African countries should subsidize agricultural developments and research Mustapha and Culas 12 Umar M Mustapha and Richard J Culas, profs @ Charles Sturt University, Australia, "Trade and Agricultural Policy Reform for Food Security in Tomorrow's Africa and Asia" in Food Security, Ed. Jones & Hernandez, 2012 [PDI] Another challenge that hinders the policy implementation in Africa is the limited high potential agricultural land and overreliance on rain-fed agriculture (Sulieman, 2010). With serious fluctuations and change in weather patterns caused by global warming, this has posed a major challenge for African countries. Irrigation which could be a solution to this problem has not been exploited to the maximum (You et al, 2011). For agricultural trade in Africa, there has been limited exploitation of the regional market potential. This is a failure that can be attributed to the governments of African countries. If this were to be taken up by the respective governments then trade in agricultural products would experience increased income (Anderson and Nelgen, 2010). There has been lack of research in the agricultural field in most African countries. This as a result has led to slow growth. If the African countries could invest in research, then this could be a sure way out of underproduction. Research comes with it new technology, which is the key to agricultural problems in the continent at large (Buah et al, 2011). The government needs to take the initiative which may come in the form of subsidizing tax on technological oriented agriculture, sponsoring agricultural research activities, inviting or employing expertise from agriculturally successful countries to drive the agricultural agenda.
AT CPs Perm empirically solves best – subsidies work with other policies Mustapha and Culas 12 Umar M Mustapha and Richard J Culas, profs @ Charles Sturt University, Australia, "Agricultural Policies and Environmental, Political, Economic, Social and Technological Threats for Food Security in Africa: Present Knowledge and Future Expectations" in Food Security, Ed. Jones & Hernandez, 2012 [PDI] Notably, the impact of subsidies on farmers has major similarity in the two continents with a slight difference on technological advances in the Asian countries and the same should be embraced by African countries. The aspect of combining the policy of subsidy and other policies for example offering financial support has also ensured success in agriculture in Asia (Carmody, 2009). The intentions to review the policy on subsidies in Asia should be done in a manner in which it will not affect the level of production. If it were to affect the level of production; this could be the start of problems related to food insecurity.
difference principle is the concluding part of Rawls’ second principle of justice. It is preceded in priority by the first part which refers to fair equal opportunities for all to choose the most suitable person(s) to positions of power and authority. These are preceded by the first principle, which has an overarching priority and refers to equal liberties for all.¶ A similar, but much more profound social thought echoes from Mahatma Gandhi’s talisman: when in doubt, recall the face of the most vulnerable person and contemplate the implications of your actions on that person and you will find your answers. This can be applied as a test for any intervention that one plans, public policy or otherwise. Its advantage over Rawls lies in two aspects. First, one need not be under a veil to be in the original position, one can be oneself. Second, one need not be in the realm of abstract thought, one can be grounded in practical reality. There will then be no doubt about Rae’s right to food.
for Food Security in Africa: Present Knowledge and Future Expectations" in Food Security, Ed. Jones & Hernandez, 2012 [PDI] Most Asian countries for example Pakistan are a major rice exporter. This success can be attributed to government subsidy and domestic support in the form of financing agricultural projects at favourable financing terms. This in turn has given the government revenue for foreign trade, the citizens have more food security and income is enhanced (Chu and Lee, 2000). Farmers have achieved economic empowerment from foreign trade of their produce. There has also being new technology being embraced by the farmers to improve on their agricultural skills and production efficiency (Buah et al, 2011). Most Asian countries are however contemplating reviewing their policies on subsidy due to some ineffectiveness in line with the major objectives of these policies. These objective included increased in grains production and food production and hence food security, eradication of poverty, increasing the income of small holder farmers etc. Since the implementation of this policy, there has been a declining trend in grain production save for the first few years of implementation of this policy. The small holder farmers who were to benefit from the policy on subsidy so that they could improve their income are not the major beneficiaries. The large commercial farmers took up this opportunity; the policy indicated that subsidy was to be given based on the area of cultivation. Most of these small holder farmers operate in small pieces of land and hence the amount given was also relatively low. These small holder farmers could not compete with the large agribusiness firms at the same level hence there was very slight progress. They could not do farming large scale as they could not afford to buy land (Mbote et al, 2008)
Transition is better than developing – the distinction doesn’t even make sense when some so-called developing nations are more like the U.S. than not WorldTeach 12 World Teach, “Reflections on Namibia: A Country In Transition” 3-9-12 I think as a westerner, it’s easy to attach the word “developing” to any country not as advanced as the United States. Advanced by [whose] standards? In many ways, Namibia has more commonalities than differences to the US. For example, they were colonized by Germany in the same way that we colonized the America’s. Their culture and history is very much influenced by Germany and the Dutch. Namibian’s listen to US music as well as there own local and South African house music. They have water purification plants, in addition to alternative energy plants. Their cars are the same, all the same companies are represented….Toyota, Honda, Gmc, Ford, and Volkswagon and many more. They have malls, salons, grocery stores, computers, real estate development, gas stations (albeit full service..it’s awesome, I haven’t seen those in the us in years!), modern medicine, hospitals, clinics, universities…the lists go on and on. I find it interesting that we still call them a developing country. In my opinion, i think a more appropriate word is “country in transition.” I say this because of the development of the government. Namibia gained it’s independence on March 21 1990. They have been a fully functioning, growing and adapting country for decades. Like any other newly independent country, with the independence comes a newly formed government , governing body. This is where I find the country to be “transitional”. It’s an amazing country with a hardworking and dedicated government. But it is new! With that, you don’t find the established governmental programs that we have in the west. For example, currently there are not programs established to accommodate the homeless, the hungry or the emotionally or physically disadvantaged. That’s not to say these things aren’t coming, they just need the time and the money to work it all out. Kids go to school from 7am to 1pm. The government is not in a position to provide lunches for the children, so they must go home for lunch.
GMOs Inevitable Squo solves GMO development Dias 12 Joao Silva Dias, Technical University of Lisbon, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, “Impact of Vegetable Breeding Industry and Intellectual Property Rights in Biodiversity and Food Security” in Food Security, Ed. Jones & Hernandez, 2012 [PDI] The genetic improvement of vegetables through breeding has to address and satisfy the needs of both consumers and growers. The general objectives for farmers are good yield, disease and pest resistance, uniformity and abiotic stress resistance. Objectives for consumers are quality, appearance, shelf life, taste, and nutritional value. Vegetable product innovation is necessary for maintaining the interest of today's consumer. Quality in vegetable crops, in contrast to field crops, is often more important than yield. For farmers to survive, varieties must be accepted by the market. Thus, color, appearance, taste, shape, are usually more important than productivity. For example, tomatoes to be used either fresh or in processing must have distinct quality characteristics. Fresh tomatoes must have acceptable flavor, color, texture, and other taste parameters to satisfy consumer demands and handling requirements. Processing tomatoes, on the other hand, must have intrinsic rheological characteristics that make them suitable for various processing applications, such as juice, ketchup, or sauce production. The final goal of vegetable breeding programs is then to release new varieties having elite combinations of many desirable horticultural characteristics.