Africa's Last Famine
By Tekiah Jones
I’ve been watching a show, Africa’s Last Famine, about farmers in the horn of Africa who are facing famine, or in danger of damaged crops. This season, the rains failed, triggering the worst drought in 60 years. 13 million people were affected, 1.8 million Somalis were displaced. Farmers are who weren’t effected, are trying to prepare for next time. One farmer struck me, Medhin Reda, a female farmer in Adi Ha, Ethiopia. She grows teff, the staple ingredient in a common bread in Ethiopia, injera. She was worried about whether the rain will continue to regularly fall, or will it stop. If it stops, then her crops will fail and her livelihood, will be in danger. One fail of harvest, and she could sink deeper into poverty. World Food Hunger Day is just around the corner, this years theme is food- from crisis to stability. While it’s still expensive to farm, it costs less to manage risks than to manage a crisis, if one should hit. To give farmers like Medhin stability if her crops should fail, there’s a new program too ensure her. Rural Resilience Initiative provides compensation for failure, if there is a drought or flood, and encourages farmers to save and provides them with what many in the US take for granted, insurance. They give them confidence in that they will be covered, when they need it most. Farmers who can’t afford to pay the insurance in cash, are allowed to work on community projects, improving the local agriculture. When they are insured, farmers can grow businesses and keep their children in school. This is the greatest news I’ve heard all week. Farmers being insured if there is a drought? That’s an excellent way for them to stay stable even if there is a disruption. That’s definitely rerouting the way that a disaster can be viewed and conquered. Now that’s a revolution.
