In Uganda ten large tea plantations in one district each burned six to seven tons of firewood per day seven days a week. Most poignant of all, in Tandianabougou adults and children alike were severely malnourished. But to earn much needed cash for school fees and household necessities such as sugar and kerosene, the villagers grew French green beans for export, which they do not themselves eat. There are critically important aspects to the export crop focus of these African countries. First, contrary to population control advocates, most African countries are currently under populated.
Labor shortages are a critical constraint on increasing agricultural production.
The more labor devoted to tea and green beans for export, the less labor available for maize and millet for household and local consumption. More than 80 percent of chemical inputs used in agriculture in Africa are used for export, not food crop production. Food First's future work in Africa is going to be with organizations opposing these SAP induced trends. These NGOs have small but incredibly talented and committed staffs-most are volunteers and most are themselves farmers. It is precisely these NGOs' closeness to villagers, to the people most disadvantaged by export agriculture, which offers the most hope for countering the continent's re-colonization.