FOOD SECURITY AND  FOREIGN ASSISTANCE— NEED FOR CAUTION

Boosting farm production with massive chemical fertilizers, pesticide, hybrid seed and technology in the green revolution tradition is environmentally DESTRUCTIVE. The approach is certainly not an alternative to  traditional farming methods and landrace cultivation  so says  Marita Wiggerthale, of OXFAM, Germany who specializes in global food security

More and more alternatives are being proposed to solving the problem of food insecurity in developing countries. Many international organizations have attempted  ‘helping’ Africa . For example the new Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition wants Africa to be a profitable market for SEED industry. However,  there is danger of patents depriving farmers of their rights to retain the original seed. Does the ‘helping ‘seed industry allow the small holder farmer to retain the seed( and deriving offspring) for subsequent years’ planting?

So called development assistance is now being viewed with ‘eagle eyes’. In Germany, an alliance of 12 NGOs are so concerned that they are campaigning against development assistance to agri-corporations. The argument is that such assistance may lead to a further pauperization of the farmers that were originally intended for protection !!!. Poverty is being attacked only from the aspect of getting little money to feed, but it is clear that people are too poor to buy food sometimes rather  than because there is no food. The issue of distributive justice and environmental sustainability will have to be highlighted in all ASSISTANCE agenda by corporations and alliances. Farmers friendly skill  training , geared toward  boosting productivity and improving supply chains in rural communities as offered by the German   Food Partnership is attractive  Wiggerthale concludes