Viewpoint: Why Europe’s proposed Green Deal Farm to Fork strategy will be a disaster for Africa
Viewpoint: Why Europe’s proposed Green Deal Farm to Fork strategy will be a disaster for Africa
Northern Kenya and many regions of Somalia and Ethiopia are experiencing the worst drought in 40 years. According to the United Nations, around 17 million people in the Horn of Africa do not have enough to eat. The number could rise to 20 million by September. According to the UN, the severe drought has already cost the lives of a third of the herds of cattle.
For semi-nomadic pastoralists, the death of their animals is a catastrophe because they depend on their four-legged friends to survive: they drink the milk, eat the meat, or sell an animal when they need money. Anyone who has lost their herd will soon follow themselves. Unless he or she gets help at short notice.
“Agricultural programs funded by the EU have in the past mainly focused on the technologies that Europe wanted to promote in Africa. These programs have been successful to varying degrees. In some regions they have worked quite well, in others not at all,” [said agricultural economist Timothy Njagi.]
…
The [EU’s Green] deal includes the requirement that we must produce organically. But our agriculture has not been that efficient so far. If we wanted to produce most of the food organically, we would have to pay farmers a lot more for their produce. EU consumers would probably not accept these higher costs. In extreme cases, this would mean that many farmers would lose their livelihoods. That’s one.
The other is apparent contradictions: the EU is number two in importing pesticides into the region. So it would make sense for Europe to first stop selling pesticides to Africa and then require that we grow organically. Selling pesticides that Europe itself does not accept is a contradiction that needs to be pointed out.
[Editor’s note: This article has been translated from German and edited for clarity.]
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