Despite being blessed
with huge natural resources, the African continent is struggling with hunger
and poverty. Ironically, 40 percent of the unused agricultural lands of the
world are in Africa and the peoples of the continent, who cannot produce their
own crops, are not able to benefit from their underground resources or their
lands. This situation has opened the doors to a world of exploitation.
According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and
Development (OECD), food prices will surge by 40 percent in the next 10 years
and will result in an acute food crisis worldwide. The report says the food
expenditure per household is expected to rise by 30 percent. One factor
contributing to this situation is the rapid urbanization of developed countries
replacing arable lands with industrial zones. Developing countries appear to be
oblivious of this fact and are destroying farmable lands. Such practices that
lead to the devastation of world’s valuable natural resources at the hands of
the former colonial powers are described as “agro-imperialism.”
When the dangers of food crisis became apparent, countries
looking for quick fixes began buying or renting agricultural lands in various
African countries. It is estimated that some 47-56 million hectares of
cultivable land have already changed owners through this method. Congo has
reportedly rented 8.1 million hectares, corresponding to one-fourth of its entire
lands. While the area of farmable lands rented by Great Britain in Africa is
equal to the size of Denmark; US, China and Switzerland combined, purchased
lands as big as Moldova.
This practice might at first look like a good idea for
Africa, which needs new revenue sources. But in practice, things are different.
Investor countries rent those areas not for a few years but for much longer
duration like 90 years. They are being exempted from taxes for a long time and
the produce is mostly exported. The portion they set aside for the domestic
market causes a disadvantage in the competition for the African people who
cannot carry out real agriculture and are having difficulty marketing their
produce. In the domestic market, only the investor countries make money while
the value of domestic products dips. For this reason, this practice does
nothing but make the imperialist powers richer, as the Africans get poorer.
Some African countries have laws in place that protect
exploitation of their respective agricultural sectors. For example in Ghana,
the national parliament provides full support to those laws that restrict the
farmers’ abilities to stock and swap seeds. This entails the farmers destroying
seeds of their local products, and being forced to purchase the
genetically-modified seeds provided by western suppliers. It is a known fact
that countries that do not follow this path are pressured to accept it by
western governments through various means.
Dr. Kanayo Nwanze, president of the International Fund for
Agricultural Development (IFAD), stated that: “If we set our sights only on
improving productivity, there is a very real danger that we will grow more food
in Africa without feeding more people.”
Mercia Andrews, of the Trust for Community Outreach and Education
(TCOE) in South Africa, sees this as “another phase of colonialism” and adds
“what we need is … People to people solidarity, not corporate takeover.
The only reason why the world’s resources are not sufficient
although there are enough to feed twice the world population today is
capitalism. If the future policies are based on principles of profit in favor
over human life, global disasters will continue to strike mankind. The only way
to avoid such disasters is to ensure that the spirit of socialist solidarity
prevails. When that happens, the developed countries will work to ensure
development both for themselves and for the countries they are using the lands
of. They will choose to create opportunities to get prosperous together,
instead of trying to further exploit an already impoverished country. They will
teach industry, technology and agriculture to them, use the resources together
and improve the existing conditions through cooperation. In order for this to
emerge, people need to make their voices stronger. Let’s remind one more time
something we have mentioned so many times before: Civilizations will get
stronger not through divisive rivalry and oppression but through sharing.
Adapted from here
http://www.arabnews.com/columns/news/747416
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