Editor's Note [Volume 23 No. 3 (2023)]
https://doi.org/10.18697/ajfand.118.ED127
Putting people at the center of food discussions
It is commendable to see how the world has rallied to save lives in the Horn of Africa, where hunger has reached unprecedented levels. African and foreign Governments, humanitarian organizations, development partners, and UN agencies, and special mention to the WFP Chief’s characteristic style, are rallying to save lives and to bring the face of hunger to those who are far removed from the continent for emergency appeal.
The Dakar 2 Summit on Feed Africa came at a time when sub-Saharan states are facing polycrisis, from Covid-19 pandemic effects, food, fuel and fertilizer, and extreme weather. The Summit noted that the continent has great untapped potential, with 65% of the world’s remaining uncultivated arable land but also one-third of the 828 million hungry people in the world being on the continent, 22 million facing starvation in the Horn of Africa. It is heartbreaking to see the indignity of famine and hunger.
Big meetings and summits set high aspirations and renewed hopes for addressing the problem of hunger in the world. The UN Food Systems Summit, the People’s Summit, brought together the voices of those who are traditionally excluded from such discussions. From the dialogues, we came out with National Pathways for Food Systems Transformation. How far are countries in implementing these? Who is monitoring all this?
People have a voice, and this voice is their power, and it should be heard at the center of decision-making fora, for those who can make a difference to hear. Producers, rural communities, urban poor, vulnerable and marginalized communities know the pain of poverty, hunger, and malnutrition. They know what they need to secure their livelihoods and ensure food security in their communities. They can set development priorities for their governments to consider through citizen participation in local government. In the rural area where I work, when the local government asked community members to identify priorities for planning, we listed, as priorities: community cereal stores to stabilize food availability and prices during lean seasons, access to PUBLIC agricultural extension and advisory services, access to inputs, and provision of climate change mitigation approaches. When done well, citizen participation in food systems discussions embraces the human, social, and cultural values associated with food. It prioritizes the needs and aspirations of all individuals and communities involved in the food systems, from producers and distributors to consumers and workers.
The DAKAR DECLARATION ON FOOD SOVEREIGNTY AND RESILIENCE (DAKAR 2) seems to be reaching for low-hanging fruit like increased financing to boost agricultural productivity in the continent and longer-term solutions such as national budgets allocating at least 10% of public expenditure to agriculture. Will this change anything? I should underscore that most African states have yet to meet the 10% commitment, 20 years after the Maputo Declaration. I hope that this allocation when met is directed to supporting smallholders who produce 80% of our food and the ones who bear the brunt of climate change.
Emergency appeals and renewed government commitments must be done with urgency and transparency. We must never regress by spending less on food and agriculture. We must address the social and economic inequalities, engage in participatory decision-making, promote food literacy, and come to an understanding of what a Food Sovereign Africa looks like. Can we feed ourselves from our resource base? I think so. As we move from one crisis to another, people who were not vulnerable are moving into vulnerability. We cannot go at the same speed as we have in the last 20 years. And always, the dignity of people should be at the heart of all we do.
Njeri Karanu
Assistant Editor-in-Chief, AJFAND
Dear Reader,
This issue of the journal is, with great sadness and humility, dedicated to Prof Joseph Asiwe, who has 2 papers in it. We worked very well with the late professor/pastor and did not become aware of his demise until the last minute when mails to him bounced. May his soul rest in Eternal peace and may his wife Doris (who co-authored one of the papers with him) and his family and loved ones be comforted. We wish to thank Dr Doris Asiwe for ably concluding the manuscripts even in her grief. We provide a link to a comprehensive funeral event that Dr Doris Asiwe shared with us.
This issue has 16 papers, thoroughly reviewed. We thank and appreciate both authors and our never wavering reviewers for a job well done.
Please let us continue to share our opinions and research findings especially as pertains to Africa so we can influence policy making and program focus. Yes, Africa can feed itself and others as well. But what we eat should be diverse, enough, safe, nutritious and culturally acceptable. This will always be our clarion call.
Enjoy the issue.
See reactions from the previous issue.
Prof. Ruth Khasaya Oniang'o
Founder Editor-in-Chief, AJFAND
