Food Safety and Fighting Malnutrition in Africa - Case Study Example

An Analysis and Critique of a Development Project-The Africa Biofortified Sorghum Project Consortium: Food Safety and Fighting Malnutrition in AfricaIntroduction The Africa Biofortified Sorghum Project Consortium is a development project is managed by an international non-profit organization, known as the Africa Harvest Biotech Foundation International. The international non-profit organization is also known as the Africa Harvest. The main objective behind taking the project is to develop the African nation in terms of granting an environment of food security. It also aims at providing sustainable means for the development of rural Africa and in promoting an all round economic development. The project team observes that African population suffers from effect of malnutrition with lesser availability of vitamins and other food nutrients. To this end, the project aims at reducing the effects of malnutrition through the harvesting of a nutritionally developed Sorghum consumed as a staple food in many parts of Africa such as Ethiopia and Sudan. (Mastandrea, 2009, p.111) About the Project The Africa Biofortified Sorghum Project Consortium taken by the international voluntary organization serves to fulfill certain stated objectives. It aims at rendering access to technology for the development of nutritional Sorghum needed to combat malnutrition in Africa. The project analyses the efficacy and feasibility of the technology initiated for sorghum development. To the end the project undertaken aims at gaining America’s help for technological transfer in order to grow nutritionally developed Sorghum in the African soil. The project aims at building the technological capacity of the African scientists by helping in the visits of scientists from other countries. This visiting group of scientists would work in laboratories on development of the nutritional base of Sorghum. Further, the visiting scientists would also provide needed technological and project management training to the African scientists. The project so undertaken to be effective needs wide public acceptance. Thus, the project aims at involving professionals from the field of communications who can help in integrating their efforts for the promotion of the project to the masses. Further, the project aims at encouraging stakeholder involvement in its activities by letting them have an access to needed information through facility centers and conducting of workshops. The Africa Biofortified Sorghum Project Consortium aims to operate in observance to the functioning of other developmental projects like Golden Rise and Cassava taken in the African soil. Addressing the key areas and benefits accruing from undertaking the project by focusing on Intellectual Property Rights, Bio mass development and Food security entails to be a key objective of the project. (Anderson & Danforth, 2008) The Africa Biofortified Sorghum Project Consortium lays emphasis on providing access of the poor African population to specially developed nutritious Sorghum seeds. In this manner, the project aims at the development of the rural African population residing in remote areas that do not have access to processed and nutritious food products. The project by the help of the previously mentioned activities aims at the development of the agricultural product base in Africa. Representation of local scientific bodies is also sought to gain total encouragement as regards to the project aims. (Mastandrea, 2009, p.111) The objectives of the project thus underlined needs to be compared with the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals for judging its efficacy. It is observed that the first goal of the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) center on alleviating Hunger and Poverty of the masses. It endeavors to reduce the strength of population by a half who dwells in meager conditions. Poor population is targeted by the Millennium Development Goals as to those masses whose per day income constitutes less than $1. Secondly, the Millennium Development Goals also target in reducing the population stickled with hunger by a half. The objectives of the Millennium Development Goals also encourage global collaboration for the development of the developing nations such as Africa. (The Millennium Development Goals are the central development objectives of the Millennium agenda, 2000). In the light of the stated objectives of the Millennium Development Goals, it is found that the Africa Biofortified Sorghum Project Consortium also aims at reducing hunger and malnutrition through providing access to the poor farmers in harvesting developed sorghum seeds. Further, the Africa Biofortified Sorghum Project Consortium also calls for global cooperation to this effect by welcoming visiting scientists from developed nations to train and develop the scientific capabilities of Africa. (Mastandrea, 2009) The Africa Biofortified Sorghum Project Consortium is observed to spread across 33 countries. It is also one of the 43 projects that were funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Africa Harvest, the international body taking the Africa Biofortified Sorghum Project Consortium has devised separate fund raising strategies. Various other developmental agencies like the Tissue Culture Banana, Clonal Tree Technology and the Africa Biofortified Sorghum helps the implementation of the Africa Biofortified Sorghum Project Consortium. These developmental agencies act like donors and set aside funds for rendering help in implementing the Africa Harvest’s project. In about a period of three to five years, the accumulated project fund amounts to $0.65 to $17.5 million. This fund thus created will be spent depending on a budget framed by the mutual consideration of the donor agencies and Africa Harvest. Thus, this strategy aims at the optimal utilization of the accumulated fund. In regards to spending on the indirect cost for implementing the project, Africa Harvest has set a policy objective of charging 20 percent in regards to Overhead Cost. Africa Harvest takes the help of other firms engaging them into partnerships for the effective distribution of developed seeds in the hands of the poor farmers. The partnership also focuses on rendering access to the farmers to market the excess production of the developed sorghum plants. Africa Harvest by engaging other firms into partnership activities targets to yield profits, which are treated as subsidiary funds to be use for further developmental activities. (Horizon 2010, 2010, pp. 32, 35,37-38) The Africa Biofortified Sorghum Project Consortium targets the development the human resource base of the African continent by engaging then in agri-business activities. Agri-business activities constitute marketing of the increased produce of sorghum crop. Further, in addition to reduction of malnutrition of the African population the project helps in enhancing technological and entrepreneurial skills of the people. The project by supporting the cause of a regulatory body known as the National Biosafety Regulatory Agency (NBRA) for the steady implementation of Genetically Modified crops project has encouraged government ownership over the project. Harvest Africa’s project has also significantly encouraged the African entrepreneurs to explore newer business dimensions. Innovations that offer harvesting genetically modified crops to manufacturing wine and dried fruits have help trigger entrepreneurial moves. Thus, Harvest Africa has developed not only the human population but also has cared for government guidelines in regards to harvesting genetically modified crops. It also helped in making African entrepreneurs more innovative in their service offerings. (Horizon 2010, 2010, p.19). Analysis Africa has been greatly affected by factors like Hunger and Malnutrition for a long time since 1960. In 1980, around 150 million African populations were affected owing to the above factors. Vitamin, Protein and Iron deficiencies affect the African population making them amenable to diseases like AIDS, Malaria, Diarrhea and Anemia to name a few. To this end, the Africa Biofortified Sorghum Project Consortium targets to provide around 300 million African populations with genetically modified sorghum seeds. Sorghum, the principal food of the rural African base is observed to be less nutritious and not easily digestible. However, the project aims at producing vitamin and protein enriched sorghum plants, which will help them in combating with the disease. (Africa Harvest helping Africa fight hunger and malnutrition with biofortified sorghum, N.D.) The population of Africa increase at a rate of 3.5 percent every year while food production is observed to grow at the rate of 2 percent. This entails one of the serious constraints in the African continent leading to famine. Moreover, the farmers are found to possess small tracts of land with low infrastructural and funding facilities. (Horizon 2010, 2010, p.12). The fund rose through the donor agencies are optimally used in accordance to the budget planned by the cooperation of Harvest Africa and the donor agencies. In that, it is observed that 15 percent of the fund raised is spent on training and capacity building exercises. The maximum of the fund around 70 percent is used for purposes of project implementation and development expenditures. Further, for addressing administration expenses 10 percent of the accumulated fund is allocated. The remaining 5 percent of the accumulated fund is set-aside for contingency purposes. (Horizon 2010, 2010, p.37) (Horizon 2010, 2010. p-37). The above fact clearly reflects that the fund collected from the several donor agencies help in meeting the objectives for the project undertaken. The project attains sustainability through the active involvement of the Technology Development Team helping in producing the developed sorghum seeds. The Product Development Team of the project helps in conducting spontaneous research on the development of genetically modified sorghum seeds in the semi-arid regions of rural Africa. The project attains sustainability owing to the cooperation of the two teams along with the third team focusing on regulatory matters thus creating a liaison with government policy guidelines. (Manstandrea, 2009, pp.112-113) The project in context is replicable if similar other voluntary organizations take the initiative in promoting economic development of the African nation in terms of rendering proper food and dwelling conditions. Conclusion The Africa Biofortified Sorghum Project Consortium undertaken by an international voluntary organization, Harvest Africa helps in addressing the strategic issues of malnutrition in Africa, which claims many lives. Rural Africa, which is strikingly poor, turns out to be an isolated faction with low nutrition food supplements left for subsistence. Sorghum, which is the food resource of this rural population, is not enough to nourish the population. It is in this light that the project helps in meeting its said objective of rendering developed sorghum seeds rich with nutrients to cater to the ill-nourished rural population of Africa. 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(2009), “Case Studies for Global Health”. Retrieved on October 19, 2010 from: http://www.casestudiesforglobalhealth.org/case_study_PDFs/GHCS_17_Sorghum.pdf 5. “The Millennium Development Goals are the central development objectives of the Millennium agenda”, (2000), UNICEF. Retrieved on October 19, 2010 from: http://www.unmillenniumproject.org/goals/gti.htm Read More