CELEBRATING FOOD IN TIMES OF CRISIS

Food, they say, is a basic requirement of life. It is that which feeds the body that feeds the mind that feeds the soul. Food is an essential ingredient in achieving health and productivity and therefore it has a large economic and political significance. The world shall celebrate food on the 16th of October 2009 as have been done every year since 1945. The theme of this year’s celebration is achieving food security in times of crisis.

Food security has been said to exist only when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life. People must not live in fear of hunger or starvation. Food insecurity is evident when household members are concerned about the adequacy of their household food supply and there are adjustments in food management such as reduced quality of food, increased unusual coping patterns, when people repeatedly experience the physical sensation of hunger. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, it is estimated that more than a billion people, one in every six human beings, may be suffering from under-nourishment.

You must agree with me that the state of being food secure is not yet in our reality. A large proportion of Nigerians cannot be certain of a complete meal at all times. The increase in food prices around the world has had people unsettled for a while now and the belief is that the governments are not doing enough. We must reflect on the statistics and the suffering behind them. We have the know-how to do something about hunger in our society. Let us all work together to alleviate this critical problem because the consequences are great.

This world food day would be an excellent time to appreciate all those who have contributed to agriculture in Nigeria. It cannot be easy producing food in a country like Nigeria where subsistent farming is still the order of the day and there are inadequate storage systems, Poor distribution channels, and inadequate food processing system to mention a few challenges. Farmers, distributors, marketers, banks, research institutes, the Nigerian government, non-governmental organizations and international agencies have been working tirelessly to ensure that the nation is food secured. This target has not yet been reached; however, we must applaud these people.

Women should be specially commended because of their important role in assuring food and nutrition security. Their roles as producers of food, as managers of natural resources, in income generation and as providers of care for their families cannot be overlooked. Though women often continue to have limited access to land, education, credit, information, technology and decision making bodies, they still fulfil their socio-economic roles in food and nutrition security and in ensuring care, health and hygiene for themselves and their families.

Finally, we must appreciate the maker, who first ensured that man was food secure in the Garden of Eden. Adam, in the beginning, did not have to worry whether he would have enough to eat or not. He had the opportunity to diversify his diet and live a healthy life. We must also thank God for the wisdom and knowledge he has given to us in this present world to guarantee that we are food secure. The hope is that we would utilize this knowledge, remove the obstacles in our paths and ensure food security. Happy world food day.

PEOPLE IN THE COCOON

Turmoil and struggle, resignation and submission- these are the things that we face each day. There are those – very few of them - that truly fight back. They fight with all their might; arms and all. We sit and ponder ‘why can’t they fight in silence like we do?’ we watch as they destroy themselves in hope that their fight would yield good fruits; as they surrender all to their cause.
We pay tributes with our lips and with our buttocks, sit still – holding fast to our soft cushions. We watch the aggression of our brothers in the Delta, Kenya, Sudan, Rwanda and outside the continent but we clamour only for peace. ‘Peace is good.’ We say to ourselves.

Boko Haram popped out of the northern air and our feathers were ruffled, Clinton said her piece and some of us gnarled at her. Instead of learning from others and from experience we fight things that do not need fighting. Who started this Boko Haram? Who had Bayo Ohu killed? Who are those really behind these things? Don’t sit and ask, shout at those who can give us answers, force their mouths open. Corruption cannot be fought with peace, or can it?

As we sit, wonder and sigh, thought of our needs consume us. We want electricity, we want good roads, and we want water, jobs and security. We want our children safe and though we crave desperately for all these things, yet our buttocks, brown and round, remain buried in our soft cushions.

The fans above our heads do not roll, we cannot do much work and we are impoverished yet we sit and shout ‘give us our due.’ We don’t want to get up because half bread is better than none and we are afraid of the loss that comes with contest. We could lose our homes and peace of mind, we justify our inactions. We also have to think of our children and what may become of them. We hope a lot and we like to live in peace.
Hope is good and peace is good too so we look forward to them for we are convinced they will come someday. In the mean time – that could mean forever – we strategize, adapt and endure.

Some say to us ‘Ko ti de oju e’ – It has not reached the eyes yet. So we sit since there is no fire under our butts. We the people in the cocoon are peaceful and hopeful.

PEOPLE IN THE COCOON

Turmoil and struggle, resignation and submission- these are the things that we face each day. There are those – very few of them - that truly fight back. They fight with all their might; arms and all. We sit and ponder ‘why can’t they fight in silence like we do?’ we watch as they destroy themselves in hope that their fight would yield good fruits; as they surrender all to their cause.
We pay tributes with our lips and with our buttocks, sit still – holding fast to our soft cushions. We watch the aggression of our brothers in the Delta, Kenya, Sudan, Rwanda and outside the continent but we clamour only for peace. ‘Peace is good.’ We say to ourselves.

Boko Haram popped out of the northern air and our feathers were ruffled, Clinton said her piece and some of us gnarled at her. Instead of learning from others and from experience we fight things that do not need fighting. Who started this Boko Haram? Who had Bayo Ohu killed? Who are those really behind these things? Don’t sit and ask, shout at those who can give us answers, force their mouths open. Corruption cannot be fought with peace, or can it?

As we sit, wonder and sigh, thought of our needs consume us. We want electricity, we want good roads, and we want water, jobs and security. We want our children safe and though we crave desperately for all these things, yet our buttocks, brown and round, remain buried in our soft cushions.

The fans above our heads do not roll, we cannot do much work and we are impoverished yet we sit and shout ‘give us our due.’ We don’t want to get up because half bread is better than none and we are afraid of the loss that comes with contest. We could lose our homes and peace of mind, we justify our inactions. We also have to think of our children and what may become of them. We hope a lot and we like to live in peace.
Hope is good and peace is good too so we look forward to them for we are convinced they will come someday. In the mean time – that could mean forever – we strategize, adapt and endure.

Some say to us ‘Ko ti de oju e’ – It has not reached the eyes yet. So we sit since there is no fire under our butts. We the people in the cocoon are peaceful and hopeful.