We are excited to welcome Rachel Zedeck on board as our most recent contributor to the Beyond Profit blog. Over the next few weeks, she will explore a multitude of social development issues in East Africa.
I work with rural farmers and my point of view comes from that of a social entrepreneur, not a tree-hugger, dolphin-kisser, or Obama fanatic with a “kiss me I moved to Kenya” button. While I love granola, I view development from the perspective of a practical humanist. I won’t always have answers, but I do hope to make you question.
This week, I’ve been thinking a lot about the fundamentals of farming, especially concentrating on water. Everyday, I discuss water with someone – its collection, filtration, management, or use in rural agriculture schemes. I’m amazed how few people understand how easily East Africa’s food security could be improved with better water management. Instead, we focus a large percentage of our combined energies on emergency drought relief, putting a band-aid on an ecological issue.
In Kenya, drought is now an annual marathon, an insidious and celebrated tragedy against a backdrop of tall, beaded Maasai warriors and romantic safaris costing more than US$1bn in economic loss in 2009. We mazungus (white foreigners) complain about water shortages as we fill water tanks, an irritating but bourgeois expense. Meanwhile, in the arid regions of northeast Kenya, Somalia, Sudan (Darfur), Djibouti, and Ethiopia, drought mires communities in fear, killing livestock, livelihoods, pride, and, perhaps the greatest loss, nursing mothers and children under five already weakened by malnutrition.
When it comes to water management in Africa, we talk, campaign, fundraise, and build programs like oversexed college co-eds. In Kenya, more than US$100m is spent on water programs, independent of larger IFC loans and PPP programs designed to build water infrastructure with smaller NGOs and church networks. We implement technical and programming solutions that should and could work, but seem unable to accomplish a sustainable impact. Maybe it’s because the development community, whether UN, NGO, or commercial, doesn’t actually talk to one another unless new funding is available – a harsh judgment, but a reality!
More than answers, I’m plagued by questions. Where are district level water schemes and public service/SMS campaigns to educate rural villages about collecting rainwater? Why can’t we introduce a rain barreling package that would cost less than US$20 per family? Where is the private sector? Do we need a water czar in Africa? If food is considered a human right, part of the human rights convention, then what is water? Currently, there are more than 14 million people in the Horn of Africa in need of food aid because of drought and rocketing food and fuel prices. We can’t grow nutritionally dense food without water. Obviously, we NEED to be growing more food which means we need more water. It isn’t rocket science!
Better water management and better use of irrigation in agriculture are 2 of 3 main priorities needed to end the region’s food crisis. While accomplishing these is no easy task, first we need to end the blame game. “We” needs to start replacing the “I,” “us” and “them” when building a cohesive plan of action. Personally, I’m confused about who should build or implement it; perhaps a private firm capable of producing appropriate milestones?
As I write, it’s raining in Nairobi. I hope the long rains in March arrive on time, farmers produce bountiful harvests, and we all live happily ever after, but that’s just make believe. There will be another devastating drought this year. I will be here to witness the human cost of our ineptitude and continue to question our agenda. So, no finite answers, but hope you will be inspired to also question.
Rachel Zedeck is the Founder and Managing Director of the Medea Group, a group currently launching the Backpack Farm Agriculture Program, a commercial initiative targeting small landholders within East Africa. The goal is to develop commercially viable, socially responsible value chains of high nutrition produce supporting local and regional marketplaces.
Photo Credit: Afronline
Tim Gieseke Said,
March 20, 2010 @ 2:20 pm
Your statement, “Maybe it’s because the development community, whether UN, NGO, or commercial, doesn’t actually talk to one another unless new funding is available – a harsh judgment, but a reality!” is also a reality in US Gov environmental programs. Of course the consequences are not as drastic, but, I believe the reasons are the same. Individuals and orgs move toward tangible values and since our economic systems do not yet apply a tangible value to resource management we only move toward them when value is ‘artificially’ applied. When the program dollars end, we have the remnants of some very good intentions that remain decoupled from economic values.