Many citizens in the country are complaining about food insecurity. People worry about the high cost of living and the fact that many, if not most, seem to be living from hand to mouth. No matter how hard they work, the lion share of their earnings goes into cost of food, leaving the other needs short.
One of the most important facets of development is food self-sufficiency. Food is one of those things that one cannot do without; therefore, governments must do everything in their power to ensure that their people can feed themselves without certain challenges. If this is done, the other human needs can be made available gradually.
A recent survey conducted by The Gambia Bureau of Statistics (GBoS) on National Food Security revealed some worrying statistics on the subject. The survey found one in every four households continues to face challenges in meeting their food needs. A staggering twenty-nine percent of the people are food insecure. These figures are chilling and make heavy reading.
With a situation like this, urgent and tangible action needs to be taken in order to avoid the unpleasant consequences of this devastating want. As the saying goes, a hungry man is an angry man. If remedies are not found, one could expect to begin to see the results of this food insecurity in the streets.
Perhaps the recent increase in crimes in the country could be attributed to the difficulties people are facing in finding food for themselves and their families. Judging by the reports on the newspapers, both online and offline, the number of petty crimes appears to be going up.
The survey also shows that the causes of this food insecurity vary from climate related shocks, high cost of food prices, health-related issues and loss of employment. These are issues which government and indeed every stakeholder should look at and work towards mitigating these challenges.
The most important and urgent action should be directed at climate change mitigation. With that, people should embark on a massive campaign to work on agriculture so as to produce what is consumed in the country. With commitment, the government can guide and encourage citizens to go back into farming as a way of ensuring food self-sufficiency.
This is urgent!
