an estimated population as high as around 4 million (UNHabitat 2008). One of the crucial challenges, with which the capital city consequently is confronted, is to guarantee the food security of the urban population, especially since according to current estimates the population will reach over 12 million by These challenges of rapid urban growth reflect similar challenges faced across the African continent (UNHabitat 2008). Economic Growth and Financial Crisis Ethiopia s economy, measured as the Gross Domestic Product (GDP), grew more than 10 percent in 2008, with an estimated annual growth rate of 6.5 percent between 2009 to 2013 (World Bank 2011). Even with the strong growth rate, the economy continues to depend heavily on the agricultural sector. This sector accounts for approximately 40 percent of the GDP (FAO 2011a). Furthermore, 84 percent of the exports were agricultural products (FAO 2011a). 4

5 According to the FAO, besides the famine and natural disasters, Ethiopia also had to battle with the aftermath of the global financial crises, especially given the high dependency of its economy on a few export products, such as coffee, and development aid. The high inflation rate of 33 percent during the financial crisis put additional stress on the economy and especially the population, since nearly all of the inflation was due to increases in commodity prices (FAO 2011a). Early warning system map Measures against the hunger crises The costs for preventing a severe hunger crisis are much lower than combating its short term impact and long term consequences, such as malnutrition (Sheeran 2011).Emergency aid was traditionally delivered in the form of food rations. After the hunger crisis of 2003, the government of Ethiopia and the WFP collaborated together with other countries to create a more flexible approach that allows to prevent and combat hunger across multiple levels. This for example includes the purchasing of food locally using a voucher system, or the supporting of livestock holders by purchasing their drought-affected livestock at a subsidized price. According to Richard Choularton from the WFP, there is an increase in emphasis now on improving agricultural methods and also offer insurance schemes (Rosenberg 2011). For example, for the improvement of agricultural production as a measure to prevent hunger crises, the MERET program 1 was founded in Supported by the WFP, the Ethiopian government is targeting farming households in chronically food-insecure communities to sustainably increase their productivity (WFP 2012: Sheeran 1 MERET stands for Managing Environmental Resources to Enable Transitions to More Sustainable Livelihoods 5

6 2011), for example via land rehabilitation efforts. 2 In general, supporting farmers prior to the occurrence of a famine is essential, since during or after a crisis they are often lacking the capital in order to take on the additional risk to invest in alternative existing methods to improve their livelihoods that would increase productivity (Rosenberg 2011). Even though technological measures exist, such as the modern Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS Net), the Horn of Africa still experienced one of the worst famines in In May of 20011, more than 13 million people were receiving food aid in Ethiopia (Rosenberg 2011). Especially children were the most vulnerable. At the Kobe-refugee camp in the South of Ethiopia, according to a report in August (Figaro 2011), 10 children under the age of five died each day. In total, the current casualties of the hunger crises are estimated to have reached to lives (Moseley 2012). Besides the political instabilities, especially in Somalia and the Sudan, foreign land investors and the focus on the agricultural export productions were listed amongst key reasons for the severity of the crisis (Moseley 2012). Concrete courses of action in the Biovision supported projects Since 2003, the Biovision Foundation supports grassroot projects in Ethiopia, which tackle diverse causes of hunger and poverty. A selection of these projects is integrated into the media travels. The participating journalists can gain in depth insights into some of the proposed solutions and have the opportunity to meet and engage with the affected people in person. 1. Urban Poverty and Hunger Project Biofarm Periurban Habitat Restoration (Initiative for soil improvement and organic agriculture in Ethiopia) This completed project supported by Biovision and icipe will be visited during the media travel In Kebele 03 a slum at the edge of Addis Abeba the Ethiopian Bioeconomy Africa (BEA) together with the support of icipe and Biovision from 2003 to 2005 realized a Biofarm-Project: 5 hectares of infertile, erosion-prone wastegrounds were transformed by a women s cooperative into a productive agroforestry system, including organic vegetable growing and animal husbandry. Approximately five years were necessary, in order to regenerate the area to a productive state. The successful project should act as a successful model for similar initiatives. 2 In regards to land rehabilitation, BEA is one of the pioneers, as shown in the Habitat Restauration project in Addis Abeba. 6

7 Project Biofarm Market Place (Vegetable shop and restaurant as income source for women from the slum) This completed project will be visited during the media travel The above mentioned women s cooperative from the Periurban Habitat Restoration project expanded scaled up their vegetable production and are now also operating a restaurant in the slums of Addis Abeba. Biovision supported the women s cooperative during the construction of this simple restaurant. Via this expansion, an additional income sources was generated for around 200 women. 2. Rural Poverty and Hunger Project Tsetse fly control and organic farming in Assosa This continuing project will be visited during the media travel The vast majority of the population in Benishangul-Gumuz lives off the land. Although the soil is fertile and the climate is favorable, the region often suffers from food scarcity ( green hunger, see for example Hewitt 2008, Sanders 2008). One of the main causes of this is the abundance of the tsetse fly. The tsetse fly is the main transmitter of deadly sleeping-sickness to humans and the livestock disease Nagana. In affected areas keeping livestock is often nearly impossible. Since farming in Ethiopia is dependent on the ox plough, many large fields lie fallow due to a lack of these animals, which worsens the food supply and living conditions of those affected. For this reason, interest in and need for information on the integrated approach to environmentally friendly tsetse fly control and organic farming is huge. Biovision supports its long-term partner organization BEA in the construction of a model biofarm, which serves as an educational and training hub for farmers and also extension workers and interested teaching personnel from the entire region. Small-scale farmers learn how to protect their oxen from tsetse bites and apply organic farming methods on their farms and fields in a practice oriented way that is aligned with their needs. Other important complementary topics such as marketing, health precautions, family planning and HIV prevention are dealt with alongside the practical courses in tsetse fly control and organic farming. 7

8 References Cotula, L., & Leonard, R. (2010). Alternatives to land acquisitions : Agricultural investment and collaborative business models. FAO. (2011a). Ethiopia: Quick country facts. FAO. (2011b). Overcoming the crisis: Horn of Africa. Africa. FAO. (2012). Executive Brief: Horn of Africa Drought Figaro. (2011a). Famine: taux alarmants de mortalité. Figaro. (2011b) Soudanais ont fui en Ethiopie. Moseley, W. (2012). Famine Myths: Five Misunderstandings Related to the 2011 Hunger Crisis in the Horn of Africa. Dollars and Sense, (March). Rosenberg, T. (2011). To survive famine, will work for insurance. New York Times. Schuler, J. (2012). Drought-stricken Ethiopia Provides Relief for Refugees. WFP. Sheeran, J. (2011). Preventing Famine. Finance & Development, (December), p UNHabitat. (2008). Ethiopia: Addis Ababa Urban Profile. WFP. (2012). MERET: Land Regeneration in Ethiopia. World Bank. (2011). Ethiopia at a glance. Books about Ethiopia and the hunger crises Peter Gill (2010) Famine and Foreigners: Ethiopia since Live Aid. Oxford University Press. Robert D. Kaplan (2003) Surrender or Starve: Travels in Ethiopia, Sudan, Somalia, and Eritrea. Vintage. Harold G. Marcus (2002) A History of Ethiopia: Updated Edition. University of California Press. 8