How would YOU answer this question?

In one of my recent applications (which I have filled out far too many at this point), they asked the question "How will we feed a growing global population in the face of a wide range of adverse factors?" And then they said to answer the question in 150-200 words, yikes! Well this is what I came up with, how would you answer this question?

            "To feed a growing global population in the face of a wide range of adverse factors is a complex challenge which will take a concerted effort to improve both the production and distribution of food. For agricultural production to increase, private and public agricultural research institutions must be committed to greater investment, coupled with well-trained extension agents to assure that technology reaches the field. Producers, particularly women in low-income countries, must be given equal access to productive capital, including inputs, education, credit, and crop insurance. Agricultural production must increase while conserving soil and water resources, learning from both successes and mistakes of the Green Revolution. But an increase in agricultural production will not guarantee that every mouth is fed; producers and consumers alike must be well connected to markets. Governments must commit to policies which reduce food waste, stimulate the production of nutritious food, and protect its most vulnerable citizens, particularly women and children. They must invest in rural infrastructure, giving farmers access to capital and allowing them to easily move surplus grain as yields increase.  The challenge is great, but with strong commitment from various actors, both public and private, feeding our growing planet is within reach." 

195 words, whew, barely made it.

And a picture to attract fellow bloggers:

 

A bridge in Nicaragua connects small farmers to a market where they can sell extra produce and buy goods

And finally a quote from Josette Sheeran, Vice-Chairman of the World Economic Forum, in her address to IFPRI on December 4, 2012, "Over the next 40 years, we need to produce more food than the last 8,000 years combined."

The challenge is great. Let's get too it! How would you answer this question?

Tanzania Pigeonpeas

Recently I've had the privilege to work on a project in Tanzania with pigeonpeas. The purpose it to track the impact of several initiatives by ICRISAT (International Crops Research Institute for Semi-Arid Tropics) including 1) the development of new varieties of pigeonpea which are resistant to a fungus, fusarium wilt, which destroyed crops in Tanzania beginning in the 1990s and 2) the processing/marketing of pigeonpeas to India and the EU.

To carry out an impact assessment study takes several steps.

First is survey development. We figure out what we think are important questions to ask the farmer such as "Did you have problems with fungus this season?" or "Did you plant the fungus-resistant variety?" and "What was the average yield?" This takes place in the US and requires some reading of all previous reports and publications on pigeonpeas in Tanzania.

Next is the fun part: survey testing. I love being in the field and talking to farmers, hearing about their success and struggles. I can't believe this is my job!!

We arrive at a farmers house where neighbors have gathered to help us test the survey.

These are pigeonpeas in the field! (Most are already harvested)

 

Pigeonpeas fix nitrogen so they don't require fertilizer and are often intercropped with corn.

 Notice the enumerators asking farmers questions in the shade of corn stocks that will be used to feed cattle and goats.

 The owner of this farm also sells pigeonpea seed to her neighbors.

 Pigeonpea stems are used as cooking fuel, reducing reliance on firewood.

This house was built with pigeonpeas! (The truck is ours).

After testing the survey, it will be administered to over 700 farmers in 4 districts. This is a time-intensive project that will begin soon. Pigeonpeas are a great crop for small farmers. They can be used for cash, or they can eat the protein-rich peas. Pigeonpeas cook quickly, stems can be used for fuel, and they produce nitrogen naturally (organic fertilizer). The amount of pigeonpeas produced has increased considerably over the years. It seems like a success overall!

I've learned a lot so far, and look forward to finding out more through the survey results.

Amazima = "the truth"

Yesterday I was reading my mom's book to her (Kisses from Katie). It's about a girl who moves to Uganda to work in an orphanage and because of her passion for Jesus and love for these kids, starts her own ministry to feed and educate hundreds, plus adopt 13 of her own. It's really quite incredible.

My mom just finished reading it, but I asked her if I could read her the chapter I was on and she happily agreed - she really loves this book. Here's an exerpt: 

        "Amazima, in Luganda, means 'the truth.' 'You will know the truth and the truth will set you free.'...
        Today, about a year after naming this ministry Amazima, I stand in awe of the truth with which God has presented me. In Uganda, I strive to teach my children and all children in our program and in our villages "the truth" of Christ. I know I cannot walk into a village and tell a child that Jesus loves her. She cannot comprehend that because, chances are, she has never been loved. I have to feed her, clothe her, care for her, and love her unconditionally as I tell her that I love her. Once she can understand and see my love, I can begin to tell her about a Savior who loves her even more. That is the truth for these children - that they are loved, that they are valuable, that they will not be left as orphans but that they have a plan and a hope for the future. What a beautiful truth.....And the truth is that these are only the children I know, in a very small fraction of a very small country. The truth is that there are children like this all over the world, sick, starving, dying, unloved, uncared for. 
        The truth is that the 143 million orphaned children and the 11 million who starve to death or die from preventable diseases and the 8.5 million who work as child slaves, prostitutes, or under other horrific conditions and the 2.3 million who live with HIV add up to 164.8 million needy children. And though at first glance that looks like a big number, 2.1 billion people on this earth proclaim to be Christians.
        The truth is that if only 8 percent of the Christians wold care for one more child, there would not be any statistics left. 
        This is the truth. I have the freedom to believe it. The freedom, the opportunity to do something about it. The truth is that He loves these children just as much as He loves me and now that I know, I am responsible."

Repost: Best ways to give to poor

The following post by Bruce Wydick (Economics Prof at USF) is from World Bank's blog, but the article was originally written in Christianity Today. The question is basically, what is the most cost-effective way to positively impact the poor? Professionals rate these activities in order or most to least effective:

1. Provide clean water
2. De-worming treatments
3. Bed nets
4. Child sponsorship
5. Efficient stoves
6. Micro finance
7. Reparative surgeries
8. Farm animal donation
9. Libraries
10. Fair Trade Coffee
11. Laptops for kids....the list goes on

Point is, Fair Trade coffee is at the bottom. And this is a grave issue in my opinion. Not that I disagree entirely - but because Fair-Trade coffee is entirely different than the other 10 ways to help the poor. Can you guess why?

Only Fair Trade requires something of the poor. Ok, you think, that is ridiculous, we are to help the poor, not the other way around! The thing that Fair Trade has the power to do is EMPOWER the poor in a way that other interventions don't.

PAC, the organization I interned with in Nicaragua takes it a step further than Fair Trade. They build strong relationships with their farmers, and provide consistently higher prices through a simplified supply chain, good marketing, and higher quality coffee. They invite farmers to improve the quality and quantity of their product, and gives them access to tools (microfinance, technical assistance, etc.) to make it possible.

Poverty is complex, and PAC has found a multifacted approach that has measurable results.

And now, a picture so that people at least read a few words of the blog :)

 Hugo and I checking out a huge selection of cheeses in Toulouse, France. I wish Newton had specialty cheese like this...I've heard rumors that a local dairyman Jason might start up - if he makes artisan swiss cheese, I will buy it!

GDP and trash

I was reading an article that I found interesting from the Economist, and it reminded me of a simple fact that must be considered when we define "development." The first picture is one of GDP, or gross domestic product, which is basically a measure of income. Intuition would tell us that as incomes rise, people live healthier, happier lives. And this is true to some degree.

The second picture is a measure of the trash that people create (or municipal solid waste) in kilograms per day.

 Source: http://www.economist.com/blogs/graphicdetail/2012/06/daily-chart-3
Comparing the two pictures is obvious. Raising incomes does NOT solve all the problems, in fact it leads to a very glaring cost (called a negative externality in economics).

For me, this is a reminder that development is about more than people's income. It's (more importantly I would argue) about people, about relationships. With God, ourselves, others, and creation. More on this later!

Nice or good?

So I just finished reading a book called "No More Christian Nice Guy" by Paul Coughlin that was laying on a shelf in our house and caught my attention (very cheesey, I know). Needless to say, it was challenging, especially into the life of Jesus and how it compares with today's portrayal of what a Christian nice guy (CNG) should look like, such as:

• Be passive and avoid conflict
• Don't say things that insult others
• Turn the other cheek
• Be humble and submissive

These are part of great character, but they are not ALL there is to great character. Jesus broke all of these principles at one time or another, for the right reasons of course. Some principles that are often overlooked include:

• Initiator - Jesus did not wait for others to tell him what to do next
• Compassionate - especially for the sick
• Confrontational - how He spoke to the Pharisees
• No fear of others opinion - Jesus did as He knew was right, eating with sinners, healing on the Sabbath
• Extreme, not-holding-back love - dying an undeserved death as a criminal

How can we live in such an unashamed, unselfish way? To make a difference in a world that so desperately needs movers? I have so many examples to follow, of people who are leading the way, showing me what it looks like to give 100%, to not turn back. My Great Uncle and Aunt, Dr. John and Clara giving their lives to leprosy patients in Paraguay. My Uncle Tom and Aunt Marcy, giving up comfort to share with others the true peace that we can experience only in a relationship with God. And my parents, giving so generously out of what they have been given.

Will our generation unselfishly step up to the challenge?

Hershey's President and CEO - truthful or a lier?

Today John P. Bilbrey spoke at K-State; he is the President of Hershey's, the largest chocolate manufacturer of chocolate in the US. The focus of the presentation was to awe us over the fact that he has gained $billions in revenue for the company since he became president in 2003 (31% dividends to shareholders in last years bad economy, not bad).

After the presentation, students had an opportunity to ask him questions. One of the questions was, "what are you doing to end child labor" and "what are you doing to help the African people." The second question was asked by an African about an issue obviously close to his heart.

Let's examine what Mr. Bilbrey really said:

The first part of his answer was "it's complex." Is this a valid argument? Yes, most definitely, not all child labor is slave labor. Unfortunately, he was using it as an excuse for the company to sit on their hands and act as though children enslaved on cocoa farms do not harvest cocoa for Hershey's - they do.

Secondly, "all the FairTrade cocoa that is available, we'll use it" is simply not true. Firms are notorious for rejecting FairTrade cocoa because it doesn't measure up to their high standards. Once again, FairTrade needs to work with companies more closely in this regard (Starbucks coffee is a great example).

Third, he said that they are "very, very dedicated" to end child labor. Which explains why they spent $125 million on a high school in Pennsyvania last year, and will spend $2 million, or 0.08%
of total profits, to end child slavery. By the way - he did use the word "very" twice. At least it is a step in the right direction. They spent $0 the last 11 decades.

Fourth, he claimed to be a "man of faith" and while he was implying faith in God, I'm glad he didn't qualify it. What does God have to say about all this, anyways? "Whoever oppresses the poor shows contempt for their Maker, but whoever is kind to the needy honors God." (Proverbs 14:31).

This all begs the question, can our generation step up to the plate with a strong stance on moral issues like this one? Can we tell the next generation that child labor is a thing of the past because we had a perspective that went past profit? I certainly hope so.

Cocoa - the global picture

While today was mostly dedicated to my thesis, I took a lunchtime break to explore cocoa a little. Where is it from? Where does it go? I hope you enjoy my findings (courtesy: FAOSTAT).

Production (2010):

Ivory Coast - 29%
Indonesia - 19%
Ghana - 15%
Nigeria - 10%

These 4 countries alone produce 73% of the worlds cocoa, wow! The entire Americas produces 12% of the entire cocoa production in the world, 9% from Brazil and Ecuador.

Imports of cocoa beans (2010):

Netherlands - 24%
United States - 14%
Germany - 11%
Malaysia - 9% (from Indonesia?)
France - 5%
Belgium - 5%
UK - 5%

These 7 countries buy almost 70% of total imports, which is 50% of all cocoa beans produced in the world. (73% of cocoa beans are exported unprocessed).

What does this conclude: the worldwide cocoa market is very concentrated in "pockets" of production and processing. Is this an open door for countries like Nicaragua that are placed strategically close to the US, a huge cocoa market? Or does it suggest that economies of scale (large quantity) is a "must" in the cocoa industry?

My job is to do the research, I'll let you decide!

Why FairTrade? Many small farmers in LICs get cheated - either they get paid an unreasonably low price, or they never get paid at all. Here, a cocoa producer in Nicaragua gets his fair share of the profit.