Feeding Poor Governance
The World Food Programme has just announced a $214-million package aimed at relieving people in 16 countries severely affected by a drastic rise in global food prices. Feeding those in need is both a moral and geo-political necessity—empty stomachs, after all, lead to mass migration, abandoned livelihoods and unrest.
But WFP’s effort is hardly a durable solution.
My friend Alex Perry has an excellent piece on this, and here’s a salient point:
Over time, sustained food aid creates dependence on handouts and shifts focus away from improving agricultural practices to increase local food supplies.
By all means, feed those whose lives hang in the balance. But don’t sleep too much better at night. Without good governance and smart development, starvation will only have been deferred. After the immediate crisis is treated, it’s up to donor nations to practice some tough love and insist on better practices from needy countries.
Tags: Ethiopia
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Reader Comments
Doing the walk not the talk
Dear Sam:
I read your article form your friend's point of view. Guess what? Donor countries are helping to solve the problem directly or indirectly created 'some of them". They create dictators, they create poverty by not listening to even governments who are trying to abolish poverty once and all like my country Ethiopia. The governmentof Ethiopia is telling NGO' to be accountable and transparent then NGOs say No this will damage our "interest" of the country or organisation we represent. What does that mean? How can an organisation asked to be transparet damage any interest of a group? For every $they give they want to immense themselves into internal affairs of a country. If this is the idea of some I say NO THANK YOU!
People know what aid money is doing to them. So please can your friend do us a favour and get facts and figures and let us read him.
Donor Country has to subsidized their farmers there fore needs to give out nearly expired grain or exchange the amount of money from IMF/wb as development.... this the trick with big donor nation
call behind the sen or the catch as they said in the west
nothing really help it is really killing in other words
let that nation become dependent like Same said it
Feeding Poor Governance
Why is the west and westerners seems surprised every time hunger or brutal killings happened in Africa they are the cause of the missery the Ethiopians are facing now, the dictator in Addis Abeba is doing their dirty job.
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