Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
may be at the heart of your contribution to helping a country improve dairy
foods, but your skill at installing a rainwater collection system, fixing a
tractor, and raising chickens along the way may be the extra bits that make
an integrated program work.
fInAl obseRvAtIons
This text has presented both barriers to a universal adequate food supply and a wide
range of strategies to overcome them. There are two more barriers, perhaps the most
important, now that we have the technical knowledge to feed everyone well. Those
two barriers are cynicism and dogmatism.
Peter, Paul and Mary once sang of killers and cynics as dancing partners (Yarrow
1972). That poetic image still informs us, as we work to eliminate deadly food short-
ages once and for all. One unfortunate aspect of the culture and practice of too
many engaged in international development work is that a cynical view of efforts
to improve food systems around the world is frequently seen to be more wise and
knowing than an optimistic outlook. The roots of this bias are beyond the scope of
this chapter and my capabilities, but the damage to motivation and morale brought
on by the derision of the enthusiastic among us is beyond dispute. Certainly, there
have been failures along the way in the attempt to make sure everyone has a sustain-
able, accessible food supply, but there are successes, too, many of them. Poverty and
hunger have not been abolished, but they are in retreat. Even in Africa, where there
have been recent reverses, a growing sense of purpose among the people, experience
from Asia and Latin America, together with spectacular improvements in communi-
cation at all levels show great promise of helping to prevent the repetition of mistakes
and promote the replication of successes.
Dogma can also be a barrier. The world is a complex diverse place, and the
probability that a narrow set of solutions is going to solve malnutrition at a given
location is slim. Free trade might be just the ticket for some countries, nurtur-
ing protectionism best elsewhere. Some ecosystems will support great improve-
ments in rangeland management; others are far too constrained by climate or
soils. Indigenous knowledge may be a rich source of ideas to restore a country's
food system torn by war or famine or a shallow pool of superstition preventing
it. Do you send money or send food? It depends. Fortunately, the specter of hun-
gry children and starvation tends to favor pragmatism over ideology, if allowed.
Be well advised to align yourself with organizations that permit innovation and
flexibility over dogma, even if they are not as well funded. To do so will prevent
cynicism.
s
t u D y
q
u e s t i o n s
1. How do you find out if malnutrition exists and what causes it in a given
community?
2. Give an example of how a nutrient deficiency can be reversed without
addressing the original cause?
