Rethinking the Solution to Ending World Hunger

Over the last 30 years, significant progress has been made towards reducing poverty and global hunger. However, one in every eight people living in developing countries still suffers from chronic undernourishment.

As our planet warms and the population continues to increase, one of the most significant issues is going to be that of food security - how do we continue to feed people when the amount of arable land is finite and the plants themselves are coming under increasing threat from drought, heat and fungal attack?

Hunger and malnutrition kill more people each year than AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis combined. When there’s drought or famine or food prices spike, entire communities can go without food. People suffer from hunger when conflict and disaster force families from their homes and cut them off from their farms, their jobs and their possessions.

Worldwide, close to 800 million people live in hunger and nearly two billion people are malnourished. Approximately 240 million of these people live in Sub-Saharan Africa, most of whom are women, children, and the elderly.

 A major contributor to this problem is that 30 percent of the food produced in Sub-Saharan Africa is lost postharvest due to inefficient, manual methods that rely on hand tools, such as the mortar and pestle, and to spoilage from prolonged processing time.

Smallholder farmers, those with less than 20 acres of land, are most vulnerable. Eighty percent of farming in Sub-Saharan Africa is done by smallholders, and they contribute upwards of 90 percent of the food in their countries.

Unfortunately, these farmers lack the income and access to financing to invest in newer technologies, and therefore see limited benefit from their harvest because they are unable to produce high-quality, market-viable grains and legumes. This cycle contributes to persistent poverty and hunger among rural smallholders.

It’s time to rethink the solution to ending hunger. We know that hand-outs don’t work. We know that top-down models of aid don’t work. We do know that ending hunger is possible within our generation and that world hunger has been reduced dramatically in the last 30 years. So, what works? How can we end world hunger?

There are three critical elements that we know gets results: starting with women, mobilizing everyone and fostering effective partnerships with local government. Here’s why:

1. Starting with women

Empowering women and girls is critical to ending hunger, extreme poverty and malnutrition around the world. When women have equal access to education and participate fully in decision-making, they are the key driving force against hunger and poverty. Women with equal rights are better educated, healthier, and have greater access to land, jobs and financial resources. Their increased earning power in turn raises household incomes.

By enhancing women’s control over decision-making in the household, gender equality also translates into better prospects and greater well-being of children, reducing poverty of future generations. Indeed, if women farmers had the same access to resources as men, the number of hungry in the world could be reduced by up to 150 million. Data shows, that countries that empower women tend to see lower rates of stunting (low height for age), the primary measure of chronic undernutrition.

2. Mobilizing Everyone

Mobilizing communities to be the agents of their own change is central to ending hunger. Hungry people are not the problem – they are the solution.  People living in conditions of hunger and poverty are best placed to come up with answers to the challenges they face. They have both the talent and the will to take charge of their own lives. They know their own needs and are aware of the resources their communities have and those they lack.

That’s why mobilizing the “people power” that gives communities the clout and voice to demand the resources that are rightfully theirs ignites communities to end their own hunger.

We must focus on training members of communities to take action in the areas of health, food security, education family income and local government, who, in turn, are mobilizing millions of others to do the same.

3. Foster effective partnerships with local government

Working with, not alongside of, government is central for long-term, sustainable development and ending hunger. Working with existing local democratic institutions to strengthen capacity and make the most of the resources that are already available makes for lasting change. Local government is closest to the people and has the mission of working with people to meet their basic needs.

Working in partnership with local government bodies to ensure that they are effective, include the leadership of women, are directly accountable to local people, and provide access to resources and information are what gets results.

With these strategies, we can break through age-old conditions such as corruption, conflict, racism and the subjugation of women. The result is social transformation: a fundamental shift in the way society is organized. Thus, the solution to hunger is not about hand-outs and a top-down approach, but a bottom-up approach that starts with women, works with local government and mobilizes communities to take self-reliant actions.

I believe that no one should suffer from a lack of access to quality and nutritious food – but they do. The number of hungry people is reducing. But it’s still 800 million too many. We are at a critical point where we can harness the power of individuals, communities and local governments to end hunger.

Kaburu Anthony: SOLUTIONS TO AIR POLLUTION

Kaburu Anthony: SOLUTIONS TO AIR POLLUTION: Air pollution is one of the most serious problems in the world, In the future, police and crime prevention units may begin to monitor the l...

SOLUTIONS TO AIR POLLUTION

Air pollution is one of the most serious problems in the world, In the future, police and crime prevention units may begin to monitor the levels of pollution in their cities, and deploy resources to the areas where pollution is heaviest on a given day. This may sound like the plot of a science fiction movie, but recent findings suggest that this may well be a worthwhile practice.

Why? Emerging studies show that air pollution is linked to impaired judgement, mental health problems, poorer performance in school and most worryingly perhaps, higher levels of crime. These findings are all the more alarming, given that more than half of the world’s population now lives in urban environments – and more of us are travelling in congested areas than ever before.

 According to World Health Organization (WHO) 2016, air pollution levels have remained dangerously high in many parts of the world with 9 out of every 10 people breathing air containing high levels of pollutants which is responsible for an estimated 8.8 million death every year around the world.

 This is particularly raising the disease and death burden in both developed and developing countries and women and children are the most affected especially from indoor air pollution coming from the continued use and burning of biomass to meet household energy cooking needs releasing deadly smoke.

 To a large extent globally, energy production and use are the major causes of air pollution ranging from inefficient burning of biomass to burning of fossil fuels which releases gases and chemicals into the atmosphere which does not only increase pollution in the atmosphere, but also contributes to climate change causing global warming.

These steps, as well as many others, are things we all can do to help reduce air pollution;

·         Conserve energy – remember to turn off lights, computers, and electric appliances when not in use

·         Use energy efficient light bulbs and appliances

·         Participate in your local utility’s energy conservation programs

·         Limit driving by carpooling, using public transportation, biking and walking

·         Combine errands for fewer trips

·         Keep your automobile well tuned and maintained. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions on routine maintenance, such as changing the oil and filters, and checking tire pressure and wheel alignment.

·         Avoid excessive idling of your automobile

·         Drive electric or plug-in hybrid electric vehicles

·         Use electric or hand-powered lawn care equipment

·         Be careful not to spill gasoline when filling up your car or gasoline powered lawn and garden equipment

·         Run dishwashers and clothes washers only when full

·         Choose environmentally friendly cleaners

·         Use water-based or solvent free paints whenever possible and buy products that say "low VOC"

·         Seal containers of household cleaners, workshop chemicals and solvents, and garden chemicals to prevent volatile organic compounds from evaporating into the air

·         Purchase and use low-polluting outboard marine engines and personal watercraft (4-stroke and direct fuel injection 2-stroke outboard marine engines).

·         Advocate for emission reductions from power plants and more stringent national vehicle emission standards

Finally, we are doing a fairly good job in cutting pollution in many countries, but we should do more. It’s not necessarily just government. But it’s also you and I. When we think about what we want to buy, how to get to places, we all affect the environment and we need to be more aware of that and make more informed decisions of what we do.

If we all begin to monitor pollution levels ourselves, we then might start making it a habit to avoid certain activities, like outdoor sports, or even commuting on the most polluted days. Our bodies, brains, and behaviours will benefit.

If we don’t act now, one day the air in our cities and communities will be so polluted that we cannot breath and oxygen bars will rise and will become an added cost to the already high cost of living and a heath burden to both the government and citizens. If everybody does the small things to reduce air pollution, the environment would benefit collectively.

I remain hopeful that rising pollution is something that is in our control to solve, but until we do, we need to make people more aware of the issues. 

Kaburu Anthony: A Global Call To End Wasteful Consumption And Prod...

Kaburu Anthony: A Global Call To End Wasteful Consumption And Prod...: By the end of the century there could be an extra three billion mouths to feed, a period in which substantial changes are anticipated in th...

A Global Call To End Wasteful Consumption And Production

By the end of the century there could be an extra three billion mouths to feed, a period in which substantial changes are anticipated in the wealth, calorific intake and dietary preferences of people in developing countries, at the same time as changing demographic trends in developed countries will have implications for food production and security.

Such a projection presents mankind with wide ranging social, economic, environmental and political issues that need to be addressed today to ensure a sustainable future for all. One key issue is how to produce more food in a world of finite resources.

Today, we produce about four billion metric tonnes of food per annum. Yet due to poor practices in harvesting, storage and transportation, as well as market and consumer wastage, it is estimated that 30–50% (or 1.2–2 billion tonnes) of all food produced never reaches a human stomach.

Furthermore, this figure does not reflect the fact that large amounts of land, energy, fertilisers and water have also been lost in the production of foodstuffs which simply end up as waste. This level of wastage is a tragedy that cannot continue if we are to overcome increasing pressures on land, water and energy usage and succeed in the challenge of sustainably meeting our future food demands.

In less-developed countries, such as those of sub-Saharan Africa and South-East Asia, wastage tends to occur primarily at the farmer-producer end of the supply chain. Inefficient harvesting, inadequate local transportation and poor infrastructure mean that produce is frequently handled inappropriately and stored under unsuitable farm site conditions.

As the development level of a country increases, so the food loss problem generally moves further up the supply chain with deficiencies in regional and national infrastructure having the largest impact. 

In mature, fully developed countries such as the UK, more-efficient farming practices and better transport, storage and processing facilities ensure that a larger proportion of the food produced reaches markets and consumers. However, characteristics associated with modern consumer culture mean produce is often wasted through retail and customer behaviour.

Major supermarkets, in meeting consumer expectations, will often reject entire crops of perfectly edible fruit and vegetables at the farm because they do not meet exacting marketing standards for their physical characteristics, such as size and appearance. Globally, retailers generate 1.6 million tonnes of food waste annually in this way.

Of the produce that does appear in the supermarket, commonly used sales promotions frequently encourage customers to purchase excessive quantities which, in the case of perishable foodstuffs, inevitably generates wastage in the home. Overall between 30% and 50% of what has been bought in developed countries is thrown away by the purchaser.

Recommendations for addressing food waste

Rising population combined with improved nutrition standards and shifting dietary preferences will exert pressure for increases in global food supply, with increasing pressure on finite resources of land, energy and water. Yet the report highlights that engineers, scientists and agriculturalists do have the knowledge, tools and systems that will assist in achieving productivity increases and states that there is the potential to provide 60–100% more food by simply eliminating losses, while simultaneously freeing up land, energy and water resources for other uses. 

The growth in the world’s population that is projected to take place over the coming decades will present a great range of developmental challenges, including for food security and environmental sustainability. Governments should consider and implement as necessary the ways highlighted by the report to addressing food waste, which must  play a role in helping meet the challenges of ensuring food security for the 9 billion world population projected before 2050, which may exceed 10 billion by the end of the century.

Developed countries must take drastic measures to overcome the considerable waste at the market and consumer end of the food chain due to retail and customer behaviour. Developing countries must be supported to develop more efficient harvesting and local transport networks to address the wastage occurring at the farmer-producer end of the supply chain. These measures  help to achieve food security and also advance environmental sustainability, given the wasteful use of resources and unnecessary pressures on the environment associated the production of foodstuffs which only go to waste.

Overlooked by the report, we also emphasise that advancement of sexual and reproductive health and rights, including access to family planning, offers opportunities to reduce population growth before the world’s population reaches the projected level assumed in the report, which notably is not based on the most recent UN projections which revised previous projections upwards. The medium term of the UN population projections published in 2011 project that the world population will in fact reach 10.1 billion by the end of the century, rather than peaking at 9.5 billion by 2075 as assumed in the report.

The vast majority of world population growth over coming decades is projected to take place in developing countries, where food and water shortages are most prevalent. Yet an estimated 222 million women in developing countries want to avoid pregnancy but have an unmet need for modern contraception. Urgent investment in voluntary family planning services that respect and protect rights is required to address this vast unmet need, to ensure that women are able to makes choices about their own fertility.

This strategy offers a proven and cost effective strategy for slowing population growth and helping achieve other development goals, and must be pursued alongside efforts to address unsustainable and inequitable patterns of production and consumption, including in the current food production and distribution systems.

Finally, the 2030 Agenda is based on the assumption that with technological progress, resulting in enhanced efficiency, society will be able to overcome this contradiction—a view that is popular in policy circles but not well supported by science. The solution to this dilemma lies rather in a restructuring of the economic and social arrangements that require endless growth in consumption.

Only with such a transformation will it be possible to reconcile objectives that under current arrangements seem to be in conflict. The SDG 12 can help achieving a range of objectives across the 2030 Agenda, but, as it is currently formulated, it is unlikely to inspire the kind of transformation needed for achieving systems of sustainable consumption and production.

One of the great values of the 2030 Agenda is that it creates forums at various levels of society for dialogue on what kind of development is desirable and how society can make this happen. The scientific community has a critical role to play in these processes and we hope that many researchers will be actively engaged. Such involvement in public discourse is especially important in the current era of growing disregard for truth and reason.

Kaburu Anthony: Education must be a top development agenda in Afri...

Kaburu Anthony: Education must be a top development agenda in Afri...: Africa is in the midst of an education crisis. Despite pledges to improve access to education for all children by 2030, many African govern...

Education must be a top development agenda in Africa

Africa is in the midst of an education crisis. Despite pledges to improve access to education for all children by 2030, many African governments are failing to fund this ambitious component of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). There is still time to address the financing shortfall, but only if new investment strategies are embraced with vigor.

Today, roughly half of the world’s young people, including some 400-million girls are not being educated to succeed in the workplace of the future.
This challenge is most acute in Africa; although 75% of girls in Sub-Saharan Africa start school, only 8% complete secondary education. Sub-Saharan Africa is the only region where women still do not enroll in or graduate from tertiary education at the same rates as men.

These problems are well known, if not always addressed. Less understood is the contradictory impact that Africa’s future growth will have on the availability of education funding.

By 2030, nearly 30 countries in Africa are expected to have reached lower middle-income status, defined by the World Bank as a per capita gross national income (GNI) between $1 026 and $4 035. As countries approach this level of development, new investments will be needed to pay for health and education upgrades, and mobilizing domestic tax revenue will become a critical component of budgeting strategies.

At the moment, however, estimated tax revenues in most countries will be insufficient to cover the costs associated with improving educational outcomes. As a result, an education-funding crisis threatens to dash hopes of sustained rapid growth and lasting prosperity.

Traditional forms of international aid will continue to play a role in the development of Africa’s education sector. And yet, owing to the projected increases in GNI, most lower-middle-income countries will no longer qualify for the grants and low- or zero-interest loans that are currently available. As a result, millions of young Africans will suffer the effects of a paradox in international development: countries will be too prosperous to qualify for the best funding options, but too poor to meet the educational needs of their citizens on their own.

Fortunately, the International Commission on Financing Global Education Opportunity, where I serve as a commissioner, has helped to develop a solution. Called the International Finance Facility for Education, this innovative approach aims to help lower-middle-income countries invest in education — especially programs for women and girls — in more sustainable ways.

By leveraging $2-billion in donor guarantees, we aim to deliver about $10-billion in grant and concessional education funding to countries that need it most. But there is a catch: governments seeking to access these funds must first demonstrate an interest in and capacity for long-term educational reform.

This approach is designed to improve grants’ effectiveness and give countries the ability to strengthen their economic resilience with a better-educated workforce. Research shows that in lower-middle-income countries, every $1 spent on education increases the earning power of graduates by $4. In other words, our long-term goal is broader than building schools or teaching math; it is to create conditions for lasting social and economic change.

Similar funding strategies have already proved to be successful in the health-care sector. For example, the International Finance Facility for Immunization was created to provide financing for GAVI, the vaccine alliance. Eventually, billions of dollars in new funding was mobilized to help vaccinate more than 640-million children and save over nine million lives. The economic returns were also dramatic; one study that surveyed outcomes in 73 countries found that every $1 spent on immunizations translated into $18 in healthcare-related savings. The education finance facility has the potential to produce a similar impact.

Furthermore, While universal primary education is still advancing, with more children in school than ever before in our global history, there are still barriers. Poverty remains the biggest obstacle to children’s schooling. The costs of school fees can be prohibitive and, even where school is free, inability to afford uniforms, school supplies and transportation can still keep children out of the classroom. 

When livelihoods are insecure, children are taken out of school to work, to bring in an income for families to just get by. While the cost of sending a child to school is not a significant, it is more than what a poor family can often afford and tough choices are made about who goes to school and who doesn’t, who completes their education and who doesn’t.

Tough choices translate into children not completing primary or secondary school, and post-secondary is far out of reach for the majority. For orphans and vulnerable children, such as homeless children and children living in abject poverty, school attainment is further reduced. The barrier is poverty, not ability, and the barrier to access perpetuates the poverty barrier.  Education is an investment in children, in families, in sustainable health and development and is all about equitable futures and in creating long-term positive social change.

Finally, Millions of young people around the world, and particularly young girls in Africa, are failing to excel because they continue to be denied access to quality education. With just 11 years to go before the expiration of the #SDGs, Africa’s education crisis must be moved to the top of the development agenda. Government leaders routinely claim that children are our future. If they truly believe it, programs like the International Finance Facility for Education must be given the priority they deserve.