The world's wealthiest country is currently facing a food deficit unprecedented in many years of the super power's history.
One out of four families are on food stamps, a situation that will in all likelihood go down to President Obama's challenge box ,and an additional string on the bow of his detractors as well.He might now be forced to rethink the country's food policy,and rightly so,in the interest of the American people.
But on a broader perspective,this situation is not so much about America.Rather,it is about Third World countries that are so often dependent on food aid.
If the CNN fox pop undertaken recently is anything to go by,Americans are not going to continue devoting much of their food in aid while their own citizens have not enough food to eat.They can only do so if there is a surplus,which is not the case now.In this situation,countries must now brace themselves to meet their own citizen's food requirements in a sustainable way.
Africa--for the bulk of the countries belong here--must now set both long-term and short-term measures in place aimed at ensuring that the situation is mitigated.We are a continent endowed with all sorts of resources,ranging from minerals to fertile soils and favorable weather for agriculture.Yet every year colossal sums of money is spent on importing food.
There are many success stories that our leaders can emulate ,Egypt for instance,so we can change from relying on rain-fed agriculture to sustainable agriculture through properly organized irrigation.
For how long shall we catch a cold when the Big Brother sneezes?We have all the means to feed our people.The trouble is that we are not willing in the least!
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