Zambia: Govt Must Act to Ameliorate Food Crisis
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The Times of Zambia (Ndola)
EDITORIAL
7 July 2008
Posted to the web 7 July 2008
WE commend the Government for the decision to approve an additional 75,000 tonnes of farming inputs for viable but vulnerable farmers under the food security pack (FSP).
We equally commend the World Food Programme (WFP) Zambia office on its intended pilot programme aimed at enhancing the purchasing power of vulnerable households in view of the rising food prices.
Many warnings have been issued about a looming global food crisis. It is therefore gratifying that the Government has started taking practical steps not only aimed at mitigating the impact but possibly benefitting from the crisis in waiting.
The additional farming inputs will not only boost Zambia's food security but enhance the country's export capacity. Most importantly, the inputs will improve the welfare of disadvantaged female-headed households.
As Deputy Minister of Agriculture and Co-operatives, Daniel Kalenga says in the story that we have carried in today's edition, the Government is already working on a supplementary inputs.
Of course, the provision of vouchers to beneficiaries to use in exchange for food may not be a viable option. This sort of action, though, when accompanied by others like the FSP, should help feed the poor when the crisis strikes. We need a multi-pronged strategy.
In the wake of other problems such as the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Zambia has so many child and female headed households that will require the Government's support to be able to stand firm and feed themselves as food prices soar.
It cannot be disputed that the input packs provided under the PAM do not just boost the productivity of the beneficiaries but improve their bargaining power when they graduate into the higher brackets of farming.
Since the start of the ambitious programme, under which the beneficiaries are given start-up inputs like cereal seed and fertilisers, thousands of households that relied on food aid are now self-sufficient and even able to sell some produce.
Although some beneficiaries have remained vulnerable after getting support under the FSP, there is no doubt that the heavily subsidised agricultural input loan package has had others graduate into self-sustaining farmers.
The anticipated food price surge will entail a situation where only the fittest will survive.
Relevant Links
This is the kind of intervention that the Government should take ahead of the foretold crisis. We need programmes that get to the root of the problem by addressing the needs of the most disadvantaged.
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Copyright © 2008 The Times of Zambia. All rights reserved. Distributed by AllAfrica Global Media (allAfrica.com). To contact the copyright holder directly for corrections -- or for permission to republish or make other authorized use of this material, click here.
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