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Kenya: WFP Boss Sounds Alarm Over Food Crisis Amid Rising Cost of Key Goods

Ken Opala

11 April 2008

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interview

Nairobi — Ms Josette Sheeran, the executive director of the World Food Programme, talked to KEN OPALA during her visit to Kenya last week to assess the food situation. Excerpts.

You toured several IDP camps; what did you gather?

The camps' situation has improved in the terms that people's basic needs are being met. But they still have to get back to their lands. Most of the people we met were farmers. They are eager to take opportunity of this planting season to go back and farm. They are anxious for security that is so important in people's lives.

So, I think this gives the leaders of Kenya an opportunity to come together on behalf of those who need assistance most.

You are on your way to meet President Kibaki and Prime Minister-designate Raila Odinga, what will be your message to them?

For the World Food Programme, our concern is the plight of the world's most vulnerable people. They need food and security in order to better their lives and so, my message really is that Kenyan leaders need to pull together, to move ahead.

Kenya is a great nation. It can produce a lot of food. It has a lot of opportunity for the people. Now is the time for Kenya to see this future. We really urge everyone to get together and work towards putting the country ahead. We have to partner with the Government to ensure people have enough to eat, that farmers can get the inputs they need and plant their food.

What would you say about the impasse over the naming of Cabinet even after former UN secretary general Kofi Annan appeared to have sealed a solution to the election impasse?

Our problem is hunger. And the ingredient of overcoming hunger is peace and stability. So, we urge Kenya and every country in the world to really focus on creating the environment where people can take control of their lives and be able to feed themselves. Nobody wants to rely on others for help. And everyone wants an opportunity. Therefore, peace and stability are critical to them.

Which countries did you visit on this trip and what is your impression?

I have been on a world tour that started about three months ago. I started in Mali, and went to Senegal, Egypt, and Syria to look at the impact of high (food) prices on people. I was quite alarmed by what I heard and saw.

I went to donor nations and spoke to the British (authorities), to the European Parliament, to the American Congress, to the White House, to all of our donors in the world to put out an emergency appeal to help people during this time of high food prices.

What we are seeing around the world is that people have been forced to cut down on diet and essential nutrition. This is a global phenomenon.

But if you put on additional stress, such as drought or conflict, it really puts people at a great risk. So in this regard, while in Ethiopia, I met with the prime minister, and visited and talked to people in the streets of Addis (the capital city), but also went and spoke to the African Union and the Economic Commission on Africa about this challenge and how we really want to join hands with them to meet the challenge.

The small farmers are hurting while the big ones are really making extra money. The cost of inputs, including fertilisers, seeds and diesel, are getting really high. This is making it difficult for the small farmer in the world.

We are trying to push solutions to help the small farmer.

Reports indicate that Kenya faces a food crisis. Is this an isolated phenomenon or is it a problem faced by many African countries?

In developing nations that don't produce enough food to feed the populations, the soaring food prices is a situation demanding urgent solution. So we are finding this a really global phenomenon. Again, each situation is different. In Ethiopia they are having a bad drought, so that makes the situation more challenging. And I think the insecurity in Kenya has made it more challenging because less people are planting food.

But the phenomenon is really global. It knows no boundaries. The new face of hunger knows no borders, even the poor in the richer countries are really suffering right now.

How can African countries deal with food insecurity?

First, leaders in Africa and the world have to make it a top political priority, they have to understand the urgency. There's opportunity for farmers here. They can make enough money, and this is a huge opportunity for African farmers. But first, the impact of prices on the poor is hitting them very hard.

The leaders need to pull together and realise that the people are cutting back their diet, cutting essential nutrients out of their diet, cutting meals out of their diet. This needs to be addressed.

Secondly, we need to find medium and long term solutions. Getting increased agricultural production, bringing science and technology to the African farmer. That's why I am working closely with Kofi Annan in the Africa Green Revolution whose headquarters is based here in Nairobi. This (kind of initiative) has brought great changes in Asia and Latin America. It is thus important this green evolution is coming to Africa.

There is this great debate worldwide, on whether to subsidise farmers or cut down import tariffs on food in a bid to protect the consumer. What is your take on this?

Well, the African Union is putting together a workshop to bring together African countries to share ideas on policy response to high food prices.

Many countries are trying different responses; some of the measures are working better than others. Some may discourage farmers from planting more food, if you have price controls for example. But these lessons need to be shared. The best practices need to be adopted very quickly.

Therefore, we are supporting the African Union and this workshop and every effort to bring the leaders of the world together to find solutions.

How will food insecurity impact on the operations of your agency, UN-WFP?

For the World Food Programme, we procure food in 80 developing nations and some of the bigger markets. But 80 per cent of our cash is spent in the developing world.

The prices have gone up for us also since last June, by about 55 per cent. So, with the same contribution we can only buy much less. In some of operations we can only buy 40 per cent less than what we used to eight months ago.

We really have an emergency appeal out to the world to help us keep the cup flowing for schoolchildren and the others that rely on us for their health.

Now that you have been around and talked to key players in the agriculture and food industry, should Kenya expect more support from your agency?

I am certainly here so that I can see with my own eyes and learn about the situation. The WFP has had a partnership with Kenya for many decades. This is a beautiful country, a country of great opportunity. So we will be with people of Kenya, we will work with the government, with other partners, to deal with this latest challenge. We are worried that there are increasing needs here and elsewhere with the high food prices and other challenges caused by the disruption of the lives of the IDPs. So, I am here to see firsthand and take a message to the world about the help that may be needed.

To what extent is UN-WFP involved in Kenya?

We are feeding about 1.2 million schoolchildren, and about 100,000 people affected by HIV and Aids, either directly or their families. We are supporting refugees in two major refugee camps in Kenya; mostly Somalis and Sudanese. That amounts to some 280,000 people.

We have done this for many years and we will continue to do so.

And then we are just coming out of drought which, at the height of it, we were supporting about 3.6 million people.

This time we are supporting 600,000 and by the end of this month, the number will have gone up to 850,000. It is a very significant population of the Kenyan population that we are supporting.

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