Mabifia food crisis (2019-present): Difference between revisions

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[[File:20150105 Street vendors in harmattan haze and dust - Mbiama.jpg|200px|thumb|{{wp|Street vendors}} in [[Boké]] during the {{Wp|Harmattan|Bifi}} haze.]]
#REDIRECT [[2019–2020 Mabifia food crisis]]
The '''Mabifia food crisis''' is an ongoing {{wp|food security}} crisis in [[Mabifia]], which has primarily affected the regions of the [[Boual ka Bifie]], [[Central Green Belt]] and major urban centres such as [[Ouagedji]] and [[Kangesare]]. The crisis has varied in its intensity across the country and at different stages, but the overall trend of greater food insecurity since 2019 has been observed using many different metrics. Numerous factors have contributed to the start and continuation of the crisis, such as {{Wp|desertification}}, poor {{wp|rainfall}} which has reached {{wp|drought}} levels in certain municipalities, {{wp|demographic pressure}} from a rapidly growing and young population, {{wp|urbanisation}} which has outpaced supply of food to urban areas, and internal unrest in conflicts in the [[Herder-farmer conflicts in the Boual ka Bifie|Boual ka Bifie]] and [[Makanian Conflict|Makania]]. Many of the problems have seen to have been compounded by the political situation in the country, with {{wp|corruption}} an ever-present element and [[Mahmadou Jolleh Bande]]'s government focused on large-scale {{Wp|infrastructure}} projects which have taken much of the country's budget. The crisis has led to an increased role played by {{wp|humanitarian aid}} in food supply, bringing risks to future sustainability of food production in Mabifia.
==History==
[[File:COLLECTIE TROPENMUSEUM Ziekenhuis te Cape Coast TMnr 60024039.jpg|200px|thumb|A colonial {{Wp|mansion}} in [[Sud-Uruzikara]], 1898.]]
Food security has always been a major area of concern for Mabifia, as much of the country's north is dominated by {{wp|savannah}} and {{wp|desert}} {{wp|biomes}} which are not condusive to {{wp|agriculture}}. Much of the northern population is reliant on {{wp|pastoralism}}, which has been a response to the irregular weather conditions of the [[Boual ka Bifie]], while the [[Central Green Belt]] relies on sedentary cultivation. In the [[Hourege|precolonial era]], relations between herders and farmers were governed by {{wp|customary law|customary}} agreements which limited conflict. However, the arrival of [[Toubacterie]] introduced northern ideas of {{wp|private property}} and {{wp|ownership of land}} which had not previously existed. {{wp|Chief|Headmen}} from the Central Green Belt and southern Mabifia now possessed the complete right to their lands and excluded pastoralists. Rising populations, caused by the introduction of {{wp|modern medicine}} and other significant urban improvements, also created a need for more reliable agricultural production. These changes cut many boualic peoples off from their traditional means of subsistence, resulting in a {{wp|famine}} in 1987.
 
The colonial administration did not prioritise the agricultural question. Large swathes of fertile land were bought up by white settlers, to be used to cultivate {{wp|cash crop}}s such as {{wp|coffee}}. This led to food insecurity even in areas which had previously been highly self-sufficient. However, the [[Gaullica]]ns also introduced new {{wp|farming}} practices and technologies which allowed Mabifian farmers to increase their yields. The {{wp|socialism|socialist}} [[Mabifian Democratic Republic]], which won its independence from [[Estmere]] in 1943, opted to {{wp|nationalise}} these estates and focus on {{wp|collective farming}} as a means of assuring food supplies. While this was initially destructive, the increase in farmed lands would eventually increase agricultural production. These collective farms were highly inefficient and struggled to meet the demands of a growing population, which was one of the major sources of unrest which eventually started the [[Mabifia#Second civil war|Second Mabifian Civil War]].
 
The second civil war destroyed much of the agricultural capability of the nation, which caused several localised famines. The international community stepped in, with a [[Community of Nations]] mission providing {{wp|food aid}} to large sectors of the population. The destruction and sale of collective farms led to a return to {{Wp|subsistence farming}}, which is the largest occupation in Mabifia and source of the vast majority of the country's food. This reliance on local economies and smallholders has left the Mabifian economy vulnerable, especially in regions such as [[Makania]] where supply chains are threatened by violence.
 
==Causes==
===Ecological===
[[File:A camp of touaregs breeders in the desert of Niger.jpg|200px|thumb|A [[Mourâhiline]] camp in the northern Boual. Desertification has threatened many pastoral peoples.]]
Ecological forcings have played a key role in the Mabifia food crisis. Between 2018 and 2020, Mabifia recorded record lows for {{wp|rainfall}} in the Boual ka Bifie and Central Green Belt. This decreased rain had a major effect on agricultural yields, as many crops were unable to cope with the dry spells and died. Farmers often harvested their crops prematurely, which diminished their production. {{Wp|Soil}}s dried, which further damaged their agricutural usefulness. In desperation, many farmers overexploited {{Wp|groundwater}} reserves, which led to {{wp|subsidence}} and environmental damage. Though the conditions did not reach those of a {{Wp|drought}} in the Central Green Belt the mountains of this region are a major {{Wp|watershed}} for river systems, leading to issues downstream.
 
A major factor which has impacted upon the precarious ecological situation has been the process of {{wp|desertification}}. {{Wp|Climate change}} has led to increased {{Wp|aridity}} in many historically dry areas, leaving them at risk of desertification. The increased intensification of agriculture, particularly the expansion of cash crop cultivation encouraged by the [[Global Institute for Fiscal Affairs]] as part of a {{wp|loan}}, compounded this risk and led to the loss of large tracts of land. The droughts of 2018 led to a feeling of desperation among those most at risk of desertification, and many attemped to grow more crops to protect their livelihoods. On the Boual, traditional {{wp|watering hole}}s had their vegetation stripped and replaced with short-rooted foodstuff crops. This in turn accelerated desertification, wiping out much of the crops and further pressuring food supplies. Due to the interconnected nature of the crisis, many of these effects have in turn had follow-on consequences such as creating {{Wp|climate refugees}} who have pressured urban economies.
 
===Demographic===
[[File:Jonge moeders wachten op rijst in Senegal.jpg|200px|thumb|Young {{wp|mother}}s in [[Ndamasou]].]]
Post-civil war Mabifia has faced several significant demographic challenges. During the civil war and subsequent {{Wp|market reforms}}, many of the jobs in the ''{{Wp|new town|Villes nouvelles}}'' constructed by the regime disappeared almost overnight. This led to major displacement, with many people chosing to return to their traditional villages hoping to farm and achieve a degree of stability. Many also moved to larger urban cities, especially the {{Wp|capital city}} [[Ouagedji]] which grew by almost 20% in the two years after the civil war despite being a scene of major fighting. The increased rural population, and lack of overall oversight which came from the transition to millions of smallholder farmers as collective farming collapsed, placed major pressures on the rural ecological systems. As the situation stabilised, the children of the families who had fled to the rural areas desired employment and began a second wave of urbanisation.
 
Mabifia's population has also increased rapidly in the years following the civil war, owing to a high {{Wp|fertility rate}} of 4.65 children per woman. This has led to an increased strain not just because of a rise in people requiring food, but also because Mabifia is a country with a young population which had led to a high {{wp|dependency rate}}. This issue is especially pertinent in the urban areas, as the urban population is growing far faster than the rural population due to {{wp|migration}}. With a growing proportion of the population moving to urban centres and therefore less able to be agriculturally self-sufficient, the stress on low-level rural agro-economies is increased.
 
===Political===
===Economic===
==The crisis==
==Response==
===From the Mabifian government===
===From the world===
==Impact==
[[Category:Mabifia]]

Latest revision as of 03:28, 31 July 2023

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