African growth will slow for lack of food and water
NAIROBI, Kenya – At the 18th Annual World Economic Forum on Africa, leaders, policy makers, and analysts all expressed concern over the impending consequences of the food and water shortages hitting sub-Saharan Africa. The panel urged policy makers to re-emphasize food and water as crucial economic elements – without them, maintaining the 5 percent growth Africa has experienced so far this millennium will be impossible.
Gareth Shepherd, co-author of the report and member of the Forum’s Global Risk Programme, told allAfrica.com, “as food is a major proportion of poor people’s consumption basket, higher food prices may threaten political stability in Africa, leading to a regressive economic crisis, and placing Africa’s growth at risk. Likewise, acute water shortages might exacerbate intercommunity and interstate tensions and blight prospects for development.”
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Source : allAfrica.com
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im a sophomore in high school and i really want to get a program started here at my school. Lately i’ve taken an interest to the food and water crisis in Afica. I don’t know where to begin, but i really want to get something set up so that each summer a group of students and teachers travel to a select location in Africa and help build homes and install solar powered water pumps. However i dont know where to start.
Hello Kristyne,
While I can’t recommend any specific program, a Google search of “volunteer opportunities in africa” shows a lot of potential sites.
To learn more about agricultural and water issues in Africa, you might check out the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organization’s website.
Good Luck,
Cody T. Pope