The Price of Food

One hears grumbling no matter where you might call home – Kisumu is no different. Sort of a societal white noise, easily tuned out and familiar enough as to be almost comforting. That said, the general discontent over food prices has gotten loud enough that one is forced to take notice.

By personal account, the price of basic food stuffs (dairy, flour, bread, raw meat, and fruits&veg) in Kisumu has risen by about 5-10% in the 3-4 months that I’ve been here. In the situation of an affluent “muzungo”, this increase has been only now begun to register and even then seems little more than an interesting tidbit. Taking some time to speak to others in Kisumu, however, this increase in food prices has not only been noticed – it has begun to bring up questions of continued quality of life and, in some cases, survival. So, in Kisumu we hear grumbling – In some countries they have had rioting – What might be happening globally?

The above, produced by the BBC, clearly illustrates that the food price issues being noticed here in Kisumu are part of a much larger problem. With wheat prices having doubled in the last year, the price of rice up 70% in some areas, and both dairy and meat prices up more than 50% in developing nations – the World Trade Organization, the United Nations, and the World Bank have all begun to sound the alarm. The frightening term “food crisis” will get you pages upon pages of material at the BBC and Al Jazerra news sites with the message of most being: In terms of food for the developing world things are bad and likely to get worse.

What of the most vulnerable populations? Looking at people living with HIV/AIDS in Kenya the Global Development Briefing notes:

Soaring food prices are beginning to affect the health of HIV-positive people in Kenya. According to the UNAIDS, adequate nutrition plays a crucial role in maintaining the immune systems of people living with HIV and AIDS, as well as helping to ensure that those on treatment get the maximum benefits from antiretroviral (ARV) treatment. In Isiolo district, about 250km north of the capital, Nairobi, some of the poorer HIV/AIDS patients had begun rejecting free life-prolonging ARV medication because of the side effects of taking the drugs on an empty stomach. (IRIN)

Even this addresses only one issue in one vulnerable population. There is much material available on this topic, one can spend hours on news/media outlets alone, and far to much complexity to make much a dent in here. That said, and in the most simplest of terms, Kenya is a country in which the majority of the population lives in abject poverty (less than a dollar per day) making statistics like the doubling of wheat futures a very concrete and very serious situation.

The KIPE lead model farming initiative (see previous KIPE posts) takes on added importance in this context of a “world wide” food crisis. As the most basic of needs, until food and nutrition are provided – all other issues quickly become secondary.

-Dr. Nadine Peacock and Matthew