Famine as a Worlds Disaster - Report Example

To What Extent Can Famine Be Prevented College: Introduction Famine is a world’s disaster, and its impacts are ever increasing on a global perspective (Curtis, Hubbard & Shepherd, 1998). The world’s humanitarian movements have shifted their attentions to sensitize and mobilize people on the best proactive practices aimed at reducing the daunting challenges attached to famine. Economic stagnation amongst the various African countries is strong as a result of famine. Gross domestic products of the developing countries have portrayed diminishing trends resulting from this menace (Curtis, Hubbard & Shepherd, 1998). The famine effects are ranging from disease facilitation to death amongst the world’s population. Various sectorial developments cannot be effected as many funds are being shifted towards poverty reduction. Developing countries majorly hang on the Agricultural sector as for food production. On the other hand, agricultural production in developing countries has continuously being dealt a blow based on the traditional and subsistence practices (Curtis, Hubbard & Shepherd, 1998). Irrigation has proven difficult as countries are impoverished and cannot afford the initial capital needed for installation of such expensive projects. Drought and climatic changes amongst the development countries have severely affected the agricultural produce. The governments cannot cater for their people based on the based on the rapid growth rates featuring in developing countries. Unemployment rates have escalated increasing the dependency ratio. High fertility rates accounts for the ever growing population in developing countries (Ben, 1997). Despite the rapid growth rate, there are no counteractive frameworks designed in the LDCs to produce food for the new number of influx. Many people in the developing countries are only subsistence farmers besides engagement in Small Business Enterprises. These businesses and small-scale farming cannot meet the ever increasing demands attached to growing population. Besides the subsistence farming, many individuals still sell their produce in order to obtain other necessities leaving behind what cannot feed them. These practices had just resulted into severe pain and suffering amongst the large population in Africa (Curtis, Hubbard & Shepherd, 1998). There is, therefore, an urgent need to try and not to stop at nothing but to develop proactive mechanisms. These mechanisms include actions such as incentives, subsidies as well grand and donations amongst the LDCs Agricultural and industrial sectors to increase the productivities. Body To start with, two serious approaches to prevention particularly in African countries have been proposed. One is the attention towards debt reduction and increased export in African nations aimed at mitigating the balance of payment deficits. African countries operate under debts from the west and other financial institution such as the IMF and World Bank (Curtis, Hubbard & Shepherd, 1998). The revenues collected in the respective countries cannot be domestically used to alleviate poverty as they are spent in paying loans (Ben, 1997). The loan repayment has in essence led to overdependence amongst the African countries particularly to the west as the population controls are far from being implemented hence fertility rises at an alarming rate. The previous grants and funds that were diverted to rural development have thus been shifted to other activities of to weed out the BOP deficits. In order to curb the massive effects of Famine particularly in Arid and Semi-Arid areas, rural development has to be prioritized despite as it put it emphasizes on asset creation (Curtis, Hubbard & Shepherd, 1998). Dissenting arguments may arise that rural development has only led to minimal finance creation in the short run, but it is an evaluation has presented more pros than cons towards effective famine prevention. The efforts and focus should never be on income generation but sustaining the ‘livelihoods. ‘This strategy should be accompanied by increased mobilization and sensitizing on the need to boost productive assets, food, cash and intensive security against impoverishment (Curtis, Hubbard & Shepherd, 1998). On the hand, short term proactive emergency actions can be employed to curb the spread of famine. Famine proactive and short-term administrative strategies experience and knowledge is available with respect to India, Botswana and Bangladesh. The three countries have been rated successfully about famine prevention in over the past few years. Despite the inability to totally and hastily curb the overarching vulnerability of the masses, Indian administrative strategies model has created a positive impact in the nation (Dreze & Sen, 1989). However, it is worth noting that these strategies might not necessarily be applied in permanent famine prevention in African countries. The underlying factor in famine prevention is the ability to uncover the causes of the menace. The vulnerability associated with the impacts of famine has closely been attached to long-term causes resulting from the instability of household income or loss. In order to curtail the spread of income resulting from loss or instability of income amongst the developing countries, self-reliance or employment should be encouraged (Dreze & Sen, 1989). This strategy has advantages as it helps curb the cases of loss of income resulting from retrenchment or retirement. Some loss of employment is attached to seasonality of demand and hence fuels the massive lay-off employees. When this occurs, the resulting impact a double-digit growth in famine and hunger as it leads to increased dependency ratios (Ben, 1997). With increased self-employment, from such cases of increased entrepreneurial funding and skills, the masses will be able to get access to cash that present avenues for the maintenance of their livelihoods. This can also be done in the agricultural sector. Whereby, incentives such as free fertilizer, chemicals and seeds and irrigations schemes are issued accompanied by proper trainings amongst both subsistence and large-scale farmers to ensure increased agricultural food production (Curtis, Hubbard & Shepherd, 1998). In doing so, causes of income loss and fluctuations are proactively curtailed. The result will be an increased food production in the African countries, and this will help maintain the BOP and reductions in government debts and hence economic development. Another severe cause and daunting challenge leading to famine is the Environmental Degradation. This disaster has in most cases negatively impacted pastoralist communities besides agricultural activities in Arid and Semi-Arid areas in the African Countries. Notably, Western Southern Africa, Horn and Sahel areas have severely been affected by the long-term effects of environmental degradations (Kent, 1984). The risk of famine has fueled in these areas with respect to the daunting challenges it presents to agricultural and livestock production. The menace has led to increased drought in these areas rendering any activity stagnant. Therefore, mobilization and sensitizing of people against the environmental degradation is inevitable for any successful famine prevention. Besides a mere sensitization, legislative measures followed by punitive penalties against human environmental pollution activities such as deforestation and wrong cultivation practices should be enacted and immediately implemented. However, despite efforts and measures, industrial effluents have caused serious externalities as based on the negligence of the industries (Ben, 1997). Such industries must proactively purchase the property rights so as to compensate people for the damages caused both on land and waters. The chemical released from the industries percolates into the soil and changes the required pH, and this has an effect on the agricultural production. Farmers thus have to spend scarce funds they have to reclaim such lands for any sound harvest. This has led to the reduction of the crop and animal produce and hence has led to persistent and severe hunger. In addition, social changes have also caused long-term famine in the African countries. The ever increasing assetlessness featuring in African countries has facilitated to the spread and impacts of famine (Dreze & Sen, 1989). Many people in the rural areas have no homes and lands to use for any reasonable production purpose both in terms of agriculture and other significant and profitable income generating activities. This assetlessness leads to increased dependency rates and thus a reduction in the per capita income. With increased and uncontrolled population growth rates in the African countries, alleviating poverty is unavoidability (Kent, 1984). The respective African government must act as the pacemakers and pacesetters in ensuring the people are resettled and given initial grants to start profitable and sustainable enterprises or agricultural cultivation (Dreze & Sen, 1989). This will ensure less dependency which multiplies the GDP and hence re-diverting such revenues to another sectorial development to curb the famine. Without urgent and immediate designing of proactive strategies to curb population growth rates through use of contraceptives and sanitizing people on the importance and fashionable small family sizes, African famine and hunger will ever escalate (Kent, 1984). It should be even enacted within the laws of the land on the maximum number of children one is required to have. Traditional traditions and cultures amongst the African countries that attach many children to the source of securities should be reversed either through legislation or sensitizing. Another daunting challenge is with respect to ownership of African land. The more productive lands are in the hands of the rich with poor having less fertile and small pieces of land (Kent, 1984). These lands owned by the rich lie bear with no productive activities undertaken that would otherwise be used agriculturally for food production (Ben, 1997). The ownership of African lands should be reversed in order to avail these lands to productive and energetic less fortunate poor people that can turn them in productive agricultural activities (Kent, 1984). Strict legislation against these rich individuals who own land without any productive activities should be pressured to use the lands for agricultural production or forced legally to surrender them. Such legislation should categorically state the maximum acreage of lands an individual should own so as to ensure proper resettlement of the masses that use land to generate food and income hence sustained permanent livelihood (Ben, 1997). Conclusion In conclusion, famine is globally recognized as a global daunting disaster. The prevention of famine is a win-win scenario amongst the rich and the poor. The rich who own massive tract of land leading to landlessness accompanied by less agricultural productivities should be forced to avail these lands (Kent, 1984). Land ownership in African is directly linked to increased and rampant cases of famine in Africa. The respective African government should venture in to intensive Research and Development process to uncover sound strategies to be implemented to curb the famine. The traditional notion of relieving famine in the short run and subsequently forgetting to design and implement proactive and long-term famine prevention needs to be curved. African lands are known for soil fertility and agriculture industry forms the bedrock for the food supply. Due to fluctuations in food production has led to instability of commodity prices leading to intensive and harmful inflations (Dreze & Sen, 1989). The government famine-prevention administration must be clearly outlined and operated with a lot of attention. Such strategies must ensure that inflation is checked and brought underfoot so as to help people acquire the necessities. Calling in of debts should properly be executed, and proper labor legislation is made and strictly followed to mitigate problems of famine. The relief failure should be boosted based on proper evidence-based research so as to curb and avail long term famine prevention. Reference Ben Fine (1997). Entitlement failure? (Pages 617-647) Curtis, D., Hubbard, M. & Shepherd, A. (1998). Preventing famine, politics and Prospects for Africa, Part 2, Routledge. Dreze & Sen (1989). Hunger and public Action, part 2 Kent, B. (1984). The political economy of hunger, part2, Read More