Food Security in Post-War Sierra Leone - Essay Example

? Food Security in Post-War Sierra Leone The West African country experienced the worst of internal conflict that lasted adecade leaving thousands dead, displaced, mutilated, and destruction of property across the country. The country relies heavily on the mining industry, particularly diamonds, titanium, and gold for its economic stability. However, in spite of the vast natural wealth, a large proportion of its citizens live in poverty with many unable to adequately to reap from the wealth generated. This is considered as a major catalyst behind rebel uprisings and military coups that hit the nation leading to years of civil war. The civil war drove thousands from their homes to establish slave labor in the mines while others were coerced into joining the rebels. This resulted in enormous migration away from the rich agricultural countryside towards the capital, which was considered as haven for most internal refugees. As a result, food production was negatively impacted raising concerns of international agencies owing to declining agricultural sector charged with feeding a conflicted nation. After years of confrontation, the rebels were suppressed and signed a treaty that marked the end of armed conflict and the beginning of recovery for the nation. Among the agenda by the newly elected regime was reconciliation, reconstruction of the country by adopting resolutions that upheld universal education, children rights, and food security. Focusing on food security, this paper seeks to examine the dynamics of agriculture with regard to effects of the civil war and strides towards achieving food security in Sierra Leone after the war. Numerous factors exposed Sierra Leone to food insecurity during the period of civil conflict, but the most obvious lies with displacement of persons from their homes. It is estimated that about 1.5 million people were internally displaced, some fled to secure urban areas while others were captured and forced into mining by the rebels. Landowners fled during the conflict leaving their farms unattended; thus, transforming the farms into common lands. The rebels established communal projects that were characterized by weak land rights to captured communities. The lands, often confiscated from fleeing residences, were marked for community farming activities. However, the produce from the confiscated lands was for the rebels to keep and use as deemed. This served as an ad hoc attempt to ensure survival following the dwindling agricultural practices in the country at the time. In addition, the civil war halted economic development that is essential for enhancing agricultural performance in the country. The research systems related with agricultural practices were severely affected following the destruction of research infrastructure such as laboratories and farms. Similarly, the civil war saw the well-trained scientists and research personnel flee the country and abandon their role in food security. This characterized the breakdown of local authorities and other structures if devolved governance, which contributed to the collapse of essential services. The civil conflict also affected livestock in the country with marked depletion of herds of the common breeds. According to the World Health Organization (n.d.), food security describes the availability and consistent access to food where a household thrives without the fear of food shortage. Following years of civil war, Sierra Leone faced challenges with feeding its citizenry after subsistent farmers were ejected from their farms or fled the conflict. For this reason, the country’s agricultural sector was in ruins and the country ranked among the poorest in the world. The establishment of comprehensive strategies towards rebuilding the nation after the war reveals a promising future of food security. Reconstruction and development of Sierra Leone after the war posed significant challenges with regard to food security and restoration of the country’s food basket. This was a presidential priority as the new regime under the Ministry of Agriculture set out to eradicate hunger within 5 years. Such was the declaration made during the president’s inauguration after the end of the civil war as the government hoped to renew enthusiasm in the severely affected agricultural sector. The government sought to revitalize agriculture in the urban areas following the displacement of the masses to the capital. The national food security programme in Freetown municipal that established survival strategies for the residents and provided food supply to the capital evidences this. This created employment for the displaced persons while urban and peri-urban farming registered enormous growth (Kanu et al., 2009). The country has vast track of fertile lands, a predicable weather pattern, and experienced expertise for the production of various cash crops that can sustain the country’s population. However, the country still maintains a large proportion of land of arable potential uncultivated even after the war. This is largely attributed to the land tenure issues that mar rural Sierra Leone, which stipulate that landowning families and the governance structure hold rural land. In essence, the families play a critical role in custody and administration of the land under their jurisdiction, which in turn influences access, value, and labor (Unruh & Turray, 2006). These are essential attributes in the ensuring abundance for citizens, which have seen the cost of engaging the chieftaincy structures escalate at the expense of food security. For this reasons, the government sought to maintain the authority of paramount chiefs in efforts to decrease risks associated with food shocks and food shortages. This serves to cushion against possibly food insecurity since the community is in control of the land while making available a proportion of the same for the landless. In light of this, the land tenure approach is seen to work for and against the achievement of total food security. While the community is assured of agricultural produce, they miss the opportunity to expand their operations to mass production through loans and incentives. Post-war Sierra Leone’s food security policies provide key areas of focus during the recovery of the country, highlighting issues that require immediate address and reconstitution. The Poverty Alleviation Strategy Paper is strongly linked to the development of major installations that are critical to a recovering economy. The policy established a comprehensive development roadmap that has its pillars linked to equitable governance, sustainable growth, and enhancing human development. Such pillars support the food security programme directly or indirectly as they highlight the role of agriculture in alleviation of poverty. The food security policy in Sierra Leone revolves around revolutionizing agricultural practice of the citizens through intensive lobbying for the adoption of modern techniques. Agricultural intensification involves the advocacy for fertilizers, pesticides among other ideal modern practices that are geared towards maximizing yields (Alieu, 2005). Consequently, high productivity and efficiency is realized through the incorporation of agricultural machinery, which ensures good returns for the farmers. The food security policy also encompasses crop diversification to provide a shift from the country’s staple food and promote the cultivation of a variety of foods. Rice, as Sierra Leone’s staple food, enjoys enormous government support at all levels of its production and marketing. However, there exists the need to diverge into other agricultural commodities such as maize, cassava, and vegetables for local consumption and exports while in excess. Such diversification provides alternatives should one crop generate poor yields or fail. Moreover, the Country holds the potential of producing a wide variety of agricultural products such as cocoa, coffee, palm oil, and ginger. The policy on food security encourages the conservation of natural resources, particularly water catchment areas in order to maximize the use of water in agricultural production. Not only is the move environmental friendly, but also ensures that positive strides towards realizing food security. This follows the availability of water for the purposes of irrigation during the lean season where residents also enjoy clean and sufficient water for domestic use. Moreover, conservation of water catchment areas is in line with diversification as this supports the rearing of fresh water fish. This is facilitated by national and international non-governmental organizations whose programs are geared towards facilitating the reconstruction of the country. The above strategies were established in 2002 soon after the end of the civil war and they are credited for improving the country’s agricultural status. Agriculture ranks first as the main contributor to the national GDP a factor as a majority of the population is involved in subsistent farming. However, much remains to be done following a report published by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) in 2010, indicating a high prevalence of food insecurity the country. According to FAO, food insecurity affects close to 2.6 million people representing about 45%, which is a significant proportion of the country’s population (Hart et al., 2011). These estimates are based on food consumption that indicated poor households among the worst hit. The report also revealed that food insecurity was not evenly distributed across the country, but heavily concentrated in the rural areas. The insecurity also varies across various administrative districts with urban areas recording lower proportions of insecurities. Therefore, it is evident that the country has transformed its agricultural sector that accounts for more than 50% of the GDP within a short period. Consequently, functional policies and international backing can be credited for this success considering the ruins the country was during the civil war. References Alieu, E. (2005). Policies and strategies for promoting food security in Sierra Leone with special reference to rice. Retrieved from http://www.warda.cgiar.org/workshop/RicePolicy/Alieu/Alieu.E.Sub%20Sierra%20Leonne.Paper.pdf Hart, W. et al. (2011). The state of food security and nutrition in Sierra Leone 2011. World Food Programme. Retrieved from http://documents.wfp.org/stellent/groups/public/documents/ena/wfp250158.pdf Kanu, S. et al. (2009). promoting urban agriculture in post-conflict greater free town area, Sierra Leone. Retrieved from http://www.ruaf.org/sites/default/files/UAM21%20p.19-21.pdf Unruh, J., & Turray, H. (2006). Land tenure, food security, and investment in post-war Sierra Leone. Retrieved from ftp://193.43.36.93/docrep/fao/009/ah243e/ah243e00.pdf WHO ? World Health Organization. (n.d.) Trade, foreign policy, diplomacy and health: Food security. Retrieved from http://www.who.int/trade/glossary/story028/en/ Read More