African Journal of Food and Nutritional Security

HIV/AIDS, the Disease and Hunger Complications Causing Confusion in Rural Western Kenya: A Case Study of Katolo

Richard N.O. K'okul

The objective of this study was to find out whether it was HIV/AIDS or hunger pinning down patients at Katolo location in Nyando Division, Nyanza in Western Kenya. Was it hunger or HIV/AIDS influencing the low quality of life in the region? In a number of households visited, patients suspected to have been suffering from malnutrition marasmus, but alleged to be suffering from cultural chira or HIV/AIDS or unnamed ailments, were common. This forced the authors to refer patients observed with severe 'thinning ailment complications' to Katito Nursing Home, where they were tested using the Elisa method for HIV/AIDS. Out of the 91 households visited, nine patients were identified at the village level with severe thinning disorder alleged to be suffering from either chira, HIV/AIDS or as simply having complications from other chronic disease disorders. After the test, all turned out to be "HIV positive". Yet widespread ill-health caused by poverty, malnutrition, malaria and other chronic diseases in the region were evident. When the results were discussed with the health officer in-charge; he warned that tests based on the Elisa method can sometimes be unreliable. Consequently, people suffering from disorders other than HIV/AIDS are often pronounced HIV/AIDS positive without being confirmed using other tests, such as the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test. The PCR test is more reliable, because it is capable of looking at the viral DNA, which neither Western Blot nor Elisa methods can do.

(Af. J. of Food and Nutritional Security: 2001 1(1): 60-70)

The Role of Agricultural Technology in Food and Nutritional Security in Africa

Moctar Toure

Agriculture, the most important industry in Africa, has not provided adequate food security and economic well-being for the continent's population. Agricultural production per capita and total exports declined since the 1970s, while population and urbanization increases resulted in growing demand. This inadequate performance was largely due to: 1. Poor agricultural policies and management 2. Poor rural infrastructure, inadequate irrigation, and limited use of agricultural inputs 3. Civil strife 4. Weak regional collaboration and 5. Inadequate agricultural technology generation and delivery systems. However, Africa has the potential to achieve high productivity in agriculture. This is indicated by the high rate of return (ROR) to investment in research and extension and the recent positive response to favourable agricultural policies in a number of countries, that are beginning to enhance productivity. To bring about sustained agricultural growth throughout sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), the above-mentioned constraints must be removed by: 1. Continued improvement in the agricultural policy environment 2. Improvement in infrastructure (road and irrigation) and soil and water management and conservation 3. Enhanced input supply and distribution systems and 4. Strengthening of agricultural research and extension. The development and utilization of profitable and environmentally-friendly technology is an essential factor for the transformation of agriculture into a modern sector. The impact of technology can be attained through the revitalization of agricultural research and extension institutions, which requires: 1 Broadening the base of agricultural research clientele to actively include farmers, private-sector agents and a variety of public related stakeholders 2 Adopting of a market-oriented strategic planning approach 3 Improving the organisation and management to ensure accountability and transparency in planning, resource allocation and utilization, monitoring, evaluation and impact assessment 4 Establishing of sustainable and consolidated programming and financing mechanisms 5 Strengthening regional collaboration.

(Af. J. of Food and Nutritional Security: 2001 1(1): 35-45)

Trade in Food and Food Products in Africa

Victoria Sekitoleko

The sub-Saharan African Region, unlike other developing regions, has made little progress in the past 20-30 years towards improving its food security situation. Indeed, in terms of average aggregate per caput availability of food, Sub-Saharan Africa is now worse off than in the past. Apart from the growing number of chronically food insecure people, projected to grow to one third of the population of the Region in the year 2002, the number of refugees and displaced persons, as a result of man-made problems, is growing. Immediate emergency needs are taking a considerable amount of national and international resources at the expense of longer-term development. In order to focus the efforts to alleviate food insecurity prevalent in the Region, so that the greatest sustainable impact can be realized, the paper discusses the current situation and prospects for the future, following broad areas within which appropriate actions by all concerned ought to be planned and implemented. The scale of food insecurity and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa underscores the importance of economic growth in general and agricultural growth in particular, in view of the high dependence of the economies on agriculture. A growing and productive agricultural sector in the Region would be the driving force for their economies, providing food, jobs, savings and market for food from the industrial sector. The Region has considerable untapped potential for increasing agricultural and food production. Exploiting this potential should be the number one priority, and calls for concrete agricultural and food policy initiatives. Measures should be taken to eliminate the inequities in the distribution of land, income, political power, education and training and access to inputs, including those embodying new technology to services, markets and finance. Almost all of a these issues are of a long-term nature; the acute hunger that exists now needs to be addressed immediately. Direct interventions that avoid where possible, distortions of economic incentives are needed. It is important to develop food security interventions that target the poorest and most food insecure, particularly those who do not benefit from economic growth and social security interventions that also have a development pay-off. These include, public works schemes which simultaneously provide an income transfer to poor employees, while contributing to development through tree planting, soil erosion control or road building.

(Af. J. of Food and Nutritional Security: 2001 1(1): 12-25)

The Cassava Processing Industry in Brazil: Traditional Techniques, Technological Developments, Innovations and New Markets

Gerard Chuzel

The paper considers the evolution of cassava-based industrial production, processing and marketing in Brazil, in light of the great technological diversification to be found in Brazil. It discusses the private role of the small- and medium-scale food and related processing enterprises in the food industry, as they employ cassava in producing an array of products associated with the various domestic economic classes, as well as the export market. The paper discusses new products and markets and the development of the R&D establishment to support these new growth potentials.

(Af. J. of Food and Nutritional Security: 2001 1(1): 46-59)

Leveraging Food Security with Food Aid: The Role of Applied Policy Research

Lawrence Haddad

The paper considers that food aid must not only contribute directly to food security; it must be used, wherever possible, to contribute to development. Food aid has now become a scarce resource; it must therefore be used to make a bigger impact on food and nutritional security through better management at the implementation level, donor level and through regional integration. The paper analyses on how far the role of food aid will be redefined in the new millenium.

(Af. J. of Food and Nutritional Security: 2001 1(1): 26-34)

Positioning African Agriculture for Food for the First Decade of the Twenty-First Century

Thomas R. Odhiambo

The paper traces the historical emergence of subsistence farming as stemming from the colonial period when a more commercial agriculture was replaced by an export-oriented agricultural trade in introduced crops, such as coffee and tea, whose production and marketing was restricted to colonial farmers. The paper goes on to lay down policy and R&D guidelines for the consistent implementation of a modernized African science-led sustainable agriculture, which takes into contextual consideration the vital need for food and nutritional security. In this regard, industry provides a crucial link to this modernization.

(Af. J. of Food and Nutritional Security: 2001 1(1): 3-11)