[ad_1]
For millions of poor households in Africa affected by blockades, the threat of contracting Covid-19 may be more distant than the real fear of hunger. Many are trapped indefinitely in narrow homes with multiple household members, wondering how they will find the means to survive hunger.
“For millions … this has been a month of misery, of breadwinners who do not work, of families struggling to survive and of children going to bed and waking up hungry.” – President Cyril Ramaphosa, Message to the Nation, Freedom Day, April 27, 2020.
Did African governments simply forget about food security?
How is it that in African countries, food security considerations were not initially considered as part of the preventive measures taken in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic?
Looking at the trend stories in South Africa, Lesotho, Kenya, and Madagascar, it seems that politicians, as they strive to “flatten the curve” of the virus to prevent the collapse of health systems, have focused their attention almost exclusively on management. disaster and safety concerns. neglect of food security. With the food price crisis of 2007/8 as a not too distant memory, governments’ responses to the Covid-19 crisis do not seem to have prioritized matters …
