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Hunger and famine (food, water and basic necessities)
The issue of lack of food, and lack of safe water and lack of basic necessities is having an impact on about half the population of the world, some 3 billion people. The experts of the official development assistance (ODA) community know about this, and the leaders of nations in the NORTH and the SOUTH know about this, yet it is a problem that not only persists, but gets worse.
“Global Banquet” is a video produced in 1998 that shows some of the issues of poverty and food shortage in a world where plenty is possible. Its thesis is that large scale corporate mono-culture supported by subsidy has defeated value adding labor intensive sustainable multi-culture. Corporate win, people defeated.
The video's thesis is well intentioned. But the problem is both broader and deeper. Without understanding a lot more about the global economy and local cultures and area issues, it is very difficult to sort out what are the symptoms and what are the fundamental underlying problems. After forty years of development effort, it is sad that there is no apparent consensus about a way forward for development that looks like being successful
What became clear very early on in my development consultancy career was that success in development required progress on many fronts at the same time. My experience in Nigeria showed me very clearly that money flows on their own would not result in development success. It was also clear to me that good people and good intentions were not going to make a difference as long as control of the process was subject to corruption and fraud.
The failure of world development was already becoming apparent in the 1970s, and in the 1980s famine became headline news, especially the famine in Ethiopia. As a result a lot of money was raised for famine relief in Ethiopia, and also for other famine affected areas. I did some planning work during that period in futile attempts to integrate emergency and development initiatives. I tried to get “Band Aid” funds to be used effectively, but could not get heard. It was heartbreaking. The decisions were tough. Feed the dying or build a future for the living.
The commitment of good people working in the emergency organizations is amazing. They do incredible work in impossible circumstances. But the fact that they are needed is a problem.
There are multiple systemic and process problems that make needed changes very difficult if not impossible. People being hungry is partly cause by shortage. People cannot have food and water and the other basic necessities when there are none to be had. But it is not the only problem.
Another critical problem is that while food and water and basic necessities are available, poor people just do not have the economic means to buy them.
The two problems are quite distinct, and different strategies are needed to have a lasting impact on these problems. There are linkages, and there are ways for the strategies to be effective.
On a global basis there is no shortage. But at a local level there may well be a physical shortage. If the community has no buying power, there is no market mechanism that will solve the shortage problem. With no demand the market suppliers will not make any offers of supply, and the shortage will continue.
If it is impossible to have value adding economic activities of any sort in an area, then the people are well advised to move. Economic migration has been a part of history, and is with us as much today as it has ever been. If people cannot survive in terms of food and water and basics, and the local environment does not allow for any productive economic activity, then migration is what should happen.
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