A Giant Step In Efforts To Feed The Earth’s Growing Population
Posted: Monday, November 23, 2009
by Joel Hendon
http://hebronics.org/index.html
Ethiopia is recognized as a poor hungry nation with much of it's land in arid areas where it is good for practically nothing in agriculture. But there are also large areas which are level and fertile. The most pathetic problem is that many of those who inhabit those expansive tillable lands are impoverished and have to farm with oxen drawn plows. But the government has begun a strong program of leasing these areas to people from abroad who can afford modern mechanized equipment and utilize their agricultural knowledge to raise abundant crops.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/22/AR2009112201478.html
That should be enough information right there to attract any of the many large Agricultural Cooperatives, some on the African continent as well as throughout the world, including the U.S. This type of improvement in growing food crops should relieve some of the starvation in that region. I hope the government is wise enough to include in their lease contracts, that a portion of the crops must not be exported from their borders.
And the really wonderful part of this story is that the idea is catching on in other impoverished countries who are also beginning to investigate this possibility, including some in Latin America, Southeast Asia and other African countries. Maybe this will start a stampede and result in a large improvement in the world food supply.
All this offers a really good opportunity to, at least, show an improvement on the food shortages of the developing countries. However the remark I made above that the government being diligent in it's contracting of the lands, is a concern in many areas. Some of the residents do not trust their government and are afraid they will sell them out for personal gain. This is always a problem in any nation. There probably does not exist a government of any nation where there is not greed and corruption. If there is, I don't know of it. There are some small nations where you hear of very little. I may get an explosion of comments when I name one which I have admired for years and have not heard of such from them. That is the small nation of Costa Rica. Of course, it is possible that I have just nor heard of it.
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Top-level comments on this article: (2 total)I love your variety of topics and the way you present them in fresh and engaging ways! MarijoThanks Marijo for your kind comment.
"But the government has begun a strong program of leasing these areas to people from abroad who can afford modern mechanized equipment and utilize their agricultural knowledge to raise abundant crops."*** It's too bad you still put false hopes in monetary government...It seems to me what will be happening is a slow, calculated case of a U.S. takeover of African soil.Stop believing we Americans are the good guys all the time."This type of improvement in growing food crops should relieve some of the starvation in that region."*** Never in a million years! The U.S. government cares little about the African people. Like the thief who claims he has a proposition for you while he has his hand your pocket - the U.S. will be taking over their land bit by bit with promises of "better things to come.""I hope the government is wise enough to include in their lease contracts, that a portion of the crops must not be exported from their borders."*** They will sign all sorts of such agreements because they don't want their crops - they want their land!"Some of the residents do not trust their government and are afraid they will sell them out for personal gain. This is always a problem in any nation. There probably does not exist a government of any nation where there is not greed and corruption. If there is, I don't know of it"*** Like I was saying...*** It's time for us to give up on governments who depend upon monetary systems! Everything is corrupt because of it.Kenny son, you are jumping to a lot of conclusions. The U.S. is only barely mentioned in my article (by me) and as far as I know they are not yet even beginning to invest in those lands. It is the large agri-coops, not governments, who are leasing the land. I am talking about the governments who are offering the lands. They will probably pocket all they can, but that was why I said I hope they will be policed closely. Thanks for commentingYou are right Joel, and I apologize. I reread the article and see where I placed my concerns about government intervention before I took into account the Agricultural Cooperatives objectives.I guess whenever I see the words government and leasing in the same sentence or paragraph, I think CAUTION immediately.Once again I apologize Joel.KennyNo problem Kenny...I do the same thing, a lot. Thanks for commenting.
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