Food Security
To some extent, food security is an issue in every country. As evidenced by the “Current Situation in Uganda,” food security is a pressing issue in Uganda that is not receiving sufficient attention from individuals in leadership positions. Sub-Saharan Africa has a history of failed food aid attempts. Food drops have created an unsustainable environment in which local farmers have unintentionally been out-competed by foreign food aid, which is not even necessarily nutritiously superior. Rather than putting together a comprehensive strategy, more experts are beginning to recommend smaller, case-specific strategies that leverage the resources in a particular area. This is where St. Jude can excel. Because St. Jude works on a small scale, they are able to respond to the specific needs of a group they are working with, rather than applying pre-designed programs.
While small-scale, grassroots strategies are the current “in-vogue” method of development, the question of appropriate technology remains. Appropriate technology is suitable to its local and sustainable over a long period of time. Discussions of appropriate technology can center around what sorts of crops should be grown in an area. Debates are taking place all over the world regarding meat consumption. Animal husbandry is far more resource intensive than crop cultivation, leading some to promote plant-based protein sources instead. In agriculture, appropriate technology often refers to issues surrounding genetically modified foods. Biotechnology has begun to infiltrate Sub-Saharan Africa, mostly as joint ventures between governments and private corporations based in the developing world. For example, a joint venture in Kenya between USAID, Kenyan universities and the private biotech company, Monsanto, has grown in recent years, but there is a dearth of Kenyan scientists who have the education to work on the project. Monsanto is a private company, famous in the United States for developing genetically modified crops and—some claim—monopolizing the industry, making farmers dependent on their crops. This allegation may or may not be true, but it is indisputable that they are spreading their influencing by developing genetically modified crops in conjuction with the Kenyan government and USAID, for use in Kenya. The argument could be made that biotechnology is inappropriate because there is no regulatory infrastructure, but it is also unsustainable because the human resources are not being sourced locally.
While food insecurity exists in every country, the particulars of the food systems are location-specific. It is important to consider how appropriate each solution is to the local in which it is being applied.
While small-scale, grassroots strategies are the current “in-vogue” method of development, the question of appropriate technology remains. Appropriate technology is suitable to its local and sustainable over a long period of time. Discussions of appropriate technology can center around what sorts of crops should be grown in an area. Debates are taking place all over the world regarding meat consumption. Animal husbandry is far more resource intensive than crop cultivation, leading some to promote plant-based protein sources instead. In agriculture, appropriate technology often refers to issues surrounding genetically modified foods. Biotechnology has begun to infiltrate Sub-Saharan Africa, mostly as joint ventures between governments and private corporations based in the developing world. For example, a joint venture in Kenya between USAID, Kenyan universities and the private biotech company, Monsanto, has grown in recent years, but there is a dearth of Kenyan scientists who have the education to work on the project. Monsanto is a private company, famous in the United States for developing genetically modified crops and—some claim—monopolizing the industry, making farmers dependent on their crops. This allegation may or may not be true, but it is indisputable that they are spreading their influencing by developing genetically modified crops in conjuction with the Kenyan government and USAID, for use in Kenya. The argument could be made that biotechnology is inappropriate because there is no regulatory infrastructure, but it is also unsustainable because the human resources are not being sourced locally.
While food insecurity exists in every country, the particulars of the food systems are location-specific. It is important to consider how appropriate each solution is to the local in which it is being applied.