Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

Health care in El Salvador

Health care in El SalvadorEl Salvador, the smallest yet most densely packed country in Central America, has historically only seen moderate poverty reduction and has suffered from constant low levels of economic growth. The population faces development challenges due to high out-of-pocket expenditures, which have greatly limited access to health care. Citizens living in rural, poorer areas of the country experience the most impact of the weak health care system. This results in increased morbidity, mortality and disability from diseases.

National Health Strategy

In recent years, poverty and inequality rates have significantly decreased. From 2007 to 2019, the poverty rate fell by 17% and extreme poverty dropped by 11.5%, making El Salvador one of the most equitable countries in Latin America. A significant contribution to the decline was the launch of the National Health Strategy in 2009. This governmental initiative aims to enhance the quality of care, reduce inequalities in access to care and improve the Ministry of Health’s overall system management.

Strengthening Public Health Care System

In support of El Salvador’s health reforms, the World Bank created the Strengthening Public Health Care System project, which focused on responding to the evolving needs of the nation. The project poured investments into more than 51 primary care hospitals and 30 secondary and tertiary hospitals, and this allowed for greater maintenance of clinical infrastructure and medical equipment. Additionally, the funding strengthened the National Institute of Health and the National Reference Laboratory, both of which are responsible for conducting surveys and collecting data required for monitoring public health during outbreaks of infectious diseases.

Project Results

The project targeted 2.1 million people across 92 municipalities in El Salvador. In regards to strengthening the Ministry of Health’s institutional capacity, it was able to improve safety standards and environmental regulations surrounding biohazard waste disposal. With respect to vaccination rates, the goal was to immunize 92.8% of children with a pentavalent vaccine by 2016 and by 2014, the nation had reached 95%. Additionally, in terms of child delivery, the aim was to have 84% of births take place in health care facilities by 2018. By the end of 2017, 99.8% of births were occurring in a clinical environment. Due to improved neonatal care and hospitalized deliveries, the rate of maternal mortality massively decreased from 65.4 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2006 to only 31 deaths in 2017. Also, the rate of infant mortality declined from 26.9 deaths per 100,000 live births in 2000 to only 12.5 deaths in 2017.

Looking Ahead

El Salvador has made significant strides in poverty reduction and health care access through initiatives such as the National Health Strategy. With investments from the World Bank’s Strengthening Public Health Care System project, the country has improved infrastructure, increased vaccination rates and achieved high rates of facility-based childbirth. These efforts have resulted in a substantial decrease in maternal and infant mortality rates, demonstrating the positive impact of strengthened health care systems on the well-being of the population.

– Divya Swaminathan
Photo: Flickr

The Success of HIV Assisted Partner Services in Kenya

HIV in KenyaBetween 2018 and 2020, Kenya housed 31 health care clinics across the country which provided HIV Assisted Partner Services (APS), according to the Lancet Global Health. HIV Assisted Partner Services (APS) is a trial facility available to females who have tested positive for HIV and their male partners. Through the APS Program, these women termed “index clients,” and their male partners, underwent routine HIV testing via various referral processes.

The program ensured the follow-up of index clients and their partners through on year with a 90% participation rate. The follow-up and eagerness of the candidates led to an increase in HIV care procedures as well as the suppression of viral HIV.

APS Methodology

Before commencing the trial, health care staff in the clinics got training on the subject, which was essential for the smooth flow of the trial. The focus of the trial was to “assess the impact of APS in reaching male individuals in sub-Saharan Africa, who have lower rates of HIV testing than female individuals.”

Women aged 18 and above as well as emancipated minors who tested positive for HIV in sub-Saharan Africa were eligible for HIV Assisted Partner Services. Females who participated in the trials consented to give the contact information of all their male sexual partners in the past three years and the staff informed those partners about their potential exposure to HIV. The staff offered the partners to choose between community-based or facility-based HIV testing. The former includes testing at home, at select venues, or as a part of a workplace campaign whereas the latter meant that all testing would be done at medical facilities.

All the candidates for the trial went through testing periodically at six weeks, six months and then 12 months after enrollment. It evaluated the success of the antiretroviral treatment that had been provided.

The Outcome of the Trial

Having a very high participation rate of 1,724 female candidates out of a total of 1,910 opting to take part, the trial was an enormous success. This targeted HIV Assisted Partner Service Methodology was twice as successful as any other randomized trial in Kenya. The trial found that 95% of all HIV-affected male candidates were virally suppressed — due to the positive effects of the medication. In addition, their viral load of HIV was so low that tests could not detect it.

Reported Success

  • Due to this trial, APS has been identified as a viable and efficient method by which people unaware of their HIV status can be tested and treated appropriately. Within a set of approximately three females diagnosed with HIV, at least one of their male partners tested positive for HIV as well.

  • Another reason that the trial was successful was that it did not rely on a client-driven approach and instead of asking the female clients to contact their sexual partners. Skilled staff contacted the potential candidates and inform them of the situation.

  • This process avoided much hesitation and shame on the end of the female index clients. Also, it guaranteed that all the potential male candidates got the information about the potentially life-threatening situation that they were in.

  • The anonymity of the entire operation was the key to its substantial success. The staff did not inform potential male candidates about the female index client the clinic staff was calling on behalf of. This led to fewer issues and altercations between the female index clients and the potential male candidates that took part in HIV Assisted Partner Services.

After the success of this trial, “APS has been fully integrated into the national HTS procurement and logistics systems,” according to the PLOS Global Public Health Journal. The HIV Assisted Partner Services has been noted to be a sustainable program to detect HIV on a larger scale and medical clinics that run the program have been set to receive a routine supply of HIV test kits and gloves. As a result, it helps further reduce the burden of HIV in Kenya and other countries in sub-Saharan Africa.

– Vahisté Sinor
Photo: Flickr

4 Local Startups Addressing Food Insecurity in Nigeria

Food Insecurity in NigeriaFood insecurity in Nigeria continues to have a widespread and serious impact on Nigerians, which has significantly worsened due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic disrupting the global supply chain and causing food prices to rise. In 2021, 58% of all households in Nigeria were struggling with severe food insecurity and a significant portion of said households were food secure prior to the pandemic.

Nigeria ranked 103rd out of 121 countries on the Global Hunger Index in 2022, and while overall trends from 2000 to 2022 show a notable decline in food insecurity over time, there’s still much work to do. This article will focus on four Nigeria-based startups addressing food insecurity in Nigeria through different approaches.

4 Local Startups Addressing Food Insecurity in Nigeria

  1. ColdHubs: While Nigeria’s electricity access rate steadily increased over time, nearly half of the population still does not have ready access to power. In 2020, only 55.4% of Nigerians had access to electricity. Without the power to operate cold storage and fridges, food spoilage becomes a serious threat to food security. ColdHubs is a startup addressing food insecurity by supplying solar-powered cold storage units to areas without sufficient, reliable access to power, especially rural farms. Its solar-powered cold storages are capable of extending shelf life up to three weeks, which significantly reduces the post-harvest deterioration of fresh produce. There are currently a total of 54 ColdHubs units active across Nigeria, and over 5,250 farmers and produce suppliers are using the cold storage units. ColdHubs also received recognition for its impact by winning the 2021 AYuTe Africa Challenge, an annual competition held in several African nations that offers cash grants to innovative agricultural technology startups.
  2. VeggieVictory: VeggieVictory is Nigeria’s first plant-based food technology startup addressing food insecurity by introducing a sustainable meat alternative to Nigerians with their flagship plant-based meat product called Vchunks. Located in Lagos, Vchunks is produced completely locally and expands the options of meat products for Nigerians. Hakeem Jimo, the founder of VeggieVictory, says that “An alternative or more variety for meat… helps efforts that tackle food security, environmental and socio-economic challenges”. Alternative diet industries are beneficial to food security because plant-based calories are generally much more efficient to produce compared to animal protein.
  3. Alutyo Integrated Farms: Alutyo provides consulting services and technical support with growing and processing crops, as well as practicing animal husbandry. The company’s main focus is providing knowledge and equipment for local, small producers. Alutyo also uses social media platforms to share agricultural knowledge such as nutritional requirements for animal feeds and aquaculture farm designs. Startups like Alutyo are important because agriculture in Nigeria is still lacking in mechanization. For instance, Nigeria’s tractor density is at 0.27 hp/hectare, far below the recommended tractor density of the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) which is at 1.5. Modernizing Nigeria’s agricultural sector is a big step towards improving productivity and bolstering food security.
  4. Isidore: Founded in 2021, Isidore is a startup addressing food insecurity by improving the supply chain and logistics of Nigeria. Isidore developed an easy-to-use mobile app platform for agricultural producers and buyers called Jinja. On Jinja, farmers and other producers can easily sell their products and request trucks to transport their produce, while buyers can find verified products in locations convenient for them.

Looking Ahead

In Nigeria, food insecurity remains a pressing issue with a significant amount of the population in need of assistance. However, these startups addressing food insecurity present excellent examples of innovative solutions for Nigeria.

– Junoh Seo
Photo: Flickr

International Aid to Yemen

International Aid to YemenYemen is a Middle Eastern country on the southern tip of the Arabian Peninsula. Due to a long-lasting and violent civil war, it “remains the world’s worst humanitarian crisis,” according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). More than 21 million Yemeni people urgently need humanitarian aid and around 4.5 million have been displaced. Also, issues such as climate shocks and disease contribute to exacerbating the situation.

On the bright side, the international community is making efforts to help Yemen. A number of world and local charities and dedicated individuals and groups are joining forces to combat the Yemeni crisis. Here are some of the most notable initiatives that focus on helping Yemen.

International Aid to Yemen

Since 2015, the U.K. has provided more than £1 billion in total aid to Yemen. With an additional £88 million in aid pledged for 2022 to 2023, the U.K. is the fourth highest donor to Yemen globally. The European Union (EU) has also offered financial support, providing more than €1.4 billion in total assistance to Yemen since 2015. In 2023, the EU ramped up its efforts with €136 million in humanitarian aid to alleviate the conflict’s impacts on the country’s most vulnerable.

Significant relief has also come from the U.S., which has contributed more than $5.4 billion to alleviate the crisis in Yemen since the start of the conflict. Bolstered by the on-the-ground work of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), support from the U.S. has helped save millions of lives and prevented 2.2 million Yemeni people from “experiencing acute food insecurity.”

Support from World Charities

Charity Organizations from around the world have also played a vital role in assisting Yemen. In addition to raising funds to help rebuild the country, international charities and their volunteers have continuously worked on the ground to provide assistance. For instance, the Red Cross, working in collaboration with Yemen-based charities, assisted more than 5 million people in Yemen in 2021. The charity’s efforts included providing more than 3 million liters of clean water to a hospital and a prison. With the help of generous donations from the public, the Red Cross’s initiatives have successfully improved the health and welfare of affected Yemenis.

In addition, UNICEF has outlined clear goals and program initiatives to mitigate the crisis. The organization plans to use raised funds to help 3.6 million people access safe drinking water and sanitation supplies and secure primary healthcare for 2.5 million women and children in 2023.

Local Charities and Other Aid Efforts

Despite limited funding, the following local charities are making remarkable efforts to help the people of Yemen.

  1. Pure Hands: This U.S.-based nonprofit has been combating the crisis in Yemen since 2012. With initiatives aimed at “alleviating poverty, providing economic opportunities and delivering emergency relief,” Pure Hands has made a particularly strong impact with its on-the-ground assistance. According to the organization’s Impact 2020 report, it helped over 550,00 Yemeni people in 2020 alone. It achieved this through initiatives that included distributing personal protective equipment to prevent diseases and providing 567 wheelchairs to help the disabled.
  2. London Students for Yemen: Another small organization, London Students for Yemen, is working “to promote awareness of the humanitarian crisis whilst sharing Yemen’s rich art and culture.” The student-led group’s initiatives include spreading awareness of the war and its unjust impacts on the Yemeni people and urging the international community to do more. A major advocate for those suffering in Yemen, London Students for Yemen is working to educate the international community on the severity of the crisis and ensure that adequate global action is taken.

Looking Ahead

Despite the crisis in Yemen, the aid of international governments, charities, grassroots organizations and the general public is making a difference. By providing both financial and on-the-ground support, the international community is coming together to combat the crisis in Yemen. Ongoing efforts aim to save lives while paving the way for economic recovery and a better future for the people of Yemen.

– Max Steventon
Photo: Flickr

Education funding: FOCO in Paraguay

FOCO in ParaguayEducation funding in Paraguay has been interrupted by corruption and inequality in budget distribution to schools in need. Due to this, Paraguay initiated a $90 million National Fund for Public Investment and Development (FONACIDE) in 2012, designating funds for infrastructure to schools in need on an annual basis. However, critics have called the program unreliable noting that FONACIDE’s complexity has displayed a lack of understanding of how schools receive funding.

Since 2008, a student-led organization based in Ciudad del Este in Paraguay, reAcciòn, has made it a consistent priority to increase government responsibility and awareness toward educational spending. A major part of its work involved analyzing FONACIDE functions to better comprehend its intricate processes. With that, reAcciòn’s focus has also been on community engagement and data collection, aimed to provide students, school officials and parents a better understanding of how education spending is distributed towards infrastructure. 

Through a web-based app, FOCO, reAcciòn has been able to give a voice to the community and make sure that education spending is being evenly conveyed sufficiently. 

What is FOCO? 

FOCO in Paraguay is a “community monitoring tool” that seeks to monitor and showcase FONACIDE education spending through “government data” within municipalities in Paraguay. Implemented in 2014, the innovative app allows students and teachers to post photos of damages and make inquiries on funding repairs for issues at hand. It offers insight into how FONACIDE’s spending is distributed to each school, especially to the neediest schools in poorer communities. 

Along with these efforts, the organization has worked with various political figures, government and Ministry of Education officials, to familiarize them with FOCO and increase accountability. Every year, through the increased awareness of this project and involvement by students, reAcciòn has offered community-led activities to learn more on the subject of anti-corruption and research in effective policy regarding FONACIDE. 

FOCO’s Achievements 

In 2015 and 2017, FOCO was able to allocate a 350% increase of an equally funded distribution by FONACIDE. In other words, over five times more underprivileged schools needing the most education funds were distributed by FONACIDE. As of 2020, FOCO in Paraguay has been able to collaborate with the “Ministry Directors of Educational Planning and Infrastructure,” which has helped to create better ways for data collection and what resources to prioritize for school essentials. Important education leaders and the government of Paraguay have relied more on FOCO to understand the data collection and are involved in reAcciòns community-based work to ameliorate the investment process by FONACIDE. 

A Continuing Future

As FOCO continues to strive, the team continues to work on prospective projects to improve the application of funds and evaluate how funds are invested in education spending. Ideally, the next steps for FOCO in Paraguay are to be implemented in other areas of development, such as healthcare and potentially expand on a global scale. 

– Alessandra Amati
Photo: Flickr

How Drones Are Improving Agriculture in Moldova

Agriculture in MoldovaMoldova has high rates of poverty, with nearly a quarter of the population living under the national poverty line in 2021. The nation also has the largest farmland area as a share of its total land surface at 75%, 30% above the European average. Also, the agricultural sector employs over 25% of the labor force.

The prominence of agriculture in the Moldovan economy means that innovation and investment in technology in this sector could have a huge influence on not just the sector but the economy as a whole. To this end, there has been an emergence of drones serving to improve agriculture in Moldova, bringing major efficiencies and modernizing farming techniques.

Drones Improving Efficiency

Drones in Moldovan agriculture drastically increase the efficiency of agricultural processes such as pest and weed management alongside minimizing the waste of farming resources. For example, DRON Assistance, a company providing intelligent drone services to Moldovan farmers, estimates that drone technology’s sensors, imaging capabilities and consequent precision to spray herbicides use up to 20 times less water than a tractor would use. This could help Moldovan farmers save money and therefore make more profits, boosting the agricultural sector as a result. Furthermore, the fact that drones are aerial and do not make physical contact with the landscape means less damage to farmlands and crops compared to tractors, as well as releasing reduced amounts of fossil fuels.

Bird’s-Eye-View

According to UNDP, DRON Assistance offers an array of mapping and monitoring services that can analyze crop health and more accurately identify disease outbreaks at early stages. This helps farmers make interventions on time to address problems that they would have otherwise missed without such information. More sophisticated farmland monitoring abilities can also help in directing labor and resources for more general tasks.

More Good News

The potential utility of drones in Moldovan agriculture is still yet to be fully utilized, with new innovations constantly coming to light. DRON Assistance is currently working on technology that leverages AI to remotely monitor crops and reduce the need for human input. This could increase the productivity of Moldovan farms.

Furthermore, DRON Assistance has received grants from UNDP and the EU of $40,000 and €25,000 respectively. This gesture aims to make drones more affordable and accessible for Moldovan farmers, making the benefits more universal to the entire agricultural sector.

The International Trade Administration (ITA) has also marked high-value agriculture in Moldova as a niche that U.S. investors could venture into in the years ahead. Whilst agriculture remains a bedrock of the Moldovan economy, high-value agriculture remains relatively underdeveloped, despite the nation’s rich natural resources, fertile soil and favorable conditions.

Looking Ahead

In Moldova, the utilization of drones in agriculture holds immense potential for improving efficiency, reducing waste and modernizing farming techniques. Ongoing innovations and grants received by companies like DRON Assistance, along with the recognition of high-value agriculture as an investment opportunity, bode well for the future of the agricultural sector in Moldova.

– Saul Gunn
Photo: Flickr

The Pros and Cons of Using AI in Africa to Alleviate Poverty

AI in AfricaArtificial intelligence (AI) is grabbing headlines across world news. What isn’t getting much attention is how AI in Africa can and already is helping to alleviate poverty. These progressive trends, however, are not without potential risks. The following is a look into some of the pros and cons of AI reliance in Africa.

Poverty Identification

Some Stanford scholars have pioneered a method to identify poverty by using AI to examine readily-available satellite imagery of African regions to estimate current poverty levels and development over time. The tool examines both daytime and nighttime imagery and human infrastructure such as roads or housing. It also uses light at night in tandem to assess levels of development in a region. This application of AI in Africa could help governments and organizations understand where poverty is concentrated regionally and thus direct effort and resources to these areas in efforts to alleviate poverty.

Agriculture

Several instances indicate the utility of AI in African agriculture. AI-supported phone apps such as Agrix Tech has supported crop farming in Cameroon. The app allows farmers to upload pictures of crops for assessment. The app then assesses the crop’s health, diagnosing any issues and suggesting remedies. Due to high levels of illiteracy, the app also reads the diagnosis aloud in local languages.

The U.N. has also launched several AI-based apps that provide information about weather patterns, production techniques, fertilizers and so on. These advancements carry the potential to help African farmers make more informed decisions, thereby boosting agricultural yield.

The popular app Hello Tractor is also in use across the continent. The app helps connect small farmers with local tractor owners to provide these farms with farming machinery that can dramatically increase the speed, efficiency and productivity of their operations.

Finance

There have been significant examples of AI’s potential in aiding African finance. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Togo government quickly built a mobile payment platform called Novissi which leveraged AI to identify the most vulnerable people and distribute financial support. This initiative resulted in financial aid reaching more than 500,000 people. This result suggests that AI can transform the process of aid provision for those living in poverty for the better.

Taking Jobs and Widening Inequality

Alongside its positive sides, AI has some potential cons. Goldman Sachs recently claimed that AI and automation could make 300 million jobs worldwide obsolete. This danger poses a risk in Africa, potentially threatening millions of jobs.

Furthermore, much of the most cutting-edge work in AI is taking place in other continents, such as Europe and Asia and Africans worry that it is experiencing a brain drain, with talented Africans continuing to seek work abroad. Not only does this mean that Africa’s workforce could shrink, but the development of AI in Africa and its potential benefits could be hindered.

Looking Ahead

The potential benefits of AI to alleviate African poverty are huge, but regulation and adherence to ethical guidelines such as those agreed upon by the OECD or UNESCO will be necessary to ensure that the technology doesn’t cause more harm than good. Overall, the technology has shown the potential to empower farmers, connect communities and provide targeted assistance to vulnerable populations.

 

– Saul Gunn
Photo: Flickr

How Organizations are Aiding the Health care System in Nigeria

Health care System in NigeriaNigeria is a country with over 200 million people and is also the most populous country in Africa. This large population is putting so much pressure on the health care system. According to a 2021 World Health Organization (WHO) survey, the health care system in Nigeria ranked “the 4th worst in the world.”

The Condition of the Health Care System in Nigeria

On average, doctors attend to several patients daily, with an official ratio of one doctor to 5,000 patients. Despite this fact, a lot of doctors are still leaving. This high workload has led to a significant impact on the mental health of doctors. Mental, emotional and physical exhaustion as a result of prolonged stress is a common issue among doctors worldwide, with about 40% to 50% of doctors experiencing this in the United States. In comparison, more than 75% of doctors experience have this problem in Nigeria. Causes of this psychological stress have been linked to increased patient demand, long working hours, loss of life balance, inadequate salaries and poor working environments.

Reportedly, a high percentage of doctors have left the country because of the poor infrastructure and welfare conditions they experienced. Despite the strike and protest from doctors regarding the situation, there have been little to no desired responses or actions from the concerned bodies. Rather than finding ways of resolving the issue, lawmakers are proposing to stop the migration of Nigerian-trained doctors.

Initiatives that Focus on Improving the Health Care System in Nigeria

Although the health care system in Nigeria is poor, a number of organizations are making efforts to improve the current conditions. Intrahealth, alongside Capacity Plus Initiative and USAID collaborated with the Federal Ministry of Health and other partners to assist in the distribution of health workers through human resource intervention to areas that require their services.

Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has also partnered with the Nigerian Government to improve health care. The organization achieved this by investing in programs that assist maternal and child health alongside immunization and pre and post-natal care.

The Northern part of Nigeria is the worst hit in terms of deteriorating health care and poverty. In 2022, three Northern states (Adamawa, Borno and Yobe) in Nigeria had more than 8 million people that needed humanitarian aid. The World Health Organization (WHO) developed strategies that aim to save millions of lives by rendering emergency health services to the most vulnerable people and locations with no health facilities.

WHO is working to achieve its goals by improving disease surveillance systems, providing nutrition, immunization and protection from gender-based violence. So far, WHO has been able to support more than 1 million people in Nigeria.

Government Efforts

The Federal Government of Nigeria through the Ministry of Health is working to bridge the gap for health workers by embarking on a “one-on-one replacement.” This means that for every doctor who travels out, the government will employ another one as a replacement. In light of this, the Nigerian government is making efforts to organize internship and residency programs. It is also trying to ensure that doctors who have traveled for more than 10 years give back to the community through virtual training and other initiatives.

Looking Ahead

Efforts are underway to address the challenges facing Nigeria’s health care system. Organizations like Intrahealth, Capacity Plus Initiative and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation are collaborating with the government to improve health care infrastructure and services, particularly in underserved areas. WHO is also working to provide emergency health services and support vulnerable populations. Additionally, the Nigerian government is implementing initiatives to bridge the gap in health workers and promote knowledge sharing. These collective efforts bring hope for a stronger and more resilient health care system in Nigeria.

– Chidinma Nwoha
Photo: Pixabay

Tea Production in Developing Countries and the SDGs

Tea Production in Developing CountriesMillions of people in developing countries such as India, Sri Lanka, Kenya and Turkey rely heavily on the labor-intensive job of cultivating and tea production for their livelihoods. The tea industry also creates jobs, particularly in rural and underdeveloped areas. The United Nations (U.N.) notes that tea “can play a significant role in rural development, poverty reduction and food security in developing countries, being one of the most important cash crops,” thereby contributing to meeting the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

Meeting the SDGs

The production and processing of tea hold the potential to significantly contribute to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which outlines the 17 SDGs and provides a “shared blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and into the future,” the U.N. highlights.

Tea production in developing countries can help meet several SDGs. For instance, eliminating extreme poverty (SDG 1), zero hunger, (SDG 2), female empowerment (SDG 5) and the sustainable use of terrestrial ecosystems (SDG 15). By further improving the tea value chain, the tea industry can play an even greater role in global development.

International Tea Day

The U.N. General Assembly has marked May 21 as International Tea Day. The day aims to encourage group efforts to carry out initiatives in support of the “sustainable production and consumption of tea and raise awareness of its importance in fighting hunger and poverty,” the U.N. website highlights. The day also aims to recognize the important role of tea in contributing to the U.N. SDGs.

According to a 2022 publication by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the leading black tea exporter is Kenya, followed by India and Sri Lanka. The FAO says “Global tea production amounts annually to over $17 billion, while world tea trade is valued at about $9.5 billion, accounting for an important source of export earnings.” Furthermore, smallholder farmers contribute to 60% of global tea production, indicating that the tea industry contributes to income and food security in disadvantaged communities.

The FAO also highlights that global tea per capita consumption has risen by 2.5% over the past 10 years, with notable growth occurring in tea-producing nations. However, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has negatively impacted the tea industry as Russia stood as “the largest importer of Indian tea, the third largest importer of Sri Lankan tea and the fifth largest importer of Kenyan tea,” the FAO notes. Additionally, the increase in prices of and limited availability of fertilizers due to the Russia-Ukraine conflict also impacts tea-growing countries.

The Ethical Tea Partnership (ETP)

The Ethical Tea Partnership is an organization that ensures equity and fair treatment for workers in the tea industry. Its efforts look to advance the SDGs in tea-growing areas through its Strategy2030, which looks to ensure equality among workers, economic fairness and environmental sustainability. For instance, ETP’s Improving Lives program in partnership with UNICEF has benefited 250,000 people. It has also impacted about 25% of all tea estates in the tea-producing state of Assam, India. The program’s achievements on these tea estates include reducing child marriage and exploitative child labor, promoting children’s education, establishing safe and accessible hygiene and sanitation facilities for girls and women and improving nutrition in communities.

Growing Tea Demand

The FAO forecasts that tea consumption will increase significantly over the next decade due to the rise in demand from developed and emerging countries. The report also highlights how demographics affect tea demand and consumption. People with better access to education have increased health awareness and, therefore, realize the health benefits of a cup of tea.

Popular for its anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting effects, tea holds many health benefits, such as increasing antioxidants in the body, maintaining good heart health and lowering the risk of cancer. According to a study by Castellana and others, during the COVID-19 pandemic tea consumption marked a 70% increase. The hot beverage is still popular as more people look for solutions to boost immunity naturally.

Looking Ahead

Tea production provides economic possibilities for tea growers in underdeveloped nations. And increased tea consumption carries the potential to create new rural income opportunities and improve food security in tea-producing countries.

– Ralitsa Pashkuleva
Photo: Wikimedia

How Horticulture in Guinea-Bissau is Lifting Women Out of Poverty

Horticulture in Guinea-BissauWomen of the Bijagós ethnic group in Guinea-Bissau are gaining greater economic independence due to their increasing involvement and specialization in conserving creole plants and their seeds across the Bijagós Archipelago, a series of 88 islands off the coast of Guinea-Bissau. The knowledge of horticulture in Guinea-Bissau has been passed on to the Bijagós women by an NGO called Tiniguena. Seed preservation and food diversity are important to the Bijagós because much of their social rituals and celebrations require specific foods that are being replaced by cash crops.

The Bijagós Archipelago and Guinea-Bissau’s Poverty

The Bijagós archipelago is popular for its biodiversity and this is central to the Bijagós people’s cultural traditions as well. People have implemented several sacred sites throughout the islands, forbidding any economic or subsistence activity in those areas, and this has allowed biodiversity to thrive. The Guardian reports that the people’s love of biodiversity also reflects in their use of unique local foods in the ceremonies that define Bijagós’ social groups.

The industrial expansion of other countries that are keen on exploiting Guinea-Bissau’s weak position in international relations threatens the thriving biodiversity of the Bijagós islands, according to Sacred Land Film Project. Being the 5th poorest country in the world, the small nation in West Africa was persuaded into signing an “intention protocol” with the Spanish company DDY de Comercio Exterior SA. This allowed the company to set up a ship-breaking area near the archipelago. The act of ship-breaking releases toxic substances into the surrounding waters, inevitably causing great harm to Bijagós’ wide range of flora and fauna.

Moreover, Guinea-Bissau’s efforts to alleviate poverty have also been detrimental to the Bijagós’ cultural dependence on diversity. The mass planting of cash crops like cashew affect the nutrient balance of the soil and seriously impact the ability of the land to support an abundance of different plant and animal species, according to The Guardian.

The Work of the Bijagós Women

Here is where the Bijagós women step in. The task of preserving the range of plants and seeds in the Bijagós archipelago has largely fallen to women. As one “seed keeper,” Sábado Maio explains, “Women are the mother of everything, so women take care of the seeds more than men… plants survive because of women,” The Guardian reports.

NGO Tiniguena initiated the Women Keepers of Agricultural Biodiversity Seeds project and it is in charge not only of imparting vital knowledge to more than 150 women but also managing the project logistically, organizing transport to and from the islands in time.

Maio’s garden alone is the new home of 19 crop species, such as red-skinned yam, geneva yam and horse corn. This richness spreads amongst the Bijagós and the wider community through the construction of community barns that allows safe storage for valuable crops that they later distribute to farmers.

Alleviating Poverty Through Horticulture in Guinea-Bissau

As women come to dominate the important act of seed preservation, they gain greater leverage within society that allows them to raise their standards of living. For example, Beatriz Lopes, a mother of nine and horticulturist, says that she is able to turn the seeds she saves from her garden into money by selling them to other growers. Using this extra income, she says she’s been able to “buy rice, notebooks for the kids, pay for school, for medicine and if [she] gets sick [they] can go to the hospital.”

Similarly, Esperança Correia says that her public role as seed keeper lets her remain financially independent while also giving more opportunities to her children. “I don’t depend on anyone and today my children can study more than I could because I can help them,” she told The Guardian

Improving Livelihoods

Clearly, agricultural horticulture in Guinea-Bissau is not only beneficial to the women who practice it but also to the families and communities that they support. With the income that they raise from cultivating and selling precious seeds, they can ensure that their children receive better education, fostering a brighter young community that may have the ability to lift Guinea-Bissau out of poverty. Tiniguena’s desire to spread the culture of seed-keeping has facilitated increasing prosperity and this has had a ripple effect on the traditionally dependent populations of Guinea-Bissau.

– Tiffany Chan
Photo: Wikimedia