Food insecurity haunts EAC

DEUS NGOWI in Arusha

FOOD insecurity is significantly increasing in East Africa partly due to rapid population growth, which is projected at 150 per cent by 2050.

According to East Africa Regional Impact Centre Technical Advisor Charles Bonaventure, over 40 per cent of children in the region are malnourished.

“Majority of these children are orphaned and live in difficult circumstances…the large part of rural population lives in poverty, relying on a subsistence lifestyle,” he said.

The expert noted that some of the reasons for the situation include high rate of post-harvest losses, underdeveloped, weak markets and lack of supportive infrastructure for farmers to improve value of their produce.

He said that majority farmers and herdsmen in the region do not have adequate access to agricultural services, continuing education or access to formal training.

Another reason, he said, was increased pressure, forcing families to cultivate small land that results into land degradation and loss of sustainability in food production.

The East African region is as well affected by drought, especially in arid pastoralist areas while there is deforestation, flooding, climate change and diseases.

He sighted pests such as Fall Armyworm attacking more than 80 host species, Tuta absoluta mainly tomatoes and the Southern Armyworm (SAW), now in West and Central Africa and weeds such as parthenium, known as ‘Gugu Karoti’.

The SAW is native to the American tropics, occurring widely in Central and South America and the Caribbean that has entered East African countries and affecting a host of crops.

“These species have a very broad host range and include important vegetable, fruit, field and ornamental crops.

Among the vegetables injured are beet, cabbage, carrot, collard, cowpea, eggplant, okra, pepper, potato, sweet potato, tomato, and watermelon.

“Other crops damaged include cassava, avocado, citrus, peanut, sunflower, velvet bean, tobacco and various flowers. Many weeds are consumed, but mchicha, amaranthus spp are especially favoured,” he said.

Mr Bonaventure said that there are numerous reports of armyworm infestations beginning with pigweed and pokeweed, with adjacent crops damaged only after the more favoured weeds are consumed.