Global hunger - the Minnesota connection

Brilliant analysis, by Allen Levine, on why the famine and drought in the Horn of Africa is part of the global food crisis. And what we can do about it. He is the dean of the College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences at the University of Minnesota and is director of the Minnesota Obesity Center.

An excerpt: (to read article in its entirety click on title above):

But by making some reasonable — in other words, nonideological — policy changes, we can help mitigate this looming potential disaster. Here are five ways I believe we can reach the goal of sustainably feeding everyone:

  1. Support funding of agricultural research and development.
    Such work will boost the productivity of farms in the United States. The resulting technologies and practices can be transferred to developing countries, along with exported food.
  2. Be vigilant about the effects of climate change, disease and drought, and be prepared to work on a global level to mitigate them before they reach crisis levels.

  3. Accelerate the shift toward second- and third-generation biofuels such as algae and cellulosic material.
    When commodity prices reach record highs, as they did in 2008 and may do again this year, food prices go up, here and around the world. This year, for the first time, more corn will be needed for making fuel than for feeding animals, according to the USDA’s forecasting agency. 
    That’s simply not sustainable.
  4. Concentrate efforts on small-scale farmers, particularly those in sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia, where many of the world’s poorest people reside and where much of the population growth will happen.

  5. Recognize that simply having enough food isn’t enough.
    The World Hunger Organization reports that global agriculture currently produces enough food to theoretically give every person about 2,700 calories per day, which is more than enough to survive — if you set aside questions of access and pricing.

    So we have to ask the hard questions about what people eat.

Today’s Reading: Don’t forget Djibouti, HRW report on Somalia

As the drought and famine crisis in East Africa worsens, we’re learning some frustrating details about why aid isn’t getting into the hands of those who need it most. 

Human Rights Watch released a chilling report on abuses on civilians by al-Shabaab, the Somali Transitional Government (TFG), the African Union forces, as well as Kenya- and Ethiopia-backed Somali militias. These violations continue to fuel the humanitarian catastrophe in Somalia, and violators represent both internationally-recognized authorities and oppositional groups. While blame has been placed on al-Shabaab, the international community has largely turned a blind eye to the TFG, African Union, and others. We believe that all human rights violators in Somalia — regardless of affiliation and status — must be placed under scrutiny and held accountable for their actions. In the end, regardless of who the perpetrator is, the experience of abuse is the same and the identity of the violator does nothing to ease the trauma of their horrific actions. Read more about the abuses, restrictions to humanitarian aid, and recommendations. 

Djibouti has received little attention in the press, yet it is also one of the East African countries badly hit by the drought. The Guardian reports that this small country is experiencing four consecutive years of drought resulting in loss of livestock and skyrocketing food prices. 

Finally, what are some of the causes of drought and why are some areas hit harder than others? And as Al Jazeera put aptly, “is the reason weather or war?” Watch this episode of Inside Story for some answers. 

Aid to Somalia Fraught with Legal Uncertainty and Bureaucratic Tangles

InterAction, an organization bringing together several non-profit aid groups, sees the potential for legal risk stemming from possible payments, fees, and consultations that al-Shabab may demand in order for the groups to carry out their work. “The realities are, that it is very likely… that these types of interactions will occur,” said Eric Johnson, associate general counsel of CARE USA, a humanitarian organization that fights global poverty, in a teleconference this week.

In the teleconference, and in a separate phone interview, Johnson stressed that the NGOs do no want to violate U.S. law and that they need more legal assurance than they currently have in order to program relief efforts. For that reason, InterAction is petitioning the U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) for a general license that would give them wider latitude to conduct operations in southern and western Somalia. 

Without further guarantees, these NGOs say, they cannot tap the coffers of foundations and corporations. “Money from private sources and European donors is not covered by the [current] provisions,” Johnson said.

The aid situation in Somalia, a country that has been without a stable government for 20 years, stands in sharp contrast to Haiti, which received a flood of corporate aid donations after the devastating January 2010 earthquake.  

Click through title to read article in its entirety. 

Famine Awareness Rally| SATURDAY, AUGUST 27th | 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Our request for a permit to rally at the State Capitol in St. Paul has been approved!

SATURDAY, AUGUST 27th | 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

We will meet at the south steps of the State Capitol Building
75 Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. in St. Paul.

The following are our goals for the rally:

  • Raise awareness on the humanitarian crisis 
  • Lobby the State Department via Congress to remove aid restrictions especially those that specifically bar non-profits from working in specific regions in Somalia 
  • Speak out against aid being used as a weapon to squash political opposition in parts of East Africa.
  • Depoliticize food: the drought and food crisis in East Africa is a global food security issue 
  • Aid with dignity: we are anti-poverty porn and we urge the media and aid agencies to respect the women, men and children affected by the famine and drought. 
  • Sustainable aid models: even as we give aid, let us support aid organizations that don’t hinder the growth of local economies

We have created a static page here—-> St. Paul, Awareness Rally

Minnesota’s response to famine different for Somalia in 2011, Ethiopia in 1984

Daniel Abebe“It pains me that the world is watching as Somalia experiences extreme famine. Is the world watching as a country is wiped out? Why is there no outcry?” Daniel Abebe asks.

Back in 1984, Abebe saw a dramatically different response when famine hit his home country, Ethiopia. Then he was a graduate student in Minnesota, working at the university hospital. Today he’s a university dean at Metropolitan State University. The Daily Planet spoke to him on Minnesota’s responses to famine in Ethiopia in 1984 and in Somalia today.

[…]

Abebe, who headed the local Ethiopian organizing relief committee spoke to churches, schools, universities and Rotary clubs. The  famine, he said, presented itself as a perfect opportunity to “save” Ethiopians.

Commending the Somali diaspora’s fundraising efforts, Abebe urged everyone to get involved: “The Somali diaspora cannot deal with this on their own. They could raise several million dollars among themselves, but this alone will not be enough. We need a global response. This is an opportunity for the world to demonstrate that we care about humanity; and not just about the war of terror.”

Click here to read article in its entirety.

Donating to Drought and Famine Relief in East Africa

According to the United Nations, the Horn of Africa is experiencing its worst drought in 60 years, and nearly 11 million people in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya and Djibouti are in need of life-saving food assistance. For the first time since 1984, the UN has officially declared a famine in the country. Somalia is hit particularly hard due to conflict and response failure. In Somalia alone, 29,000 children under 5 have already died of starvation in last 90 days.
WHAT ARE THE NEEDS?

  • Food: Emergency life-saving food assistance to all the impacted areas.
  • Health: Drought puts millions at critical health risks. Malnourished bodies have weakened immune systems and measles and Cholera outbreaks will claim more lives without intervention.
  • Sustainable solutions: After stabilizing the crisis, the international community must invest in the worst hit areas and support sustainable development.

Donate now: Making a financial contribution is the best way to help, as supplies can be purchased locally at a low cost. Food donations harm local businesses and the high shipping costs makes these contributions inefficient. After evaluating various relief agencies in East Africa based on services delivered, reach, administrative costs, and ability to fill critical gaps, we encourage people to donate to the following organizations. These organizations address a variety of needs efficiently and they each designate at least 89% of contributions to aid.

Volunteer. Contact aid agencies working in East Africa to see how you can volunteer your time and skills.

  • Amoud Foundation | www.amoudfoundation.com
    Operating 12 feeding centers in the worse hit famine areas of Somalia, including: Bay, Bakol, Gedo and Afgoi areas.
  • ARAHA | www.araha.org
    Operating food distributions in the Horn of Africa, and delivering non-food items such as tarps for making shelters, cooking utensils, and other essentials to those displaced. Volunteers wanted. 
  • African Future | www.theafricanfuture.org
    Working with the Global Enrichment Foundation and Hope for Nations to distribute food to individuals and families that have been denied access across the Somali border. Volunteers wanted.
  • Doctors without Borders (MSF) | www.doctorswithoutborders.org
    Operating 3 medical-nutritional programs in Ethiopia and Kenya and 9 programs in south-central Somalia.
  • Mercy Corps | http://www.mercycorps.org/hornofafricahungercrisis
    Mercy Corps teams in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya are responding to the hunger crisis by distributing food and water and expanding critical relief efforts in a way that builds local markets. Mercy Corps is on the ground helping more than one million people in the region survive. 
  • Oxfam | www.oxfam.org/eastafrica
    Has a reputation for supporting sustainable projects that look at long term solutions. Working in Ethiopia, Kenya and Somalia
  • Save Somali Women and Children | http://bit.ly/SaveSomaliWomenChildren
    SSWC is a grantee of the Global Fund For Women, is distributing Nutrition Kits to help mothers fend against the malnutrition and Dignity Kits to provide essential women’s hygiene items, the lack of which poses serious health risks and compromises their dignity.

We have created a static page with the above information —-> What You Can Do.

This is not an exhaustive list. Please comment below with recommendations, and keep checking back for updates.