Viewpoint: Why Europe’s Proposed Farm-to-Fork Green Deal Strategy Will Be a Disaster for Africa
Northern Kenya and many parts of Somalia and Ethiopia are experiencing the worst drought in 40 years. According to the United Nations, around 17 million people in the Horn of Africa do not have enough to eat. This number could reach 20 million by September. According to the UN, the severe drought has already claimed the lives of a third of cattle herds.
For semi-nomadic pastoralists, the death of their animals is a disaster because they depend on their four-legged friends to survive: they drink milk, eat meat or sell an animal when they need money. Anyone who has lost their herd will soon follow each other. Unless he or she gets short-term help.
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“In the past, EU-funded agricultural programs have mainly focused on technologies that Europe wanted to promote in Africa. These programs have been successful to varying degrees. In some areas they worked quite well, in others not at all,” [said agricultural economist Timothy Njagi.]
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The [EU’s Green] the agreement includes the requirement that we must produce organically. But our agriculture has not been so efficient so far. If we wanted to produce most food organically, we would have to pay farmers a lot more for their produce. EU consumers would probably not accept these higher costs. In extreme cases, this would mean that many farmers would lose their livelihoods. It’s a.
The other is apparent contradictions: the EU is number two in importing pesticides into the region. So it would make sense if Europe first stopped selling pesticides to Africa and then demanded that we farm organically. Selling pesticides that Europe itself does not accept is a contradiction that must be underlined.