Long-term solutions needed to end hunger
The ongoing drought in the Horn of Africa, including Kenya, is posing a serious threat to lives and livelihoods, putting more than 50 million people at risk of starvation. It also threatens children—the hope of the future—with many reported to be already underweight or wasted, a condition that will affect them for life if they survive the worst of the drought.
This raises the need for the countries affected, as well as the international community, to work in tandem to address the emerging humanitarian crisis before it gets out of hand.
Already, families across the region have been affected by Covid, which has reduced incomes for many for over two years. And just when they were emerging from the global pandemic, the Russia-Ukraine crisis kicked in, reducing the flow of wheat and fertiliser, both of which have a direct impact on food security in Africa. The conflict has further been compounded by the emergence of a new threat caused by the spread of Monkeypox, which has been reported in 75 countries already.
All these have conspired to make a bad situation dire, leaving millions of families on the brink. In countries like Kenya, where an election is coming up soon, the scenario has become all the more dangerous, given its potential to spark political protests that could spill well past the election period.
That is why we call on relevant stakeholders to act before it is too late. It is encouraging, for starters, that Russia and Ukraine have signed a deal allowing the export of wheat through Ukrainian ports. The exports will go a long way in ameliorating food insecurity being felt even in countries like Egypt, a big importer of Ukraine wheat.
But going forward, there is need for targeted investment in programmes that improve yields and reduce reliance on rain-fed agriculture, which has been Africa’s Achilles’ heel. Similarly, investments in supply chains that facilitate movement of food from surplus to deficit areas will be critical as the lacuna has been blamed for wastage in high production areas and hunger in low production ones.
Education in mindset change among affected populations will also be critical, with a view to encouraging them to adopt modern methods of acquiring capital, warehousing for crop-based foods and value addition that increases the shelf life of farm and livestock produce. For now, the vulnerable population needs fish. Over the long term, however, their governments must teach them to fish if this perennial cycle of hunger is to be addressed successfully.
