African Activist Archive

Contents: THE FOOD CRISIS IN AFRICA • THE CRISIS IN EAST AFRICA • THE CRISIS IN WEST AFRICA • THE CRISIS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA • This ISSUE BRIEF describes the gravity of the current food crisis in east, west, and southern Africa, beginning with an interview with Congressman Ted Weiss (D-NY), a member of the House Subcommittee on Africa, by TransAfrica Forum Executive Director Randall Robinson. Food production in Africa is failing to keep pace with population growth by an ever-widening margin. Africa is the only continent where per capita food production has declined over the last 20 years. Food imports to Africa have increased, but the average person has less access to food today than ten years ago, and average dietary standards have fallen below nutritional requirements. In many countries, 25-30% of the population is malnourished most of the year, regardless of climatic conditions. Africa's poverty, in the final analysis, continually exposes its population to famine, hunger, and malnutrition. The drought and ensuing famine have drawn world attention to the region. The newsletter mentions the Sahel, the UN Disaster Relief Organization (UNDRO), Catholic Relief Services (CRS), Title II, development assistance, security assistance, the East-West conflict, Congress, the Reagan administration, AID, the Red Cross, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Program (WFP), the European Economic Community (EEC), the Ethiopian Relief and Rehabilitation Commission (ERRC, Private Relief Organizations (PROs), the Relief Society of Tigre, the Eritrean Relief Association, Upper Volta, the PL-480 Food for Peace Program, State Flight Lieutenant Jerry Rawlings, guerrillas with the Mozambican National Resistance (MNR), and U.S. wheat, and corn.

African Activist Archive

TransAfrica Forum Issue Brief

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