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Actions Speak Louder Than Words
The Chicago Tribune headlines it as “Food Success Story in Malawi. No longer extending a begging bowl, African nation now feeding its neighbors.” (December 1, 2007).
The New York Times was more direct with its headline, “Ending Famine, simply by ignoring the Experts.” (December 4, 2007).
The news was so different than 5 years ago when BBC News headlined “Malawi’s ‘worst ever famine'” and ‘Southern African Famine: What Went Wrong?” as an estimated 15 million people faced food shortages in the sub-Sahara.
According to Richard Stephens, Director of the Malawi Project, “the famine situation in Malawi had been extremely serious from mid-2000 to as late as early 2007. We had been seeking food assistance during that period of time. It was not that the people of Malawi were lazy and it was not a matter of over population or living in a region where the soil could not support the population. The main reasons were a period of changing weather patterns combined with government miscalculations by the previous administration in Malawi. These factors brought on the worst period of famine seen in this region since the early 1950’s.” The BBC added HIV/AIDS as another major factor with one of every seven Malawians affected.
Then, suddenly in the harvest of 2007, Malawi reports bumper crops. They were so abundant the harvest was sufficient to begin exporting grain to assist their more unfortunate neighbors. What happened? What caused the turn around? How did the country reverse its misfortune?
It seems the government under the leadership of President Bingu wa Mutharika changed its agricultural policies from “do as I say, to do as I do.” Bingu is no stranger to western policy as compared to western action. He holds a PhD in Development Economics from Pacific Western University in Los Angeles, and a Masters Degree in Economics and a Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce from the University of Delhi, India. As a former diplomat he worked from 1990 to 1997 as Secretary General of the Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa, and before becoming Secretary General of COMESA he worked for the United Nations as the Director for Trade and Development Finance, with responsibilities for 53 African nations.
When it came to finding ways to pull out of the cycle of continuing famine, Mutharika is reported to have simply taken a page out of the western playbook. While the west was calling for African nations not to use fertilizer on their farm fields, the west continued to use various forms of fertilizer to enhance crop production. This past year Malawi decided to imitate the west and “do as they do.” Fertilizer was offered to the farmers at subsidized rates, and the result was a bumper crop.
A Note of Caution
While Malawi has experienced a good year in the overall view of things, this does not mean there are not scattered pockets of need. The lack of rain, the high price of fertilizer, the poor health of families, or other conditions could hinder food production. Even in a good year the people of the sub-Sahara are barely getting by. There is no such thing as full stomachs all the time. Almost no one in the village areas realizes a bumper crop year after year.
“We must be careful,” Stephens warns. “While we applaud the success of the people of Malawi to tear themselves out of the clutches of famine we have to remember that a single season of insufficient rain, or a family that has lost parents or other family members to the AIDS virus or other illnesses can change the situation for them entirely. For that family or village or region the famine is still with them. We need to sort out those who continue to need help from those who have experienced bumper success this past year. Applaud the one and give assistance to the other.”