By Kemo Cham
The battle against the Ebola virus disease maybe close to being won, despite recent surges in new cases in Freetown, Kambia and Port Loko, but amidst this frail optimism there is an even bigger emerging source of concern. The German charity Welthungerhilfe Monday warned of a potential catastrophe caused by a looming nationwide food crisis.
In a statement, titled: ‘After Ebola, famine comes to Sierra Leone’, the organization said famine was threatening the country as food shortages struck. But the National Federation of Farmers Sierra Leone says international organizations, including Welthungerhilfe and Concerned Worldwide, were to blame for failing to address farmers` needs on time.
Welthungerhilfe is one of Germany`s biggest aid organizations. It engages in providing relief in disaster zones and has been involved in the fight against the Ebola epidemic and, like many other aid organizations, has since shifted its focus to post Ebola development efforts.
Over a 100 villages were already battling food scarcity, the organization said, and expressed particular concern over the vulnerability of orphans.
“The epidemic has shown how vulnerable the health care system is in West Africa. In order to avoid a repeat of the disaster, a sort of Marshall Plan is required. It means stabilising infrastructures over the long-term in countries like Sierra Leone, so that they are better able to deal with future crises”, Jochen Moninger, Welthungerhilfe Country Director in Sierra Leone, said in the statement.
The German international development charity is warning against complacence among particularly the international community, noting with apparent concern the fact that Ebola crisis committees the world over were been disbanded.
Ebola anniversary
On May 25 it will be exactly one year since Sierra Leone detected its first case of the viral hemorrhagic fever disease which began in neighboring Guinea and then crossed over to Liberia before reaching Sierra Leone where so far over 3,000 people have died.
Welthungerhilfe said due to the countrywide quarantine measures implemented to stem the spread of the virus, farmlands were left inadequately cultivated. And the consequent threat of major food scarcity directly resulting from this threatens many lives, it added.
“Food and seeds have been scarce since the start of the outbreak”, Jochen Moninger said.
"There are already 150 villages affected by famine and we are expecting a dramatic spread by the end of May," he added.
Diversion of funds
As the rainy consolidates its presence in the country, farmers, particularly in rural areas where agricultural activities are predominant in Sierra Leone, have been preparing ahead for planting.
The Sierra Leone government, through the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme and with funding from the World Bank, last week began distributing seeds under the 'Rapid Ebola Rice Seedling' scheme to farmers countrywide.
According to official sources, over 1,500 metric tonnes of certified rice seed for both upland and lowland cultivation will be distributed through the programme to over 23,000 farming households across the 14 districts of the country.
This is said to be part of the regional emergency seed support project, costing $3million, which also covers the other Ebola afflicted countries of Liberia and Guinea. It principally aims at ensuring farmers harvest more rice and ensure rapid recovery from the effect of the epidemic.
For the present, the concern, especially for Welthungerhilfe, is what vulnerable communities will survive on before the crops being cultivated now are ready for consumption.
World Bank country manager Francis Ato-Brown, last week sounded caution over the wise utilization of the seeds being distributed.
"We need to identify farmers who have the means to utilise the seed and not consume it,” he warned, pointing out the need to put in place appropriate monitoring mechanisms.
“We also need to set-up appropriate recovery mechanisms so that we can build up seed stock which will benefit other farmers in the next growing season."
The Farmers Federation though says while they share the concern, they believe the current approach to addressing the issue is part of the whole problem.
“All funds meant for agricultural projects have been shifted to Ebola,” lamented Mr Olu Jesse John, Farmers Federation President.
He told Politico that while he understood the need to focus on Ebola when the epidemic was at its peak, the International Non-Governmental Organizations (INGOs) involved have failed to properly engage farmers in the post-Ebola recovery plan.
“Farmers need seeds but they also have to eat,’ he stressed.
Majority of Sierra Leoneans, some statistics put the figure at up to 80 per cent, depends either directly or indirectly on agriculture for their livelihoods. This calls for substantial investment in the sector, especially in light of the current famine threat, said Mr John.
© Politico 21/05/15
