Sucessful Farming @agriculture Online
Africa Needs Food Too

April 17, 2003

By Cheryl Rainford
News Editor
Agriculture Online

Mike Adams interviews Dwain Ford, President of the American Soybean Association, (Photo Credit: Agritalk)

Visualize, for a moment, the number of people that inhabit New York City and the surrounding area. Now imagine all 11 million of those people are children and every one of them has been orphaned by HIV/AIDs. Now imagine they live in a place where adverse weather conditions, political tensions and civil unrest mean they are also malnourished or starving.

This is just part of the mind boggling situation that Africa is trying to deal with in the face of the HIV/AIDs pandemic there. The fact that the situation is receiving less attention than more current food insecurity news about Iraq leaves the leader of the world's largest humanitarian food organization wondering why there isn't comparable outrage over conditions in Africa.

"The situation in Africa is the most extraordinary humanitarian crisis in the world today, in my estimation," James Morris, the executive director of the United Nations' World Food Program (WFP) Wednesday told members of agribusiness and foundation leaders at a business briefing in Chicago hosted by soybean growers. His comments came one day before his organization opened its first humanitarian lifeline into Baghdad since the start of the Iraq crisis.

Ten days ago, Morris wrote to the president and members of the UN Security Council detailing the massive $3.1 billion, six-month effort to feed 27 million Iraqi people, a program that is likely to become the largest humanitarian operation in history. But he pointed out that he feels the organization has a double standard, saying commitments to humanitarian aid are "political choices."

"There are nearly 40 million Africans in greater peril," he wrote. "How is it we routinely accept a level of suffering and hopelessness in Africa we would never accept in any other part of the world?"

Food could well be the most important drug in combating the HIV/AIDS pandemic as well. Global leaders now are focusing on the importance of good nutrition in combating the disease.

"We believe that agricul tural and food industry leaders can and should play a key role in responding to the HIV/AIDS pandemic," said American Soybean Association (ASA) President Dwain Ford.

In the US we tend to view AIDS as a problem, a health issue, in a particular part of the community, Morris said. Drug addicts, the immune suppressed, and the homosexual population come to mind. In the US the problem is fairly well contained and can be managed effectively with drugs, for many people. But that is not the case in Africa.

"May I tell you that the HIV/AIDS issue in Africa is pervasive," Morris said.


HIV/AIDS pandemic overwhelmingly affects African children

"In Zimbabwe 34% of the adult population is affected. In Botswana 40% of adults are infected," he said. For all of Africa, more than half (58%) of the infected population is female. "The numbers are staggering," Morris said. But the number of children who's lives have been touched by the crisis is particularly troublesome.

"I have been so overwhelmed at what this has done to children," Morris told the Chicago audience Wednesday. Children are being robbed of their childhoods, he said. "10% of the families are now headed by a child. 50% are now headed by someone in their upper 60s or 70s. It is not uncommon to see a grandmother with 20 children she is responsible for."

In Angola there are 2.2 million people WFP will be feeding by June. Further north there are 40 million people at risk. In all, 200 million Africans are poorly nourished, and 15 million Africans in the south risk loss of life. Because of the generosity of the US, that has been averted for the time being, Morris said.

To add to the problem, there is no medical infrastructure left.

Education is also suffering. Morris says in Zambia alone 2000 teachers were lost to aids last year. Only half of them could be replaced.

But, hunger is still the most important health issue, Morris said. "Food is the most important drug in the fight against HIV/AIDS."

Why? B e cause people with good nutrition have better resistance to the opportunistic infections that often come along with HIV/AIDS. Adding calories and protein content to what little food they rec eive is of vital importance, he said.

Companies including ADM and Cargill have been working to devise soy-based food products that meet the nutritional needs of these countries. When asked about their role in helping this situation, Morris said, "it's very important" because the WFP has a heavy focus on trying to strengthen the nutritional value of the food they provide.

"But, In the long run we need to find ways for the African agriculture to become productive on its own. So they can become exporters," Morris said. Agriculture in Africa, he said, is suffering, not only the impact of bad weather conditions, but also a loss of skilled farmers and farm labor, since so many adults have been wiped out by HIV/AIDS in their most active years.

Next steps

WFP needs $1.8 billion this year just to meet emergency food needs in Africa. That is equal to what they raised for all of their projects worldwide last year. They remain nearly $1 billion short, Morris told the Security Council last week.

Encouraging new developments are on the horizon, however. The Secretary General is championing the issue of African hunger - especially as it relates to AIDS. France and the US are working together to put African food crises on the agenda of the upcoming G8 meeting to be hosted by President Chirac in Evian in June. And President Bush has announced the creation of a new $200 million fund to prevent famine. Morris says the WFP hopes that funding will be a "down payment" on a broader political commitment by the G8 and others to address food emergencies in Africa.

Morris noted that the US contributed 50% of support for the WFP in 2002. The US donated 150,000 metric tons of soy products last year to fight hunger.

"You should be so proud to be an American," he said. "This country is s o ge nerous."

"I'm grateful to the agricultural community. You never know how much what you do means to the rest of the world. But, we need more," Morris told the audience. "The rest of the world needs a little extra help right now," he said.

Participants in the soybean sector can play an important role in the solution. Soybeans are a complete source of proteins and essential amino acids, which can be incorporated into the indigenous foods of various countries, according to the United Soybean Board. Soybean growers approved policy statements during their annual meeting on March 1 that support greater use of soy in the battle against HIV/AIDS worldwide.

In addition, the Illinois Soybean Association along with other state soybean groups, American Soybean Association and the USB created WISSH, the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health, in 2000 with the goal of increasing the use of soybeans in humanitarian and development aid around the world. They also hope to eventually develop new markets for soybeans in the process. WISSH will help to coordinate the efforts of producers and processors in developed countries with the governments, international institutions and private volunteer organizations serving the developing countries.

"Our hearts for humanity coupled with our heads for business must drive our response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic," said USB International Marketing Committee Chair Criss Davis. "Soybean growers launched the World Initiative for Soy in Human Health (WISHH) Program in 2000 because we care about the people who don't have enough food right now, and because we recognize that the developing countries of today are tomorrow's customers of US soy."

Every one of the top 10 export countries for US soy is a current or former recipient of US foreign assistance. These countries include China and the Philippines as well as the European Union Countries that received US assistance under the post-World War II Marshall Plan, USB says.

Learn more about the HIV/AIDs situation in Africa, and how soybean industry participants can help on the WISHH Web site.
04/17/2003 08:13 a.m.CDT