Starvation: The Role of Agri-business

We should all grow some of our own food. No, I don't mean we should all become farmers, but we should grow part of what we consume.  Think about it, at this precise moment there are people going to bed hungry and some are dying of starvation.  The raising prices of basic food such as rice, corn, and flour have become such an international issue that all the advances gained in the war against poverty can be lost quickly if prices continue rising and become an obstacle to people's ability to feed themselves.  If we teach people in urban centers to grow part of their own food in small lots, communal abandoned city lots, and on roof tops we will all have an impact on the demand of some foods and indirectly make food more affordable .

Topping out at an HDI value of 169, the country of Burundi is far from attaining the coveted term of “developed.” Life expectancy sits at a young 44 years, adult literacy is about 60% of the country with school enrollment at just 36% of the population in either primary, secondary, or tertiary education, and Burundi’s GDP per capita wallows at $677. Burundi’s GDP is roughly $39,000 less that that of the US. ‘Why?’ you ask. Burundi has a history of ethnic conflict much like is neighbor Rwanda, it has faced overpopulation problems, and large numbers of Internally Displaced People (IDPs). Germany gained the Burundi region in the partitioning of Africa, however after the First World War the region was given to Belgium. As part of the Belgian Colonial Empire, Burundi remained apart from the clutches of colonialism. In this regard Burundi is unique because it is not a product of colonialism. The country was ruled by a monarchy with a dynasty of kings. Colonial Belgium made a pact with this dynasty in order to control the people, however this dynasty faced numerous coups and a fragile rule as the polarization of ethnic groups continued. Burundi gained independence in 1962, but did not democratically elect a President until 1993. The President was assassinated before his first 100 days in office were finished.