Toru Sagawa: Perspectives on the "Food Crisis" in Africa

2022/10/14

The Russian invasion of Ukraine starting in February 2022 disrupted the export of Ukrainian grain. Many media outlets reported that the primary victims were "poor" Africans. Furthermore, according to a statement by the UN World Food Programme, Somalia, Kenya, and Ethiopia in East Africa were hit by the "worst drought in 40 years" in 2022, with 22 million people at risk of falling into starvation by September.

The severity of the food situation in Africa is also evident from statistical data. In the 2021 edition of the "Global Food Security Index" published by an organization called Economist Impact, seven out of the bottom ten countries are African nations.

Whenever people encounter such reports and figures, many likely think, "Africa again." This is because the Ethiopian famine of the mid-1980s, which gave birth to the charity song "We Are The World," solidified a perspective in Japanese society that views Africa solely as a victim plagued by "food crises." However, when we encounter news about food issues in Africa, instead of simply accepting it as "Africa again," could we not ask "Why Africa?" and "Is Africa truly powerless?"

Global climate change and low agricultural productivity in Africa are often cited as the root causes of today's "food crisis," but what is less frequently mentioned in recent discussions is the history that created the "starving continent."

Recent archaeological research indicates that before the late 19th century, when colonization by the Great Powers intensified, Africa was not a "starving continent"*1. In the Banda society of central Ghana, West Africa, food security was in good condition from 1450 to 1650. Droughts occurred during this period as well, but by producing large quantities of pearl millet—a grain of African origin with excellent drought resistance—people were able to survive even under difficult circumstances. However, with colonization and the introduction of cash crops for export, pearl millet cultivation declined, and the people's ability to respond to an uncertain natural environment was significantly diminished. It was this transformation of the subsistence economy due to external pressure since the 19th century that created the conditions leading to chronic "food crises."

However, African people and governments are not merely being tossed about helplessly by the "food crisis." In Ethiopia, a food security policy called the "Productive Safety Net Programme" (PSNP) has been in place since 2005. This policy prevents the depletion of household assets by providing households facing food access issues with six months' worth of food and other benefits annually in exchange for engaging in public works. Alongside these benefits, agricultural technology transfer is promoted to provide target households with the means to secure food stably. Currently, the PSNP is in its fifth phase, with 8 million people—about 7% of the country's total population—receiving benefits. While this policy has not produced all the expected results*2, it is noteworthy that African governments are working on a massive scale to improve food security for the poor, in contrast to Northern countries where social security spending continues to be cut due to neoliberal policies.

Of course, Western countries and international organizations have also implemented many projects to address food issues in Africa. In Ghana, an attempt was made in the 2010s to introduce genetically modified crops (GMOs) with the aim of a "second round of the Green Revolution" (following Asia and Latin America). The implementing bodies included the U.S. Agency for International Development and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. These organizations advocated for GMOs as a silver bullet for improving food security and emphasized that African people themselves desired them. However, Ghanaian scientists and activists, regardless of the pros and cons of GMOs themselves, felt strong dissatisfaction with such assertions. One reason was that the intervenors' stance of "saving a starving Africa" reminded them of the history of the Western gaze that looked down upon Africa as the "Dark Continent"*3.

It is a fact that many people in Africa today face difficulties in securing the food necessary for survival. However, aid and investment carried out without reflection on the historical circumstances that brought about this situation, or without an attitude that values Africa's own proactive responses to the "food crisis," often invite backlash from the people and reach a deadlock. Efforts to improve food security on the "starving continent" must perhaps begin by reconsidering our own perspective on Africa.