1 min
"Next season will surely be better for the farmers". I know in one way or the other, you have heard someone say the above statement to encourage the farmers or to renew their hope. Could you remember what happened the subsequent season after the statement? Was it really better?
Since 2009 I started working with farmers, I have heard different people make this statement without any tangible result as promised because most times, there is no action to backup their words or promises. It is a mere giving up on fate, thinking fate would change things automatically. It doesn't work like that. Sadly, the situation now is out of hand, where farmers are faced with multifaceted challenges that require multifaceted approaches. Worse still, there is still no feasible plan to address food insecurity (Food inflation is all time high: More than 40% and still increasing). A mere wishful thinking cannot take us out of this quagmire. We need help and it has to come from us!!!
First, we need to admit that we are in a serious food crisis (this is no longer a rumour but our everyday reality). Secondly, identifying the causes of our challenges (insecurity, epileptic rainfall pattern, high cost of inputs etc), highlights our quick wins (what can be done immediately or within a short time), medium and long terms. In the short term, inputs (specific inputs such as seeds, agrochemicals, insurance package and fertilizer are recommended) and specific food crops to be harvested need to be subsidized to help reduce the impact of the harsh economy. Other measures could be applied.
As I always maintain, we cannot play politics with food, food is a fundamental right of every person to access. So, we need enough food for our growing population. Furthermore, We have already had extensive consultations to know the elephant in the room and we are being confronted by it every time. So, let us stand, face it and act NOW. Hope is good but it is not enough to change a situation, we need to act, act and act. Let us see proof beyond any reasonable doubt, enough of the talk because hunger is not a respecter of persons.
Yours-in-Service
Babatunde
First, we need to admit that we are in a serious food crisis (this is no longer a rumour but our everyday reality). Secondly, identifying the causes of our challenges (insecurity, epileptic rainfall pattern, high cost of inputs etc), highlights our quick wins (what can be done immediately or within a short time), medium and long terms. In the short term, inputs (specific inputs such as seeds, agrochemicals, insurance package and fertilizer are recommended) and specific food crops to be harvested need to be subsidized to help reduce the impact of the harsh economy. Other measures could be applied.
As I always maintain, we cannot play politics with food, food is a fundamental right of every person to access. So, we need enough food for our growing population. Furthermore, We have already had extensive consultations to know the elephant in the room and we are being confronted by it every time. So, let us stand, face it and act NOW. Hope is good but it is not enough to change a situation, we need to act, act and act. Let us see proof beyond any reasonable doubt, enough of the talk because hunger is not a respecter of persons.
Yours-in-Service
Babatunde
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