Sustainable Solutions

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Every day, 25,000 African people die from malnutrition and related illnesses. Meanwhile, 100 Americans develop type 2 diabetes each day due to sedentary lifestyles and overconsumption. Civil war, drought, depleted soil, and underdeveloped economies cause the food crisis in many African countries to worsen, while developed countries enjoy gross excesses of food and see the shocking effects of overeating. Something must be done to even things out, and quickly. Chemical fertilizers and access to microfinance loans would be effective solutions to the African food crisis in the short term, but they will eventually harm the environment and will do little to help the economy. The most sustainable solution in the long run is increased agricultural subsidization in Africa coupled with decreased subsidization throughout the developed world.

Chemical fertilizers are proven to increase crop yields, but the environmental effects can be devastating and are rarely worth the benefits. One of the most popular types of fertilizer is nitrogen fertilizer. When German chemist Fritz Haber discovered how to make synthetic ammonia in 1908, he created a cheap way to make the crucial ingredient in nitrogen fertilizer (Charles). When sprinkled on depleted soil, ammonia replenishes nitrogen, which is necessary for plant growth. However, due to overuse of fertilizer, much of the nitrogen is not utilized by plants and instead finds it’s way back into the environment (Killpack and Buchholz). Large amounts of the nitrogen applied to crops run off into rivers and eventually end up in the ocean. This is a serious problem because nitrogen continues to encourage plant growth, even once it reaches water. It causes algae blooms, which consume large amounts of oxygen from the water and disrupt the ecosystem. “Dead zones” represent areas of the ocean where oxygen has been depleted and fish have died due to excessive nitrogen. Dead zones often occur at the mouths of rivers that run through agricultural areas and are becoming more common, especially in the Gulf of Mexico. In addition to causing devastating dead zones, a study found that algae blooms can dump domoic acid, a neurotoxin, onto the ocean floor. The toxin can persist for weeks and affects surrounding sea life (Pearce). Nitrogen from fertilizers also gets into the air in the form of Nitrous oxide, a heat-trapping greenhouse gas that is much more potent than Carbon dioxide (“Sources and Emission”). Clearly, nitrogen fertilizers have very negative effects on the environment. In the short-term, they would potentially help to lift Africa out of the food crisis by increasing crop yield. However, the environmental damage that would result from such large-scale use of fertilizers would not be worth any potential benefits.

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In recent years, small loans to small business owners in developing countries have seen a jump in popularity both in the economic community and in popular culture. The UN has supported microcredit loan facilities and websites such as Kiva.org allow people to make small loans to business owners around the world with specific goals (Karlan and Zinman). Like many simple solutions to complex problems, microfinance has both beneficial and detrimental effects. Some studies have found that overall, microfinance is helpful on an individual or small community basis and that it alleviates the stress of poverty and sets communities on a more sustainable and productive path (Deininger and Liu). Small farmers who receive loans can use the money to buy hardier seeds, farm equipment, and other items that increase their farm yield and profit. However, many recent events, including the suicides of many farmers in India that were believed to have been motivated by the farmers’ inability to repay small loans, show the darker side of microfinance (Kermeliotis). Clearly, it is a complicated issue. Microloans seem to be beneficial in many individual cases and may help individual African farmers to lift themselves out of poverty, but they clearly do not provide a complete solution nor a reliable route to lifting the entire continent out of the food crisis.

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A sustainable solution to the food crisis would be increased agricultural subsidization in Africa coupled with decreased agricultural subsidization in the developed world. Agricultural subsidies, or monetary assistance from the government to farmers, are extremely popular in the US and Europe. Recently, organizations and governments have been testing out the option of subsidies in various African countries (“Africa: Subsidies That Work”). Although there are still not many examples of subsidies at work in Africa, many of the ones that are in effect have been successful. For example, a pilot subsidy program in Malawi has paid for itself by making the country a grain exporter and reducing import costs (Macanda). Subsidies are popular in the rest of the world as well, especially the US and Europe. The amount that developed countries spend subsidizing their farmers each year is about $250 billion (Kline). Subsidies in rich, developed countries drive prices down worldwide. This pleases consumers but is a huge threat for many small farmers in developing countries (Beaubien, Nath). Recently, controversy over subsidies has been mounting as it becomes clear that subsidies contribute to the cycle of poverty in developing countries. If governments of developed countries such as the US are serious about helping African citizens, they need to decrease agricultural subsidization in their own countries and support government subsidization of agricultural products in Africa.

Solving the African food crisis requires more than a simple solution. While chemical fertilizers and access to microloans may help relieve the situation for a bit, they will eventually do more harm than good, both to the environment and the economy. Instead of prescribing these simple cures, concerned people around the world should band together to encourage governments to change their approaches. The best solution is for governments to support increased agricultural subsidization in Africa and more responsible subsidization in the rest of the world. This will provide a sustainable solution without negative side effects.

Galen Burns-Fulkerson




Works Cited

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Beaubien, Jason. "U.S., European Subsidies Undercut African Farmers." NPR. NPR, 13 Oct. 2006. Web. 15 Sept. 2012. <http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=6256274>.

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Charles, Dan. "The Tragedy of Fritz Haber." NPR. NPR, 11 July 2002. Web. 15 Sept. 2012. <http://www.npr.org/programs/morning/features/2002/jul/fritzhaber/>.
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Karlan, Dean, and Jonathan Zinman. "After Microcredit Loans, Business Owners Are Worse Off, Study Finds." Discover Magazine. Kalmbach Publishing Co., 10 June 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2012. <http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/06/10/after-microcredit-loans-businesses-owners-are-worse-off-than-before-study-finds/>.

Kermeliotis, Teo. "Experts Warn Africa Must Learn from India's Microfinance Problems." CNN. CNN, 23 Mar. 2011. Web. 15 Sept. 2012. <http://edition.cnn.com/2011/BUSINESS/03/23/microfinance.africa.lessons/index.html>.

Killpack, Scott C., and Daryl Buchholz. "Nitrogen Cycle." University of Michigan Extension. Curators of the University of Michigan, Oct. 1993. Web. 16 Sept. 2012. <http://extension.missouri.edu/p/WQ252>.

Kline, Jesse. "America's Corny Farm Subsidies Are Making a Bad Drought Worse." National Post. National Post, 19 July 2012. Web. 11 Sept. 2012. <http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2012/07/19/jesse-kline-americas-corny-farm-subsidies-are-making-a-bad-drought-worse/>.

Macanda, Phumza. "Malawi President Urges Africa Farm Subsidies." Reuters Africa. Thomas Reuters Corporate, 29 Mar. 2010. Web. 15 Sept. 2012. <http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE62S0IN20100329>.

Nath, Kamal. "Farm Subsidies Are The Real Culprit." BloombergBusinessweek. Bloomberg L.P., 13 May 2008. Web. 09 Sept. 2012. <http://www.businessweek.com/stories/2008-05-13/farm-subsidies-are-the-real-culpritbusinessweek-business-news-stock-market-and-financial-advice>.

Pearce, Fred. "The Nitrogen Fix: Breaking a Costly Addiction." Yale Environment 360. Yale University, 05 Nov. 2009. Web. 9 Sept. 2012. <http://e360.yale.edu/feature/the_nitrogen_fix_breaking_a_costly_addiction/2207/>.

"Sources and Emission." Nitrous Oxide. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, 22 June 2010. Web. 15 Sept. 2012. <http://www.epa.gov/nitrousoxide/sources.html>.

Surowiecki, James. "What Microloans Miss." The New Yorker. The New Yorker, 17 Mar. 2008. Web. 09 Sept. 2012. <http://www.newyorker.com/talk/financial/2008/03/17/080317ta_talk_surowiecki>.