The First Post
In beginning a blog there are a series of thoughts that run through one's mind. How should I introduce the topic? Where do I want to focus my attention? Yet in beginning this blog I was immediately attracted to the theme of Water and Food in Africa. This is due to previous coursework taken at my home institution where I focused on climate change and agriculture and found it to be a topic I wanted to keep learning about. Now expanding this class theme into a coherent set of blogs is the next challenge!
In some previous coursework such as Human Geography and Sustainability 101, I have researched water scarcity and its impacts on societies and regions of the world. When people start to mention water in Africa there is a clear connection made in which an image of famine or desertification of agricultural fields pops into our minds. I am determined to change this perspective not only for myself but for others who want to understand how this came to be and if it really is true. Water and food are the first pillars of every human's needs. This is why I chose this topic, they are crucial to have in order to survive.
Starting with the basics, it is not surprising that much of the continent of Africa is dependent on rainfall for its agriculture (Sheffield et al., 2014). For most developed nations even if there is no rainfall for weeks there are still irrigation practices that continue since water is technically always available through technologies such as dams, aquifers, wells, etc. Africa lacks some of the more modern technologies implemented in developed regions of the world like drip irrigation or pivot irrigation that small scale farmers would never be able to afford let alone have enough water to use. So it is clear that rainfall is crucial for Africa and its food production. With the increased threat of climate change and the increased effects of cyclones, droughts, rainstorms; patterns of rainfall are becoming ever more questionable.
Rainfall is not the only available water Africa has, groundwater reserves are increasingly tapped and important. An article about groundwater uses in Sub-Saharan Africa pointed out that this region is one of the only ones where food production has declined in the past 30 years (Giordano, 2005). This stood out to me as concerning because the world population is expanding and food production is increasingly important. This shows that there hasn’t been enough investment and technology to use this groundwater resource that could be used to increase food production and propel Africa into a sort of 'green or groundwater revolution' like other regions have been through in the world (Giordano, 2005).
Water and food are linked, without water there is a tough chance food will be readily available. Many of the questions I ask myself about the water practices in Africa have to do with distribution. In our first lecture we spoke of the immense sandstone aquifers that lie beneath the continent, so why is water security still an issue? Africa’s colonial past pops into mind. I read on to find that when African countries were colonized in the 1920s permit systems were established for the wealthier white settlers to have access to private wells. And to no surprise, these permit systems are still in use today by bigger enterprises leaving behind small scale farmers(van Koppen, 2018). This is a topic I am eager to learn more about since the history behind some of the issues about water scarcity in Africa seems dense. With this, it is also easy to see that it is not only climate change playing a role in water and food security in this large continent, yet past practices have had a major impact as well.
Another issue brought up in an article I read is that about 70% of the labor force of Africa is engaged in agriculture (Sheffield et al., 2014). Thus, the agricultural field is highly important to the livelihoods of millions of inhabitants. In this regard, we can see that water is not only needed for the upbringing of crops, but also for the economy. With less water and problems of water security, the prices of goods will increase creating more tension, conflicts, and struggles between societies (Ringler et al., 2010). In many of my past courses having to do with political affairs and climate change, we have discussed the idea that the next world conflict will center around the need for freshwater. Just this past September, key leaders around the world met in New York for the latest UN climate summit where the president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, based in Kenya, spoke about the increased need for funding in developing regions to combat climate change, especially for farmers. Agnes Kalibata, the president of this organization, spoke about the food insecurity that lies within the continent due to, in part, a series of droughts (Okello, 2019). The lands that farmers have been using for years are deteriorating due to lack of precipitation in some areas or too much precipitation which leads to erosion and nutrient deficiency in others. No water or too much water is a problem that affects crop yields and negatively affects food security.
I realize I have thrown in many ideas in this first blog post, however, I am looking forward to unpacking all of them as the term goes on and learning more about each.
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| A woman watering a cabbage field in Sierra Leon (FAO) |
In some previous coursework such as Human Geography and Sustainability 101, I have researched water scarcity and its impacts on societies and regions of the world. When people start to mention water in Africa there is a clear connection made in which an image of famine or desertification of agricultural fields pops into our minds. I am determined to change this perspective not only for myself but for others who want to understand how this came to be and if it really is true. Water and food are the first pillars of every human's needs. This is why I chose this topic, they are crucial to have in order to survive.
Starting with the basics, it is not surprising that much of the continent of Africa is dependent on rainfall for its agriculture (Sheffield et al., 2014). For most developed nations even if there is no rainfall for weeks there are still irrigation practices that continue since water is technically always available through technologies such as dams, aquifers, wells, etc. Africa lacks some of the more modern technologies implemented in developed regions of the world like drip irrigation or pivot irrigation that small scale farmers would never be able to afford let alone have enough water to use. So it is clear that rainfall is crucial for Africa and its food production. With the increased threat of climate change and the increased effects of cyclones, droughts, rainstorms; patterns of rainfall are becoming ever more questionable.
Rainfall is not the only available water Africa has, groundwater reserves are increasingly tapped and important. An article about groundwater uses in Sub-Saharan Africa pointed out that this region is one of the only ones where food production has declined in the past 30 years (Giordano, 2005). This stood out to me as concerning because the world population is expanding and food production is increasingly important. This shows that there hasn’t been enough investment and technology to use this groundwater resource that could be used to increase food production and propel Africa into a sort of 'green or groundwater revolution' like other regions have been through in the world (Giordano, 2005).
 |
| Droughts like these are common in parts of Africa and contribute to crop loss (United Nations) |
Water and food are linked, without water there is a tough chance food will be readily available. Many of the questions I ask myself about the water practices in Africa have to do with distribution. In our first lecture we spoke of the immense sandstone aquifers that lie beneath the continent, so why is water security still an issue? Africa’s colonial past pops into mind. I read on to find that when African countries were colonized in the 1920s permit systems were established for the wealthier white settlers to have access to private wells. And to no surprise, these permit systems are still in use today by bigger enterprises leaving behind small scale farmers(van Koppen, 2018). This is a topic I am eager to learn more about since the history behind some of the issues about water scarcity in Africa seems dense. With this, it is also easy to see that it is not only climate change playing a role in water and food security in this large continent, yet past practices have had a major impact as well.
Another issue brought up in an article I read is that about 70% of the labor force of Africa is engaged in agriculture (Sheffield et al., 2014). Thus, the agricultural field is highly important to the livelihoods of millions of inhabitants. In this regard, we can see that water is not only needed for the upbringing of crops, but also for the economy. With less water and problems of water security, the prices of goods will increase creating more tension, conflicts, and struggles between societies (Ringler et al., 2010). In many of my past courses having to do with political affairs and climate change, we have discussed the idea that the next world conflict will center around the need for freshwater. Just this past September, key leaders around the world met in New York for the latest UN climate summit where the president of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, based in Kenya, spoke about the increased need for funding in developing regions to combat climate change, especially for farmers. Agnes Kalibata, the president of this organization, spoke about the food insecurity that lies within the continent due to, in part, a series of droughts (Okello, 2019). The lands that farmers have been using for years are deteriorating due to lack of precipitation in some areas or too much precipitation which leads to erosion and nutrient deficiency in others. No water or too much water is a problem that affects crop yields and negatively affects food security.
 |
| Agnes Kalibata at the UN Conference (UN Environment) |
I realize I have thrown in many ideas in this first blog post, however, I am looking forward to unpacking all of them as the term goes on and learning more about each.
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