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Across Africa, the worst food crisis since 1985 looms for 50 million
Guardian UK ^ | 22 May 2016 | John Vidal

Posted on 05/22/2016 8:50:55 AM PDT by Lorianne

Harvest should be the time for celebrations, weddings and full bellies in southern Malawi. But Christopher Witimani, Lilian Matafle and their seven children and four grandchildren had nothing to celebrate last week as they picked their meagre maize crop.

Last year’s drought, followed by erratic rains, hit the village of Nkhotakota hard. But this year the rains never came and, for a second year running, the family grain store is empty. If they manage their savings carefully and eat just one small meal a day, they may just have enough food for two more months.

By August, said Irish charity Concern Worldwide, they and tens of thousands of other small farmers in southern Malawi will have completely run out of food, with no prospect of another harvest for at least seven months. With nothing to sell and no chance of earning money, Witimani, Matafle and family will starve.

“I am worried the children will starve to death. I don’t know what to do,” said Matafle.

“We need food. We are in a desperate situation,” her husband added.

Countries are just waking up to the most serious global food crisis of the last 25 years. Caused by the strongest El Niño weather event since 1982, droughts and heatwaves have ravaged much of India, Latin America and parts of south-east Asia. the last of the large-scale famines affecting many millions, donor countries have been slow to pledge funds or support. More than $650m and 7.9m tonnes of food are needed immediately, says the UN. By Christmas, the situation will have become severe.

(Excerpt) Read more at theguardian.com ...


TOPICS: Foreign Affairs
KEYWORDS: communist; culturefail; famine; malawi; unsustainable
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To: Lorianne

>“I am worried the children will starve to death. I don’t know what to do,” said Matafle.

I suspect they will do what they always do, just keep pinching off more mouths to feed regardless of ability to feed them.


41 posted on 05/22/2016 10:05:01 AM PDT by soycd
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To: gaijin

Yes. The Social Justice Warriors have it right. If we send them western food and other materials, this is cultural imperialism on our part. Were the Africans to accept it, this would be cultural appropriation on their part.

So, following progressive theory, the best thing we can do for these people is: exactly nothing. Leave them alone to work this out their own way in their own culture.

And, coincidentally, sending food and aid would be violating the Prime Directive. Off:Sarc, I think


42 posted on 05/22/2016 10:06:50 AM PDT by Cincinnatus.45-70 (What do DemocRats enjoy more than a truckload of dead babies? Unloading them with a pitchfork!)
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To: antidisestablishment

But the liberals here don’t want to have these backward countries use modern things like: herbicides,fertilizer and insecticides. They want the backward countries to keep growing “organically” because they say it is earth friendly.


43 posted on 05/22/2016 10:11:26 AM PDT by Islander2 (Some of us are here because we are not all there.)
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To: antidisestablishment

I’ve often wondered given we’ve sent people there for decades, and in addition so many churches have projects ongoing. Does any place ever improve?!?


44 posted on 05/22/2016 10:31:37 AM PDT by Patriotic1 (Dic mihi solum facta, domina - Just the facts, ma'am)
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To: Lorianne

Don’t worry! Rhodesia can feed all Africa! Rhodesia has the crops! Rhodesia has the technology! Rhodesia has.... Oh wait! Zimbabwe can’t even feed itself!


45 posted on 05/22/2016 10:47:54 AM PDT by Ruy Dias de Bivar
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To: Lorianne
Across Africa, the worst food crisis since 1985 looms for 50 million

They should ask Rhodesia for some of their harvest, they produce enough to feed all of Africa, and still have some left over.

46 posted on 05/22/2016 10:51:51 AM PDT by Navy Patriot (America, a Rule of Mob nation)
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To: Lorianne
"MOVE TO WHERE THE FOOD IS!!!" - Sam Kinison.
47 posted on 05/22/2016 10:54:32 AM PDT by Captain Compassion
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To: Captain Compassion
"MOVE TO WHERE THE FOOD IS!!!" - Sam Kinison.

That's what many are doing. Unfortunately, they are moving to Europe and over here.

48 posted on 05/22/2016 10:55:06 AM PDT by dfwgator
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To: Lorianne

Not to worry. The muzzie will send em 3 or 4 trillion..h*ll with Americans suffering.


49 posted on 05/22/2016 10:56:14 AM PDT by patriot08 (5th generation Texan (girl type) ANGRY? REFUSE TO VOTE? HELLO HILLARY!!!)
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To: Lorianne
Sigh. Droughts, yes. They always are an issue. But you plan for them by having surplus food. Just planting enough to get you to the next harvest is not sustainable.

They had the expectation that foreign aid would cover any shortfall.

Oops!

50 posted on 05/22/2016 10:58:23 AM PDT by PapaBear3625 (Big government is attractive to those who think that THEY will be in control of it.)
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To: Patriotic1

For good or bad, colonialism worked because it imposed culture through force, not some idealistic exchange of ideas. The leftists only changed the purported ideals, though blind power is always their true goal.

From what I see, we are headed in that direction, rather than the reverse. It will only improve with the Second Coming.


51 posted on 05/22/2016 11:06:09 AM PDT by antidisestablishment (If those who defend our freedom do not know liberty, none of us will have either.)
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To: Doc91678
So much for getting rid if all those white foreign farmers in South Africa. Eh? Sub South Africa is fully capable of feeding their people.

1) The white farmers in Rhodesia and S.A. weren't "foreigners". They'd been there for a looong time, not even displacing any prior populations. Just doing stuff better.

2) "Sub South Africa" is a whole lot of cold water. Yeah, I know, you meant Sub-Sahara Africa...

52 posted on 05/22/2016 11:07:26 AM PDT by Moltke (Reasoning with a liberal is like watering a rock in the hope to grow a building)
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To: Patriotic1
I’ve often wondered given we’ve sent people there for decades, and in addition so many churches have projects ongoing. Does any place ever improve?!?

If any place actually became self sufficient, then there would be no need for aid.

Which means no justification for fund-raising.

Which means less cash-flow to skim from. What? You actually thought the objective was to HELP people there?

53 posted on 05/22/2016 11:12:29 AM PDT by PapaBear3625 (Big government is attractive to those who think that THEY will be in control of it.)
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To: gaijin

We called them bushwhackers in the cessholes I was at.


54 posted on 05/22/2016 11:12:52 AM PDT by Organic Panic
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To: Lorianne

At least there are no evil white people


55 posted on 05/22/2016 11:13:16 AM PDT by Organic Panic
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To: doug from upland

He was right.


56 posted on 05/22/2016 11:17:32 AM PDT by trisham (Zen is not easy. It takes effort to attain nothingness. And then what do you have? Bupkis.)
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To: Lorianne

Call Bono.


57 posted on 05/22/2016 11:20:38 AM PDT by ichabod1 (Make America Normal Again)
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To: antidisestablishment

It goes beyond tribalism and culture. There’s a bell curve issue here, too, that no one wants to talk about.


58 posted on 05/22/2016 11:26:26 AM PDT by FreedomPoster (Islam delenda est)
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To: FreedomPoster

There’s always a bell curve, but the norm is set by the group. Plus, scores are not causative—they’re barely correlative. Many people far outperform simple scores and many “geniuses” underperform. A 105 IQ makes one a genius when the mean is 75.

Choosing mental and physical differences as the single cause.is as illogical as denying their existence.


59 posted on 05/22/2016 12:02:38 PM PDT by antidisestablishment (If those who defend our freedom do not know liberty, none of us will have either.)
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To: Lorianne

60 posted on 05/22/2016 12:04:35 PM PDT by Vendome (Don't take life so seriously-you won't live through it anyway - "Enjoy Yourself" ala Louis Prima)
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