Many countries in sub-Saharan Africa are still trying to achieve food security. Experts consider a household food secure when its occupants are not hungry or faced with starvation. In other words, food may be available, although not necessarily in abundance.

For more than two decades, many African governments with the help of international aid agencies, has been trying to create communities that can produce enough food to feed themselves access adequate supplies of food. In countries like Ethiopia,the effort is driven by concern over avoiding another food crisis like the one that led to the 1984 famine. So what are some of the approaches that seem to be working? Well, in Ethiopia again,ever since the fall of the government of Mengistu Haile Mariam, officials have tried new approaches to reducing the effects of drought and poverty that threaten food security.

Shumsha area--success story in food security?

One hard-hit community was in the Shumsha area, north of Lalibela, in 1994. “Virtually every household was receiving food aid to survive,” said John Hoddinott, a senior researcher at the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). But new statistics show that the number of hungry people has decreased and the area is now on the verge of being food secure.

Access to markets

“No single factor can be credited with this change," Hoddinott said. “Rather [it was] a whole host of actions by government, markets and individuals. "
One major factor, he says, is “the improved infrastructure, like roads that link the area to neighboring towns. This has not only enabled the farmers in Shumsha to take their products to markets in these towns, but (it has) also given them access to food markets.”

Increased access to education, with its social benefits, has contributed to the reduction of poverty in Shumsha. “Fifteen years ago almost no students went to school; now the primary school has over 800 students,” he says.

Improved income

Household income has increased because farmers are now allowed to have more than one job. That was not the case under the Mengistu government.

Countries that have succeeded in reducing hunger have had “more rapid growth in their agricultural sectors, slower population growth and higher ranking in the Human Development Index,” according to The State of Food Insecurity in the World 2009, issued by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization. The success of Shumsha can be replicated in other regions of Ethiopia and in other developing countries, says Hoddinott. But that would require “a combination of political will, governance and good use of resources.”

I recently spoke to for UN secretary general Olara Otunnu--he had just landed in Kampala Uganda. He plans to stand for the upcoming elections in 2011. We discussed a couple of issues regarding opposition politics in Africa and specifically Uganda.We also talked about the security of opposition figures and the many cases of politicians who die in mysterious circumstances. This morning i woke up to read in Uganda's Daily Monitor newspaper that Otunnu was-- over the weekend--involved in car accident. He narrowly escaped death in an accident that involved--wait--the Ugandan presidential convoy. Here is a full audio of the interview.

This week on Upfront we discussed the role of the opposition in Africa. Politics in Africa can be a dangerous task. That is because our understanding of power and the obligations of our politicians is skewed. There is a belief that society serves politics--not the other way round--thus we have made 'kings' of our politicians. Many African leaders think that once they get into power,they are not accountable to anyone including their constituents. In short this has bred a situation where politicians will hold on to power with all their might.

So when their power is threatened by new ideas,opposing politicians etc,there is a tendency to hit back. Many opposition politicians have lost their lives in the process. The demonization of opposition politics by those in power leads us to believe that neither parties understand their roles. Why do those in power fail to see the advantages of a different opinion. Is there a time limit to holding a political position?

The power dynamic that for years has led to a breakdown in civil political discourse has persisted in many African countries. On the other hand,it is important to question those that vie for power. How different will you be when you get into power? Those are some of the issues we discussed in today's Upfront.

Listen to full show below.

Click below to listen to the show on Land reform!




In many parts of Africa, the debate about land issues has continued unabated for decades. While many of the governments in Africa are embroiled in discussion around land reform issues, those on the ground continue to be stuck in the middle, with little or no reprieve to their poverty.

This week on UpFront we discuss the importance of land and ownership in your society, and what the associated issues are. Land and agriculture is imperative to the economic wellbeing of Africa and Africans… so how are you affected by this issue?

In many cases, land ownership is hereditary. In such a case, how much power should the government have to intervene… if they should have any power at all?

Land reform most often refers to the transfer of ownership from a relatively small number of wealthy owners who have extensive land holdings (e.g. plantations or agribusiness plots) to individual ownership by those who work the land. But as you know, this has never been an easy process, and it is all too often marred by violence and other unjust practices.

Tune in to our discussion, we’ll talk about land as a source of conflict, the need for land reform and clear policies on agriculture and food issues related to land.

Listen to Interview with Shantayanan Devarajan--the Chief Economist of the World Bank's Africa Region



Economists call the current Global Financial Crisis one of the worst financial crises since the great depression. The crisis which traces its roots in the housing bubble in the US has contributed to the failure of key businesses, declines in consumer wealth in Africa and other parts of the developing world. In Sub Saharan Africa, there has been significant decline in economic activity, with the export sector suffering major losses in revenue.

Dr. Shantayanan Devarajan is the Chief Economist of the World Bank's Africa Region. He says that the root causes of the crisis have nothing to do with Africa but with the “overall macro economics in developed countries…it was a combination of two or three bubbles crushing down…” He says. The collapse of the housing bubble caused the values of securities tied to housing prices to plummet thereafter, damaging financial institutions globally. He says. This created a panic in the financial market. The response of consumers around the world is to “tighten their belt” He says.

In Africa initial concerns were directed at the rise in oil prices which peaked at over 140 dollars a barrel. Governments were less concerned with the impact it could have on local financial institutions given that many are not fully integrated in the global financial structure. But as the crisis worsened, they were proven wrong. African banking institutions have working relationships with major financial players and as the Wall Street saw a decrease in investor confidence; it led to subsequent declines in credit availability to banks in Africa.

He says that Africa was a recipient of billions of dollars of private capital flow from the west but most importantly was the decline in commodity prices (an issue we explore further in the next series). So when western private investors lose money as a result of the financial crisis, less is available to lend or invest in Africa. He gives an example of oil exporters like Nigeria and Angola that saw a sharp decline in revenues when oil fell from 140 dollars a barrel to 40 dollars a barrel.

Africa also suffered a lot in terms of tourist revenues. Dr Devajaran says that many African countries depend on earnings from tourism. In some countries, earnings from tourism account for the highest proportion of total foreign exchange earnings. When western consumers starting feeling the effects of the global financial crisis, tourist traffic to Africa starting going down; hence, earnings went down.

The export sector has also suffered from declining revenues. In some countries exports make up almost seventy percent of GDP, “so when the export sectors declines,all the other sectors of the economy are affected because they rely on the export sector for demand…” He says.

The World Bank says that while the global economy is showing signs of recovery, many developing countries are still suffering the consequences of the recession. This highlights the need to increase support to the poorest countries dealing with economic volatility and crisis, the World Bank report says.

In a paper presented at the recent G2O summit in the US, the World Bank said that as a result of the crisis 89 million more people will be living in extreme poverty, on less than $1.25 a day, by the end of 2010. It adds that the recession put at risk $11.6 billion of spending in areas such as education, health, infrastructure and other important sectors. (English to Africa)

Agriculture is one of the most important economic activities in Africa. Millions of people are direct beneficiaries of employment from farming or other agricultural activities. In fact UN estimates show that over 200 million people are engaged in agricultural labor—that represents a very high percentage of the total population. Aside from employment agriculture supports the survival and well-being many African societies.

However it has been one of the most affected sectors in the current global crisis. Figures show that global trade is expected to decrease by almost 10 percent—that is in both the developed and developing world. Given that Africa exports millions of dollars worth of agricultural produce, a decrease in demand on the world market has far reaching effects on communities that depend on export incomes. The slowdown is already showing a major reduction in government and household incomes across the continent—mainly sub-Saharan Africa. The FAO reports a drop in demand for commodities like coffee, rubber, tea etc. This fuels the rising unemployment levels and a major drop in household incomes.

The FAO also fears that the high cost of staple foods is straining the ability of the poor’s ability to afford three square meals a day.

The decreased purchasing power of western nations coupled with falling prices of commodities like coffee and tea is threatening to turn back the clock on some of the important steps that we had seen in the agricultural sector. Professor Shantayanan Devarajan an economist at the world bank says that “when the export sector is affected, all other sectors are affected too, because they rely on the export sector for demand.

Dr Montey Jones a director with the Ghana based forum for Agricultural Research says that the economic crisis has led to a decline in private and public Investment in agriculture development. Much of the foreign aid that was geared towards research in agriculture research has either been redirected or completely cut off. Dr Jones says that the crisis has undermined the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) - prepared by FAO and the New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD). The commitments were to increase investment in agriculture, however since most countries are experiencing financial woes, they can’t afford to invest in agriculture.

The World Bank and IMF predict that growth in Sub-Saharan Africa will decline from 5.25 per cent in 2008 to a mere .25 in 2009. This coupled by an 11 per cent reduction in per capita income does have a great impact on local populations.

Poor roads hamper transportation

Malawi earns up to 70 percent of its foreign exchange from tobacco. Most of it is grown in the rural areas where farmers have to transport it for long miles to the capital city Blantyre. Alinafeje Agaraga is a farmer in the southern part of Malawi, he says that one of his main problems are the high transport costs. “It is a big challenge to us farmers...” He says. Poor rural infrastructure like roads makes it hard and expensive to transport goods to the markets. This coupled with the high fuel prices makes it a critical constraint to many African farmers competitiveness in the global markets. Statistics show that only 34% of sub-Saharan Africa’s rural population lives within 2 kilometers of a tarmac road.

Fuel prices affect farmers.

The increase in fuel prices which is also a direct result of the financial crisis has affected his bottom line profits. Many transport companies have shifted the high cost of fuel to the farmers who now have to pay more than twice as much to have their produce transported to the city. Invariably the end cost is passed on to the consumers. That is the why food prices have gone up tremendously in the past couple of years. Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger is the first Millennium Development Goal (MDG) but that can’t be achieved without adequate food security. Also agriculture development is always a precursor to industrial development. It is a sign that a society is moving on an upward developmental trajectory.

Last week the Ugandan parliament passed a controversial land bill that was strongly opposed by both the Buganda Kingdom and opposition parliamentarians. The landmark bill passed in less than 90 minutes of intense deliberations that were characterized by shouting matches and walkouts by opposition members. The bill calls for more rights to tenants who occupy land in the Buganda region. It gives them more rights to resist eviction by landlords. Landlords need a court order to evict tenants and must notify them before selling their land. Anyone attempting to evict a tenant in contravention of these rules could face up to seven years in prison.The Buganda prime minister called a press conference the next day to reject the bill.

One of the opposition figures involved in the debate is Erias Lukwago,he is the member of Parliament for Kampala Central,he is also a leading Buganda politician. Before the bill was passed,he walked out of parliament. I reached him in his offices in Kampala where he explains the controversy surrounding this bill.