USA AND AFRICA- CAN THEY BE PARTNERS IN DEVELOPMENT?

On this planet both rich and the poor co-exist though the quality of life may vary widely because of the so called purchasing power of the people. Africa is considered the poor cousin of rich continents like Americas, Europe and Australia, probably because of centuries of colonial rule exploiting their resources mercilessly. Whether it is England or France, Italy or other colonial countries of the West, no thoughts seem to have crossed their mind to help their erstwhile colonies to improve the lots of those who were enslaved by them. Credit goes to the US for considering Africa as a continent that deserves sizable assistance to develop them through kind and cash and to day this country stands in the forefront in providing bulk of assistance to some of the poorest countries in the world. Recently this country is reported to have launched new development programs for improving the cereal production situation as well as evolving national policies for food security for millions of citizens in the continent. Having said this the million dollar question that begs for an answer is whether there can be an equal partnership between an aid giver and an aid recipient? For all the glib talk that goes in the name of equal partnership, there is still an element of  over lording when it comes to deciding how to go about to achieve an objective. Here is the gist of the report emanating from the US that claims setting up two "innovation labs" whatever that means.             

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Administrator Rajiv Shah launched two new innovation labs to improve climate resilience in some of Africa's main cereal crops and increase private sector investment that can help smallholder farmers. Shah announced the new partnerships at the U.S. release of the Feed the Future 2013 Progress Report, USAID said in a news release the same day. "Today, as we celebrate Feed the Future's success over the last year, I am pleased to launch two new Feed the Future innovation labs with U.S. universities and their partners," Shah said. The new labs are the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Collaborative Research on Sorghum & Millet and the Feed the Future Innovation Lab for Food Security Policy. Drawing on the expertise of top universities around the United States, they represent a new model of development that uses science and technology to address challenges in agriculture and food security, USAID said. "The Feed the Future on Sorghum & Millet Innovation Lab reflects President Obama's and Feed the Future's strong focus on using science and technology to help smallholders meet the challenge of increasing cereal production even as climate change alters environmental conditions and reduces agricultural productivity," Shah said. "The Food Security Policy Innovation Lab builds directly on President Obama's leadership in launching the New Alliance for Food Security and Nutrition last year," he added. "It will help many more countries worldwide achieve major policy reforms, attract significant private sector investments and increase economic opportunities for smallholder farmers, other rural people and urban consumers."

Considering that most countries consume cereal like Sorghum and Maize any improvements in productivity, especially at the level of small farmers with tiny land holdings can be expected to improve the health standards of the local population to some extent. But how this can be achieved is an issue fraught with some serious implications. Americans are known to be the most vociferous champions of GMO foods with 80% of the daily diet in that country derived from GMO foods. As GM technology is still clouded under a controversy regarding the safety of foods produced through application of this unnatural process, the US must resist the temptation to unleash its GMO monopolistic seed companies on the unsuspecting African countries. Already there are reports about some US politicians propounding GMO technology as the ultimate solution to over come the hunger pangs of millions of people suffering from poverty, under nourishment, infectious diseases, infant mortality and short life span. Those countries receiving aid from the US must be aware of this possibility.    

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

WELL DONE VIETNAM!-NEW SAFETY MEASURES FOR CONSUMER PROTECTION

Who does not know the human sufferings in Vietnam during the much hated War involving the United States and the Communists which ended eventually after the fleeing of Americans and their cohorts from Saigon in 1975. It is remarkable that this tiny country could recover from the trauma associated with the war and be counted as an economic power house on its own in such a short time. That the country had to start from the scratch to build a viable nation respected by the international community has not deterred it from taking up programs that could uplift the economic well being of its war battered people. It is amazing that Vietnam has one of the fastest growing economies in the world to day and it is the topmost exporter of Cashew nuts and Pepper while its rice exports are next only to the world leader Thailand. Recent news that Vietnam has put in place a rigorous food safety regime to protect its people can bode well for their future, domestically as well as internationally. Here is a take on this emerging development in Vietnam.  

"Under a newly-issued circular from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development which will take effect from September 3, all products and by-products from animals including heads, tails, legs, skin, grease and edible innards must be sold within eight hours at room temperature. Meat products stored from 0-5 Celsius degrees can be sold within 72 hours while by-products in the same conditions have 24 hours to be sold. The measures include a requirement for legal slaughter checking and quarantine stamps on products. A ban on the use of preservatives on raw products and by-products was also included. Butchers and all others involved in slaughtering and transport are required to have a certificate issued by a medical unit from district levels. Last month, there were 16 food poisoning cases nationwide affecting 531 people. Two deaths were reported. In total, some 2,400 people suffered food poisoning, including 16 deaths, in the first seven months of the year".

The new food regulation concerning the safety of products and by-products of meat industry speaks well of the intention of the country not to compromise on the health of its citizens. Contrast this with the situation obtaining in India where the meat industry, catering to domestic consumers, is literally in tatters with no serious monitoring or regulation of its activities. It is common to see carcasses hanging openly on road side vending kiosks, exposed totally to the dust and grime raised by the fast plying automobiles, three wheeler and two wheeler vehicles spewing toxic fumes copiously. Low temperature storage is rarely resorted to and the meat cuts offered must be one of the most contaminated foods in the world. Most of the thousands of slaughter houses run in civic areas are filthy and nauseating and how the consumers are putting up with such conditions is a mystery. Probably the prevalent practice of over cooking the meat once brought home, is thought to be a factor that is responsible for very few safety related episodes in India. Vietnam with less than 100 million population and a per capita income of hardly $ 3500 (PPP) has done exceedingly well in the area of food safety measured by any yardstick, leaving behind its giant fellow Asian countries like China and India.

V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com

DEVELOPMENT AT WHAT COST? NEED FOR INTROSPECTION

Every nation aspires to be in the fore front of development vying for a place in the comity of nations with pride and honor. But the routes they choose may be different depending on the policies and practices of the ruling class which controls their destiny. Common sense tells that an agriculturally predominant country must use the strength of its farm sector to base its development while those with weak agri cultural base have to go for industrialization on a massive scale. Some countries have both these strengths and therefore have options to concentrate on either of them or both. Take for example the case of India which was a predominantly agricultural country till a few years ago and the shift in priority occurred after the economic liberalization starting in early nineteen nineties. Progressively agriculture is being sidelined and industrial and service sectors are getting more priority attention at the hands of successive governments during the past two decades. While industrial development has a place in national development policies, what is being ignored is the cost at which these developments are achieved. World wide environmental degradation is occurring on a massive scale putting the very survival of this planet in peril and one of the causes has been reckless industrialization without any environmental impact analysis. Here is a classic case from India where once revered and adored water bodies are being systematically destroyed in the name of development under the very nose of the government which has no time to see the indiscriminate destruction all around!  

"Methane gas is bubbling up from the black-coloured stew, and the water smells horrible. The holy river Yamuna, once teeming with life, is practically dead, yet a homeless man is rinsing his mouth with the noxious liquid. Under a nearby bridge, scavengers on a self-made raft are fishing out votive offerings that drivers throw from their cars to Yamuna, which is worshipped by Hindus as a goddess. But it is people and politics that are choking Yamuna to death, and ecologists are warning of a looming environmental catastrophe as World Water Day approaches on March 22. The river, New Delhi's lifeline, is reputed to be India's most polluted as well as one of the most toxic waterways worldwide. The Yamuna provides an example of Indian government policies that are focused on economic growth, often at the cost of the environment. In the meantime, the river is dying a slow yet unpublicized death, partly because it has mostly vanished from public sight behind concrete after the river was moved. A highway now runs along the old riverbed. Access to the river is possible at only a few points and glimpses of it can be gained only from road or subway bridges. Vimlendu K Jha, executive director of the environmental organization Swechha, estimates that 60 per cent of New Delhi's 14 million people have never seen the river."How can you save the Yamuna if nobody ever sees it?" he asks. The river is indeed rather beautiful -- before it reaches New Delhi and is polluted with raw sewage and toxic waste".

Every Indian must hang his head in shame listening to the sad story of the Taj Mahal "kissing" Yamuna river which has its origin in the sacred Himalayas. Millions of rupees are "wasted" in the name of rejuvenating rivers like Ganges and Yamuna while the quality of water in these rivers is progressively deteriorating to the extent they can be safely called dead rivers! There is a high profile minister calling himself "Environmental Minister" in the UPA cabinet with great conviction about what he says but with very little power to do any thing substantial at the ground level. The importance of water, qualitatively and quantitatively, cannot be under estimated and if such a policy continues disaster will be waiting to happen which the people of this once great country may have to face with terrible consequences!


V.H.POTTY
http://vhpotty.blogspot.com/
http://foodtechupdates.blogspot.com