The UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is warning that 27 sub-Saharan countries now need help. But what appear as isolated disasters brought about by drought or conflict in countries like Somalia, Malawi, Niger, Kenya and Zimbabwe are - in reality - systemic problems. Martin Plaut investigates the issue and raised some critical issues:
• Decades of underinvestment in rural areas, which have little political clout
• Wars and political conflict, leading to refugees and instability
• HIV/Aids depriving families of their most productive labour
• Unchecked population growth
The result is that a continent that was more than self sufficient in food at independence 50 years ago, is now a massive food importer and reeling from acute food crisis. This is pointer to those campaigners and academics who argue that African farmers will only be able to properly feed their families and societies when Western goods stop flooding their markets.
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