It is so difficult to consider the affects of the viral disease that is sweeping across East Africa and will ultimately result in starvation for many people there, when right around the corner from where I live there are homeless people camping out in our local Occupy living on whatever food they can gather through donations. I suppose the difference between the hungry at Occupy and the hungry in East Africa is that there is still food that can be donated here. There, even if people wanted to donate, they couldn't.
It is expected that 175,000 people will starve to death in one region alone in Kibuka as a result of this devastating crop loss. That number is only expected to increase as harvests continue to fail in several different nations.
On the verge of becoming epidemic, the new viral disease – cassava brown streak – is not the same as the one discovered in Kenya in the 30’s. This one is new was first seen in Uganda in 2004. Even though the UN Food and Agriculture Organization is urging swift action, it is far too late. Cassava is a staple for East Africa and can make up as much as 1/3 of the total caloric intake for people in countries such as Rwanda, Uganda, Burundi and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
With drought and disease taking its toll all over the world, I can only imagine what would happen here if we were to suddenly lose our country’s entire corn or wheat crop to drought or disease. Would Americans starve? Well, it has happened before. In 1931 we lost 1 human being to starvation every 7 minutes in this country. Do the math, that's roughly 75,000 people. Yes, we have starved to death here, we can starve to death here, and we will starve to death here. We are not immune.
Since there are 88,000 new mouths to feed each day, and since global food production has reached and passed its peak, I’m afraid these snapshots of “food scarcity” (starvation, in my book) are becoming more and more familiar. Don't wait until hunger knocks at your backdoor, put in your gardens and water harvesting systems now.
Think about it.
http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2011/11/16/Disease-threatens-African-food-staple/UPI-31291321481976/
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