Food security crisis in East Africa: Why immediate action is needed

Children in East Africa. Source: House of Lords Library

There can be no denying that East Africa is facing an almost unprecedented crisis. A perfect storm of climate factors, localised and international conflict, epidemics, and the COVID19 pandemic have all collided to create a situation in which the world is ‘moving backwards in its effort to defeat hunger, food insecurity, and malnutrition. The region is in a deep and desperate state of emergency, in need of immediate humanitarian assistance; politicians and public alike must wake up, take note, and act … the lives of millions literally depends on it. 

The numbers are horrifying: 82 million people, more than the population of the UK, in East Africa are now suffering from hunger. The global health council report that 7 million children under the age of five in the Horn of Africa are acutely malnourished. For reference, the entire population of Scotland is 5.4 million. In Ethiopia alone, for example, inflation is at 30.7%, the currency is facing severe losses against the dollar, 240,000 children are at risk of dying if food is not secured, 185,000 have been displaced by floods, and 538,000 displaced by conflict. The situation is similar in Kenya, in Somalia, in Djibouti, in Sudan, in South Sudan, in Uganda, and in Burundi, and yet the rest of the world stands still. 

NASA Acute Food Insecurity Phase (June-Sept 22) – darker areas represent emergency/famine

What are the main drivers that have caused this crisis? There appear to be three broad factors: climate, health, and conflict. Firstly, East Africa is proving to be exceptionally vulnerable to the effects of climate change. The HoA is facing its worst draught in 70 years, with rainfall below average for the past four consecutive rainy seasons. In other parts of East Africa, such as Sudan, and South Sudan, it is torrential rain and flash flooding that is causing the most problems. This obviously, has an immediate, and major effect on food production, leading to many of the problems observed.  

Secondly, the lasting effects of the COVID19 pandemic are still causing severe problems for supply chains in the East of Africa. The recovery process from the pandemic has both highlighted and exasperated economic inequalities in the world economy. Whilst the richest nations have had a relatively smooth path back to normality, the lost income and disrupted global supply chains has severely affected food security in regions such as the East of Africa. Whilst the UK public panic over the lack of tomatoes on supermarket shelves, millions in Africa simply don’t have the grain they need for one meal a day. Furthermore, the region is currently experiencing localised epidemics, such as ebola, cholera, and measles. 

Thirdly, both local and international conflicts continue to pile further pressure onto these economies. The Russian invasion of Ukraine is no doubt the most major of these. Before the war, Russia and Ukraine’s combined exports accounted for 30% of global grain consumption, with much of this going to Africa and the Middle East. In addition, Russia is a major exporter of natural gas, a key ingredient in fertiliser, causing a 30% rise in fertiliser price. It is this type of inflationary pressure that led to 103% inflation in Sudan in October 2022, plunging millions into extreme poverty.  

All three of these factors have local and international elements to them and they all affect the political economy in different ways, whether it is the drought causing an immediate and direct impact on food scarcity or whether it is the war in Ukraine causing inflationary pressure that is felt most by the poorest in the region. A further, secondary, affect that is being felt in the region is the political instability that comes with food insecurity. Hunger and food insecurity has historically led to civil unrest, and it is no different in East Africa at the moment. Take the former president of Sudan, Omar Al-Bashir, for example. He survived several extreme challenges to his leadership, such as civil war, coup attempts, the Arab Spring, and losing 70% of the country’s oil reserves when South Sudan separated in 2011, but it was the droughts and decreased food supply that led to inflation and protests that removed him in 2019. The food security crisis that is currently plaguing East Africa, threatens governments and threatens peace. Democracy, itself, may be vulnerable if action is not taken soon.  

It is self-evident that action needs to be taken swiftly and I want to argue that we are all carry some degree of responsibility for the lives of people suffering in East Africa. Governments, of course, are responsible for a generous foreign policy. The UK, however, has cut its foreign aid budget from 0.7% to 0.5% of GDP, and closed important departments such as the Department for International Development. We are privileged to live in a democracy in which we can hold the Government to account and where Government policy is led by the appetite of the electorate. We must make our concern for food security in Africa part of public discourse, and pressure the Government to action. In lieu of significant Government aid, charities, such as Give Directly are now at the forefront of tackling extreme poverty in East Africa, literally putting cash into the hands of people who most need it. Anyone, and everyone, can take steps, large and small, to support such charities. 

This is a very current issue. Although not tackling foreign aid directly, the recent Gary Lineker row with the BBC has highlights the contrasting views of generosity towards outsiders. His concluding tweets remain optimistic of the broad level of support of people in Britain.

This blog post is not the forum for an in-depth academic debate, but a short word must be given to the theoretical framing of such a conversation. Liberalism is the leading theory of international political economy amongst contemporary scholars, but I would argue that the situation we see in Africa suggests liberalism has failed the global south. Critical approaches must now be given more attention. A Marxist lens explains how these countries are exploited by richer nations; a post-colonial framing looks at how these nations are still feeling the effects of imperialism and colonialism; and an environmentalist approach asks who are the winners and losers of global climate change?  

The situation in East Africa, is desperate. Action needs to be taken. The world must wake up, take note and act. Action is required to tackle the devastating impacts of climate change, conflict, and health. What this action looks like needs to be discussed, creativity is needed, but what is really imperative is that governments and public alike must work together to save lives of those who are most in need.  

~ Isaac Hulse

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