OPINION: If You Dont Want A Revolution, Plant A Good Seed

The blame can be placed on a host of factors: A misplaced focus that gives priority to rock music instead of agricultural programmes during prime time on our radio and television stations; the cultivation of a mindset among our youth that farming is for the old and not-so-trendy types; the lack of sufficient funding and government support for critical agricultural programmes; and an increasing focus on manufacturing and value addition at the expense of basic agricultural production.

Gone are the years when the head of state would lead a mobilization campaign urging farmers to till the land; state-owned suppliers of subsidized agricultural inputs would be abuzz with activity, with farmers’ co-operatives joining in the effort; and public broadcasters would give publicity to every effort to boost agricultural productivity.

If there is one truth that can never be told too many times, it is that a country that cannot feed itself can never be truly free. It is actually shameful for our leaders to be parading themselves every now and then in foreign capitals seeking food aid. Therefore, efforts to boost the productivity of our farms should not be something for anybody to be ashamed of: After every few hours, after all, we expect to sit at a table and eat a decent meal.

MULTI PARTY ERA

The situation is made worse by the history of conflict that many of our countries have had to endure. Conflicts remove resources and attention away from productive areas in order to fuel the war effort. In the multiparty era, this antagonistic strand is still evident and is responsible for the never-ending duels among the power elite that end up sapping all our nations’ energies in the political arena.

The problem of hunger is not entirely of our own making, though. Prescriptions from international institutions such as the World Bank and International Monetary Fund have often frustrated local producers and worsened the situation. The structural adjustment programmes of the 1990s are one such example.

Our leaders must have the courage and muscle to say “No” to bad advice from these international institutions and donor countries. After all, these are countries that have perfected the art of double-speak, subsidizing their own farmers even as they arm-twist developing countries to stop subsidies to their people.

FOREIGN INTERESTS

The end result of blindly following Western prescriptions has been catastrophic dependency that moves our countries deeper into the pit of shame and poverty. That is why neo-colonial theorists hold that African leaders are beholden to foreign interests at the expense of those of their own people.

Whatever one may believe about such arguments, one thing is for certain: That our countries will continue to face challenges in feeding our people unless governments become more proactive in taking measures to resuscitate the agricultural sector. That, of course, also means we must have good governance that ensures funds are availed for productive activities and do not end up in the private bank accounts of politicians and government functionaries.

Unfortunately for our leaders, there is hardly any option. From the days of Marie Antoinette, nothing feeds revolutions the world over better than a hungry citizenry. Add to that the power of the Internet, and you begin to understand the kind of stuff that leads to such historic events as the Arab Spring.

GALVANIZED FARMING

The way forward is to re-establish the primacy of agriculture within our policy making, academic, and national discourse and institutions. In this, our political leaders must lead the way through taking timely and proactive measures.

At a time like this, for instance, the least that can be expected of them is to explain to East Africans what each country is doing to make sure the cost of seeds and fertilizers becomes affordable, and that farmers have all the tools and any other facilitation that they need. They must be at the forefront of galvanizing farming activities as we enter the rainy season.

True leadership must be concerned with the welfare of citizens, and that begins by ensuring there is sufficient food in every household. That is the challenge our leaders must confront today.

By Isaac Mwangi