Source: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8648215.stm
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Niger's Crop Failure
In Niger, they are facing a huge drought that is drastically affecting their economy. A lot of the crops that Niger normally produces are not growing due to the lack of water. Nearly 8 million people are affected by this drought and the UN is trying to help. They have stated that it would take nearly 13 million dollars to get the Niger crops and economy back on track, which is looking like something that cant be done. The UN is hoping they can adress this issue much earlier unlike what happened to Niger in the 1980s where millions of people died due to a drought that wasnt addressed. Niger's economy went under the tank and great controversy arose as the UN and many other nations did not act to help the Nigerians. People in Niger are only able to have about one meal a day and sometimes people dont even eat. The UN is doing everything to prevent another food crisis like they have seen in history.
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Carson, this post was very interesting! I saw multiple parallels between the event taking place in this article and what we have been learning in class recently. Due to the fact that we have been stepping into the UN's shoes, do you feel as though the way they are choosing to handle this situation is beneficial? Or would you take another approach to this situation? If so, what would that be? If, as the UN, you would choose to continue helping Niger, what are some other ways you would try and do so more efficiently? Great post!
ReplyDeleteJust so you know, you got one fact wrong; its not going to cost 13 million to repair the shattered nation, but 130 million dollars. Also, I think that we should help them try to repair their farming structure, rather than just giving them charity, as it is more sustainable than just throwing money and bags of rice at the problem of starvation. Teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Cy completely. There is no point in handing over millions of dollars to repair their economy only to see a 3 peat. However, if the drought was the only problem, then unfortunately that's an issue that is mostly unavoidable.
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