Food Issue in Eritrea - Essay Example

Food in Eritrea Introduction Food insecurity has become a major societal dilemma in the contemporary world, as scores of people continue to lose their lives as a result of extreme hunger. This has been known to be a result of poor environmental management in our societies, which has caused imbalances in the atmosphere leading to situations such as global warming and climate change (Shaw, 2010). Consequently, the rains have become unpredictable such that unexpected droughts are being experienced in times which traditionally are known to be characterized by rainfall. It is estimated that more than 800 million people throughout the world are in dire need of food to deliver them from extreme hunger whereas more than 17000 deaths are being recorded on daily basis (Shaw, 2010). This essay is a critical evaluation of food security in Eritrea. Food Security in Eritrea Eritrea is a sovereign state, which has been faced with numerous cases of conflict within itself and with its neighbours, especially Ethiopia, due to border demarcation issues, a factor which has resulted to internal displacement of people. Reports indicate that more than 10000 out of the original 70000 internally displaced persons still live in temporary camps, waiting to be resettled by the government (Tesfa, 2008). Apparently, this has been one of the major factors contributing to food shortages due to the fact that these people have no cultivatable land as the war pushed them out of their homes and as such, they can only depend on aid from well wishers and the government. It is estimated that more than 2 million people are affected by food insecurity, translating to approximately 40% of the total population (Tesfa, 2008). The fight for freedom, which lasted for approximately 30 years, left the country in a state of destruction especially in the agricultural sector. This is due to the fact that most of the lands which could be used for farming are littered with unexploded ordinances, which pose a security hazard to the farmers (Rena, 2007). In this context, any person trying to cultivate in these lands risks the possibility of triggering the explosion of land mines, which were buried during the war, but failed to explode. Tensions that continue to exist between Ethiopia and Eritrea have contributed to more installation of these landmines as a defensive mechanism at the expense of the farming communities (Zwi, 2005). The temporary security zone, which is considered to have been the most productive agricultural land measuring approximately 25km2 remains unutilized as a result of these landmines, which have kept away more than 50000 inhabitants, who were displaced by the war, regardless of the fact that no more fighting takes place in this area (Zwi, 2005). With these developments, food production is deemed to remain low and as such, more people will continue to be affected by extreme hunger. This is also due to the fact that the government has continued to spend a lot of the already scarce resources to finance and facilitate the war with Ethiopia. For instance, it is estimated that more than 300 000 men and women are serving in the army instead of letting them engage in farming activities (Gebre, 2009). Human resource in the agricultural sector is a crucial necessity since activities such as cultivation, planting, and weeding as well as harvesting among others requires to be done in order to guarantee quality harvest. In Eritrea, this has not been the case as it has been observed that there have been limited human resources hence high labour costs. As earlier stated, poor diplomatic relations between the country and its neighbours, i.e. Ethiopia and Sudan, have led to the closure of the respective borders. This means that no movement is allowed in and from the country, which has continued to impact the economy negatively. It is true to say that if this was not the case, citizens of these nations would have had a chance to interact economically through trading in imports and exports thereby increasing the amount of foreign exchange as well as revenue collected from taxation on imports. Before the closure of these borders, reports indicate that Eritrea used to access markets in the two countries, which are more stabilized in terms of food security, and the food imported supplemented the country with approximately one third of its demand (Zwi, 2005). In addition, majority of pastoralists, who at that time contributed significantly to agricultural development, have been denied the chance to exploit grazing lands thereby losing their livestock to drought and famine. Apparently, the pastoralists used to cross the borders in search of pasture depending on the rainfall patterns. Now these people have no source of livelihood and therefore, they have added an extra burden to the government and to the worsening of food insecurity. Good infrastructure is important in linking areas of production to the markets. Eritrea’s infrastructure i.e. precisely roads, are in a dilapidated state owing to the lack of funds to develop new roads and also to maintain existing ones. However, the major cause of poor infrastructure can be attributed to war especially due to the usage of heavy fighting equipment such as landmines, which leave huge depressions on the surface after explosion, making it difficult and expensive for vehicles to drive on. It is important to note that transport is an expense in business and therefore, when its cost rises, especially considering the ever increasing fuel prices, then, the commodity prices also rise meaning that the consumer will be the one to dig deeper from his or her pockets. In a country where the income per capita is less than $400, it means that any increase in food prices is a recipe for more impoverishment of the common citizens. It may be important to note that Eritrea is considered to be among the poorest countries in the world, stationed at 165th position out of possible 175 countries in the 2009 Human Development Index, with more than 60% of population living below poverty line, which is according to the World Bank Group (2009). It is also important to note that farming in this country depends highly on rainfall (Tesfa, 2008). The world we are living in currently has been affected heavily by lack of rainfall, with environmentalists blaming this on numerous human activities, which have contributed to environmental degradation thereby resulting to climate change and global warming. In such circumstances, especially with regard to Eritrea which has vast arable lands but with little amounts of rainfall, irrigation schemes could be the only viable solution to increase food production. The country is blessed with numerous rivers such as Anseba, Gash, Barka, Tekeze and Mereb among others, which could be dammed to provide water for irrigation instead of letting more than 90% of their waters to flow into the sea and lakes in the adjacent countries. It would be important to point out that if a country such as Egypt, which is perceived to be a desert, has managed to utilize waters of the river Nile maximally to sustain its food demand, then Eritrea can also do the same for its citizens (Rena, 2007). What the country needs to do is only to concentrate and allocate sufficient resources towards such projects. The government can also request for financial assistance from the international community to assist in the sinking of wells and boreholes at strategic points so as to assist both the crop farmers and pastoralists. Having established that there is need to assist the country with humanitarian aid, the international community through various organizations have responded positively to support the Eritreans. For example, the European Union through the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has responded by granting funds amounting to 3.4 million Euros aimed at facilitating poor families with drought resistant seeds. However, not everyone will benefit from this fund as it is estimated that out of the total population of 5 million people, only 61000 are expected to fit in this plan. The organization has given priority to vulnerable groups such as female headed households, IDPs and those who are highly affected by drought (FAO, 2011). Central Emergency Response Fund which is a UN initiative has also contributed aid worth more than $750000 to enhance poultry rearing. Poultry farmers will be supplied with inputs such as chicken feed, beginning stock for those starting from scratch as well as logistics among others, with an ultimate goal of ensuring that local demand for poultry products is satisfied so as to reduce importation. The Technical Cooperation Programme overseen by FAO has also contributed significantly towards potato farming whereby more than 1000 families have been supplied with seeds as well as technical assistance to enable them participate in bridging the gap between the demand and supply of potatoes in Eritrea (FAO, 2011). The government has also embarked on an exercise to construct dams and ponds in regions such as Denghel, which is considered to be a highly populated area. According to reports, more than 15 dams have been constructed at a tune of more than 70 million Nakfa. The southern region of the country is said to have a total of 134 dams though in small sizes as well as 254 water reservoirs (Tesfa, 2008). However, it is notable that more efforts are to be made in this context to ensure that all the other regions, which may not be having rivers to dam, are also taken care of in a quick and timely manner. The government as well as other stakeholders are doing a good job despite the fact that funding from donors has been in the past delayed thereby dragging the process. Conclusion Eritrea is one of the third world countries, which has continued to experience food insecurity despite having achieved self governance from Ethiopia mainly due to war, which has interfered with their farming activities. The government has also contributed significantly to the problem by utilizing the youth and able bodied men in military operations instead of allowing them to participate in farming activities. Poor diplomatic relations with neighbours has led to closure of borders such that pastoralists can no longer sustain cattle keeping. Land mines have also contributed to wastage of large chunks of cultivatable land as farmers fear for their security. The response has been good but ineffective in solving food crises. Non governmental organizations have been facilitating farmers with incentives while the government has been building dams and water reservoirs but if this is not done equitably, some regions will continue to face food shortages. Bibliography FAO (2011). ‘FAO Initiative on Soaring Food Prices,’ [Online] Available at: (Accessed: 11 march 2011) Gebre, J. (2009). Peasants and Nationalism in Eritrea: A Critique of Ethiopian Studies, the Red Sea Press Inc. Rena, R. (2007). Agriculture Development and Food Security Policy in Eritrea. African Journal of Food Agriculture, Nutrition and Development. 7 (5) August, pp.1-17. Shaw, D. (2010). World Food Security, Palgrave Macmillan Tesfa, G. (2008). Beyond Survival: The Economic Challenges of Agriculture and Development in Post- Independence Eritrea, the Red Sea Press Inc. The World Bank (2011). ‘Eritrea: Country Brief,’ [Online] Available at: (Accessed: 11 March 2011) Zwi, A. (2005). War and Hunger: Rethinking International Responses to Complex Emergencies, Zed Books Read More