Africa in a month

This past March, K-State send me to Africa for a month. It was one great adventure. Here are a few details!

Though not very evident from the picture, South Africa is the corn capital of Africa, and a major exporter to the rest of the continent. They are the only country in Africa that has approved GM corn. (Aside from driving on the "wrong" side of the road, this picture could have been taken in Kansas).

 

In Malawi, it is illegal to carry more than one bag of coal per person into town. In this case, a policy designed to reduce deforestation has resulted in high coal prices and thousands of jobs!


 

I had the privelage to meet up with my Uncle's family in Ethiopia (Henok, Chris, Robel, Aman). They were so hospitable and they took me to the finest restaurants Ethiopia (and Africa) has to offer. My Uncle Haig back in Atlanta was surely jealous!






The highlight of my trip? Getting to see my Uncle Tom and Aunt Marcy in Niamey, Africa! They provided me with plenty of laughs and the best homemade food. Also, if you visit, I can almost guarantee that you will find the worlds best mango smoothie waiting for you upon your arrival! Here, we are eating kabobs on a rooftop cafe overlooking the Niger River. Wow! Also, I must note that Niger has been extremely blessed with the presence of Kirk and Becca, two K-Staters! (Right Uncle Tom?)

 

 

And not surprisingly, my thoughtful fiancee made a map of Africa so that she could keep track of where I was. Thankfully, we were able to maintain semi-regular communication, but as you can imagine it was pretty tough to be away. Next time she'll be along for the adventure. I can't wait!!

Sloppy eaters

I have a 10 month old Holstein calf named "Calfy 1." For some reason, he is a terrible eater. He scoops feed into his mouth until it is completely full, and then tosses it in the air. Almost 1/3 hits the ground...luckily we have 3 other calves that are willing to pick up after him!

Human beings are just as wasteful. As an ag. economist, we often focus on increasing production - which we have been quite successful at, and it makes a lot of sense.

However, we also must consider production loss.

Each year, 1.3 billion tonnes of food produced in the world is wasted, either in production or consumption (FAO key facts).

Approximately 22% of the food produced is wasted in production or retailing, and 8% is wasted by consumers.

This is our wheat field. If you look closely, you can see wheat kernels all over the ground. This is mostly unavoidable. Wheat = $ so as you can imagine, there is (or should be) a big monetary incentive for engineers to make combines more efficient.

45% of fruits and veggies are wasted, that's almost 1/2 of production that is never eaten!

How do we feed a growing world population? Increase production, improve harvest techniques, logistics, and transportation, and make wiser personal choices. Let's not imitate Calfy 1 if we can help it!

113 day fast

Since 1954, the US has given large quantities of food aid (1.4 million metric tonnes in 2012) to "food deficit" countries, either in the form of emergency assistance during a disaster or for projects such as school lunch programs. This week, Congress rejected major reforms to food aid that, in my opinion, would have been great steps in the right direction.

 
Food aid policy history:

1954 Public Law 480 - the US committed to give surplus grain to countries in need; however, the primary purpose was to get rid of excess grain, thus supporting grain prices for US farmers and promoting international trade (i.e. giving a bit selfishly)

1966 Food for Peace Act - amendments were made which shifted the focus of food aid to address humanitarian needs, but did not make really substantial changes. 

Until now, about 95% of food is sent from the US (rather than purchased regionally). The implications may be:

• Depressed food prices, which may hurt local farmers
• It takes 150 days for food sent from the US to reach the location of an emergency crisis versus 37 days if it is bought regionally

The new law would have allowed up to 45% of food to be procured locally or regionally, allowing food to reach it's destination in much better time. We can no longer argue that this would hurt US farmers - the amount of food aid pales in comparison to demand for grain used for cattle feed and ethanol.

The unfortunate part, of course, is that starving people we plan to help will just have to wait to eat an extra 113 days.

Quick trip to DC

This past weekend I traveled to Washington DC for an interview, and I made the most of it and spent a few days there.

 What my hotel room lacked in style...

 

 It made up for in soap (5 bars) and plastic cups (9 of them!) Why? I don't know

 The US Capitol, which I got to tour

 And the White House (not the same building, by the way, and a lot smaller)

 

The best part of the trip, was of course, getting to see my good friend Ayago (and Matt, no picture). He and I went to graduate school together at Kansas State University, now he works for the World Bank - he a smart and very cool guy

 

 And a sea cow - in the Smithsonian, how cool is that? it is so massive...I wish I raised sea cows and not just cows...but Kansas is quite far from the sea and this sea cow may be extinct so never mind

So glad to have the chance to see our nations capitol for the first time. It is a very beautiful city, with lots of sights to see and so full of history - I could have spent a lot more time looking around.

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."