The Paradox of Hunger and Abundance: What Have We Learned?

paradox.gifSince the 1960s, thanks to the green revolution , food production has grown faster than population. Yet, over 800 million people, including 200 million children, do not eat enough for a healthy and active life. Moreover, Sub-Saharan Africa is nutritionally worse off today than it was over 30 years ago, in spite of its abundant resources.

The author has used the term, “food insecurity” to characterize various types of hunger problems in developing nations around the world, but especially in Africa. He shows clearly that hunger is not a production problem, but a political and/or policy problem. Mr. Kashambuzi presents the details to back up this conclusion.

We are struck by the glaring truth that in some countries overwhelmed by starvation of their inhabitants, at the same time their main exports turn out to be foodstuffs!

Mr. Kashambuzi has examined export-oriented policies and conflicts of developing countries. Alone or in concert, policies and politics have aggravated poverty, which is the main cause of food insecurity, and caused localized food shortages or have caused the production of nutritionally inferior staple crops and damaged the environment.

Each chapter has a summary first, so that the reader can understand quickly and clearly the point to be made. The main portions of the chapters are given over to the background material that leads to the various reasons for “food inseurity” in general and in some specific countries as well. Finally, bibliographic references lead the reader to more depth of research about the theme.

Mr. Kashambuzi’s recommendations to attack poverty and restore peace and security merit the attention of planners in the developing countries, together with their partners in the developed world, and all who would respond to the problems of hunger. Mr. kashambuzi has provided a direction for their solution; read and follow!

Publisher: Rivercross Publishing, Incorporated; Pub. Date: March 1999; Format: Hardcover, 175pp
ISBN: 1581410077; ISBN-13: 9781581410075

 

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