Archive for category: Global Poverty

Key articles and information on global poverty.

How Gemcorp is Supporting Waste Pickers in India

Waste Pickers in India
Hidden in corners of the world lie countless waste facilities, sprawled across hundreds of acres, these dumps intake thousands of tonnes of garbage daily. With this growth of garbage collection worldwide, waste pickers have emerged in countries like India, scavenging, collecting and living off the garbage piles.

One company, in particular, Gemcorp Recycling, has found a way to utilize this community to obtain recyclable material in the waste facilities as well as recognize the importance of reclaimers or waste pickers in India and other parts of the globe. Gemcorp is supporting waste pickers by providing health care and proper documentation so they may see benefits and support from the Indian government.

The World of Waste Picking

Around the world, nearly 20 million people sift through and sell materials others have thrown away. Waste pickers typically rummage garbage on the streets, in neighborhoods and at large landfill sites. Typically, waste pickers are rummaging for sellable materials or items necessary for their livelihood.

The term ‘waste picker’ emerged in 2008 in Columbia. Although this name is the most common, many countries prefer to use their established name: reclaimers, scavengers, bagerazi, canners, etc.

Waste pickers contribute to local economies, environmental sustainability and public health and safety. Although this community plays an important role in many countries’ ecosystems, it often has a low social status and receives little to no government support.

Deonar’s Rubbish Mountain

Located near Mumbai, India, an astronomical 16 million tonnes of trash exists across 300 acres, making up Deonar’s rubbish mountain – one of the largest garbage landfill sites in the world. In this landfill, waste reaches as high as 120 feet and releases hazardous gasses such as methane and carbon monoxide into the air, contributing largely to India’s air pollution.

A 26-year active court case has been underway to close the Deonar landfill, but the country faces the question of finding a different source to dispose of garbage. With a population of 1.3 billion people, this is a difficult task. The country has started to turn to waste pickers, who have been scavenging the area for years. Estimates have stated that there are 3 million waste pickers in India alone, with a large percentage visiting Deonar’s rubbish mountain every day. This community plays a vital role in the waste ecosystem of India.

Gemcorp’s Role

As the human population grows, so does human waste, and with more waste, more waste pickers emerge. As the community grows, so do the tasks, responsibilities and expectations of the lifestyle. Located in the heart of Deonar’s rubbish mountain, one company is working to simultaneously utilize and support these workers.

In 2019, Gemcorp, or Gemini Corporation, began a recycling program to establish legitimate recycling within one of the world’s largest waste landfills, Deonar’s rubbish mountain.

“Gemcorp seeks to strengthen the plastic recycling ecosystem in a fair and equitable way with a strong focus on efficient logistics, provision of finance for working capital, upliftment, education, and on-ground action.” Through supporting reclaimers, Gemcorp aims to recycle more than 50,000 tonnes of plastic by 2025.

The company provides waste pickers in India, renamed “reclaimers” with recycling machinery and sanitation equipment to properly begin recycling the 79% of recyclable materials that end up in the garbage. The main equipment that the company uses is commercial grade balers, which can help compress materials for easy storing, shipping or redistribution with more ease.

Gemcorp Recycling

Gemcorp recognized the importance of waste pickers and began the program, Gemcorp Recycling, to provide resources and health care to waste pickers and their families. The first step the company took was to ensure safety both within the work site and at home. Gemcorp is supporting waste pickers by creating government IDs, making provisions for clean drinking water, banning child labor and opening bank accounts for their new employees.

Starting with just 10 reclaimer employees, Gemcorp has grown to uplift approximately five families a week, working with nearly 1,000 by 2022 and aims to reach 2000 by 2025. Since its initial endeavor in 2019, several other countries and companies have mimicked these practices.

Today, we see many waste pickers around the world scavenging for recyclable materials. Gemcorp represents a positive shift in the world’s waste ecosystem and supports a community that may just play a vital role in waste management.

– Sierra Winch
Photo: Flickr

5 Facts about Panama’s Healthcare System

Panama's Healthcare
According to a study, both physical and mental health have links with poverty. Being able to perform basic tasks such as breastfeeding, going to school, growing food and feeding a family all require one to be in good health to stay alive and be a productive member of society. In the same context, if someone is making below minimum wage consistently or struggling in poverty, they likely will not be able to afford adequate health care to keep up with the tasks involved in being a healthy and productive member of society. While Panama has issues in its healthcare system, available facts show the country has one of the better healthcare systems in the world. Here is some information about health in Panama along with fives facts about Panama’s healthcare system.

A Brief Overview of Health in Panama

As early as 2019, Panama had a population of 4.2 million people, with a fertility rate of 2.4. The average year that a citizen of Panama completed their education was year 10. There also appears to be a trend in the life average life expectancy of those in Panama increasing while the fertility rate of Panama will gradually decrease.

Estimates have determined that by 2030, the average life expectancy for males will increase from around 73.8 to 76 years. Meanwhile, for females, life expectancy should rise from 78.1 to around 83 years. Simultaneously, as early as 2017, the fertility rate of Panama went down from 2.8 to 2.3 and should continue to decrease into the future.

5 Facts About Panama’s Healthcare System

  1. Many view Panama’s healthcare system in a positive light. According to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) rankings of the healthcare system in Panama, the country is somewhere in the middle ranking 95th out of 191 registered countries. However, the general public, especially ex-pats traveling there, praise Panama for its healthcare, stating that doctors and nurses have a warm bedside manner and that they provide accurate and adequate service.
  2. Panama City has the best health service locations. Most of the top-notch healthcare facilities in Panama are located in urban areas such as Panama City. One hospital, Punta Pacifica, is the most technologically advanced healthcare facility in Latin America.
  3. Private and public services can be equal options. In some cases, such as being in remote areas, if one is not from the country, they might have to use public services. However, depending on the region, public and private services are available. Public services are also equipped technologically and are prepared to deal with basic emergencies and procedures.
  4. Public healthcare is affordable. While pricing varies in healthcare depending on the emergency and location, public healthcare is very affordable in Panama for the most part. A typical visit to a specialist costs about $50 or potentially less. A visit to the emergency room would normally cost anywhere from $30-$100. In some cases, depending on where you are, it may even be free.
  5. Private healthcare systems offer various discounts. Typically, private healthcare in Panama offers around a 20%-25% discount for retirees when it comes to healthcare expenses. However, Panama sometimes gives out discounts during different seasonal times of the year. For example, Panama has sometimes reduced the cost of mammograms during Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October.

Panama’s healthcare system certainly has positives that the world can emulate. Affordable healthcare is important in ensuring healthy and productive members of society.

– Alex Havardansky
Photo: Flickr

Gender Wage Gap in Canada

Gender Wage Gap in Canada
The gender wage gap in Canada between men and women is due to several factors including gender roles in the workplace and how employers advertise job listings. Here is some information about the gender wage gap in Canada and some suggestions on how to eliminate it.

The Gender Wage Gap’s Presence in the Workforce

In the past 70 years, women have joined the workforce in increasing numbers, despite it previously including mostly men. As the Canadian Women’s Foundation reported in 1950, about 21.6% between the age range of 25 to 54 had employment. The number increased to 82% in 2015. Despite the slight growth, the gender wage gap in Canada is still present. Data from the year 2018 from Statistics Canada displayed the economic disparities between women and men. For every dollar a man receives, a woman earns 87 cents, which is a difference of $4.13 per hour if a man makes $31.05 and a woman makes $26.92.

Another example of wage disparities is a report from Robyn Doolittle, a writer for the Globe and Mail who reported that in February, women made 25% less than their male peers who made $200,000. Jodie Primeau, who works at Deep River, Ontario’s Primeau Law Professional Corporation, stated that gender wage segregation, the way others treat women in the law firm and how customers view women lawyers all play into the gender wage gap.

Gender wage segregation is where people view certain jobs as acceptable for women such as roles as assistants, receptionists and clerks. As a result, women often fill these roles at legal firms, which tend to be lower paying than other positions.

The way others treat women in the law firm impacts their wages in that in corporate law, they may end up with tasks like research letters rather than legal documents. The circumstance of how women are socialized to accept certain kinds of work could potentially lead them to make less money.

The way that customers view women lawyers may influence their success in the workplace as well. After a male lawyer sent emails with his female coworker’s signature, he found that clients were more difficult and required more explanation than when he signed emails with his own name.

Recommended Steps to Ensure Pay Equality in the Workplace

The gender wage gap in Canada is a major problem with the salary for women being 12.1% less than their male counterparts. Despite earning degrees and working in fields having a much higher income, women are still earning half of their male counterparts instead of earning the same amount. On June 1, 2022, Canada requires employees to submit income data indicating the wage gap. Doing so will display the unjust reality of what women go through despite having the qualifications to work.

The Toronto Star, a news site, suggested four steps to eliminate the wage gap. The first step is to inspect how wages differ between men and women who work in similar jobs. The second suggestion is for job listings to indicate the pay range for the role which should prevent women from asking for too little when negotiating for a job. For the third step, the Toronto Star recommended that is for job listings not include present-day or preceding wages as it is not important to employees. Some states in the U.S. have placed a ban on including wage history in job postings and have seen a low rate of pay discrepancies between men and women. The final step is for employers to promote fairness by hiring a range of people from different backgrounds.

The Ontario Equal Pay Coalition

The Ontario Equal Pay Coalition has been working to resolve the gender wage gap. This coalition is a collection of trade unions and other organizations that promote pay equity for employees including women. Since its beginning in 1976, it had a role in promoting increases in the minimum wage, restoring the province of Ontario’s Employment Equity Act and encouraging the Pay Equity Act. 

The Equal Pay Coalition compiled four steps to close the gender wage gap in Canada. Here are its recommendations.

  1. Spread its campaign materials regarding the gender wage gap on social media.
  2. Encourage political candidates to advocate for women’s rights.
  3. Send a letter to an editor to help raise awareness about the issue.
  4. Organize an event to raise awareness.

Despite wage disparities between men and women and gender roles in the workforce, the steps that the Ontario Equal Pay Coalition recommended should help reduce the gender wage gap and promote awareness of the issue.

– Jacara Watkins
Photo: Wikipedia Commons

,

How India’s Waste Management System is Causing Health Issues

India’s waste management
The first half of 2022 saw India being the second-highest methane emitter in the world. Methane is a powerful greenhouse gas that is almost 84 times more potent in warming the atmosphere than carbon dioxide. According to data that Kayrros SAS analyzed from images that the Sentinel-5P satellite sent, about 78 out of 82 units of methane released in India during the first six months of 2022 were primarily from landfills, livestock, agriculture and sewage. These toxic emissions from open-air landfills are not only adding to the problem of global warming but are also becoming an increasing health hazard for people living near the dumps. These people are mostly from lower-income groups living in the slums, with little to no means to move to another location or change anything about their current situation. The problem does not lie with the landfills per se, but with India’s waste management system.

Deficiencies in India’s Waste Management System

Organic waste that decomposes without the presence of oxygen produces methane. According to Bloomberg, in Indian landfills, about 60% of the waste is organic, such as leftover food, peelings of vegetables, livestock manure, etc. However, the lack of segregation of organic material at the source and the failure to use the waste for composting is a massive setback in solid waste.

India generates “62 million tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) annually.” Out of the 43 million tonnes of MSW collected, about 31 million tonnes end up in landfills while only 12 million tonnes undergo treatment. This is an abysmally small percentage.

An important player in the waste segregation process is the informally trained waste or rag pickers coming from the nearby slums. These workers, however, do not receive proper instructions on how to separate the trash into different categories. In fact, they often end up burning the waste in open areas for warmth on cold nights, causing pollution, according to Recycling Magazine. Moreover, these workers do not have adequate gear to protect themselves from hazardous and unsanitary materials, exposing them to skin and blood infections.

According to The New York Times, “a few hundred thousand people earn income” from waste picking in Delhi. The government, therefore, doesn’t restrict the informal recycling sector from operating in fear of political backlash from them.

The lack of publicly available bins, poorly covered garbage trucks and widespread littering by citizens only adds to the problem. According to Recycling Magazine, the government introduced solid waste management rules in 2016, which focused on recovery, reuse and recycling. However, there has been no proper enforcement of the guidelines to date.

Consequences of Improper Waste Management

One of the most infamous dumps is the Ghazipur dump near New Delhi, spanning an area larger than what the Taj Mahal covers. On March 22, 2022, the Ghazipur dump leaked an estimated 2.17 metric tonnes of methane in an hour, according to Bloomberg. Besides causing fires, pollution and landslides, the landfill is also a breeding ground for tuberculosis and dengue.

In an interview with Bloomberg, Owais, a citizen living close to Ghazipur said, “Most of us have health problems. There’s no government health center in our community and many people don’t realize that pollution from the dump is what is causing health problems.”

The Deonar landfill in Mumbai, India is Asia’s largest dumping ground – the size of 268 football fields. Nine thousand metric tonnes of waste ends here daily but the litter neither undergoes segregation nor processing. The stench and smoke from the garbage are the cause of many heart and respiratory diseases in people living in the nearby slums.

According to the Tata Institute of Social Science, there is a high case of malnutrition and tuberculosis among nearby residents. Their life expectancy is around 40, compared to the average urban life expectancy of 73-74. Farha Shaikh, a 19-year-old waste picker in Deonar, stated in an interview with BBC that “Hunger will kill us if not illness.”

The Centre for Science and Environment in Delhi released a study in 2020 which concluded that there are 3,159 garbage dumps in India holding 800 million tonnes of waste. The sizes of these rubbish mountains are only increasing with time with no concrete plans of converting them into sanitary landfills anytime soon.

The Efforts to Improve India’s Waste Management System

In 2019, the government submitted a report that listed recommendations for Solid Waste Management (SWM) in India. Some of the key recommendations were converting landfills into parks, installing more Waste to Compost plants in the country, and formalizing the informal recycling sector. In 2021, the government submitted a report containing the actions taken on those recommendations. One significant progress made by the government was an improvement in the door-to-door collection of garbage and processing the solid waste.

A report that NITI Aayog and the Centre for Science and Environment released in December 2021 highlighted successes in improving India’s waste management system.

Three cities have “adopted a ‘zero-landfill model’ of development,” which focuses on reducing the volume of waste through recovery and recycling, thus eliminating the need for new landfills, The Print reported. One of the cities, Ambikapur, has pulled off 100% collection, segregation, and treatment of waste, while another city in Maharashtra achieved a 100% rate of collecting and processing sanitary waste. Using solar power and radio frequency technology to collect and treat garbage is also proving to be a success in some Indian cities.

Although there have been recent developments and improvements, more source segregation and awareness campaigns could further improve India’s waste management system.

– Anushka Raychaudhuri
Photo: Wikipedia Commons

How Droughts in Iraq Impact the Impoverished

Droughts in Iraq
The United Nations reported in August 2022 that Iraq stood as one of the top five countries most susceptible to the impacts of extreme weather events. In 2022, Iraq experienced some of the most severe droughts reported in the last 40 years. These droughts in Iraq also cause an increase in both frequency and severity of large dust storms across Iraq. These massive dust storms, while relatively a common occurrence in Iraq, nevertheless pose serious problems for the more vulnerable impoverished farmers. Additionally, in the wake of the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, Iraq has lost much of its exporting and importing capabilities. These two major factors, along with the conflict in Ukraine causing food prices to rise worldwide, have led to severe repercussions for impoverished farmers living in the “breadbasket” of Iraq.

The Impact of Droughts in Iraq

In April 2022, an expert from the Iraqi Water Resources Ministry gave a warning that Iraq’s water reserves have shrunk by 50% since the year prior due to cumulative impacts of the “drought, lack of rainfall and declining river levels,” says the International Federation of Red Cross. A report by the Ministry at the close of 2021 predicted that “unless urgent action is taken to combat declining water levels, Iraq’s two main rivers will be entirely dry by coming years.” The drought is causing long-term issues such as “shortages of drinking water and poor-quality drinking water” along with impacts on “sanitation, hygiene and food and nutrition,” aggravating the humanitarian situation in Iraq.

The Iraq Ministry of Trade reports that, due to the droughts in Iraq, wheat production yields have decreased from 5 million metric tonnes in 2020 to 3.37 million in 2021. By 2022, these yields decreased further to just 1.34 million metric tonnes.

Additionally, “between October 2020 and November 2021, the price of 50 kilograms of wheat flour went up from 41,100 dinars ($28) to 50,000 dinars ($34),” an increase of about 25%, The New Humanitarian reports. Another systemic problem lies in the Iraqi farmers’ reliance on outdated farming techniques and technologies that do not factor in climate resilience.

Between June and December 2021, just under 2,000 people in the province of Nineveh alone had to leave their homes because of the droughts, the International Organization for Migration highlighted. The U.N. reported that, as of July 2020, about 33% of Iraq’s people lived below the poverty line.

Taking Action to Address the Impacts of Multiple Events

USAID reports that, as of March 2022, the World Food Programme (WFP) has reached more than 700,000 people in Iraq with food assistance, including vulnerable school children through the WFP-supported national school feeding program. Also, as many experienced displacements due to the increased cost of living caused by the conflict in Ukraine, the droughts in Iraq and the conflict within Iraq, USAID reports that three USG partners have funded the distribution of temporary shelter as well as other relief measures. Additionally, several USAID partners have worked to put into place water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) measures.

Organizations have made significant efforts to provide short-term resolution for Iraqis amid the drought, however, long-term solutions are essential for a sustainable future as these issues persist and evolve.

– Chris Dickinson
Photo: Flickr

,

The Crises Threatening Global Food Security

Global Food Security
In June 2022, Dr. Cary Fowler, Special Envoy for Global Food Security highlighted in a call with Jim O’Brien, head of the Office of Sanctions Coordination, that extreme weather conditions, conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic threaten global food security. The recent war in Ukraine is also exacerbating global food insecurity, particularly affecting the world’s poor, with its distinctive multicausal nature.

The 3 Cs Impacting Global Food Security

  1. COVID-19: The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted the global food supply.
  2. Climate: Extreme weather conditions, such as drought, had implications in the U.S. and around the world.
  3. Conflict: The conflict in Ukraine has reduced the country’s production capacity and blockades make the Black Sea inaccessible for export, resulting in the scarcity of food, price inflation and severe disruption in the food supply chain. This is ultimately forcing millions into acute hunger.

The Impacts of the Russian Invasion

The Russian invasion has caused Ukraine’s exports to collapse as the conflict has cut off supplies from Ukraine’s ports. Before the conflict, Ukraine stood as a large exporter of key food supplies such as cooking oils, maize and wheat. As a result of the conflict, 20 million tons of grain are stuck in Ukraine from the previous harvest in 2021, said Reuters in an August 2022 article. To compensate, others, such as India and the EU, have ramped up exports, but this compensation only partly covers export losses from Ukraine.

Fears of food shortages have prompted some countries to implement export restrictions disrupting the free flow of goods to keep key food products for their own nations to deal with surging prices and food shortages. The European Union is an example, placing export restrictions on some cereals.

The chaos caused by the conflict is far-reaching due to the vital role that both Russia and Ukraine play in global commodity markets. Russia and Ukraine produce 30% of the world’s wheat supply and 18% of global corn exports. Before the war, Ukraine exported roughly “4.5 million tonnes of agricultural produce per month through its ports.” Therefore, it is no surprise that lower-income countries that are heavily reliant on commodity exports from these countries face detrimental impacts.

Dependency Issues

The threat that the conflict poses to global food security is notable. Food prices have surged, especially affecting the world’s poor. The issue here is dependency as certain countries are close to wholly dependent on exports from Ukraine and Russia for products such as wheat, maize and oilseeds.

Countries such as “Turkey, Egypt, Eritrea, Somalia, Madagascar, Tanzania, Congo and Namibia” are highly dependent on wheat imports from Ukraine and Russia. Brazil, Argentina and Bangladesh rely on Russian fertilizer for their crops, as do the African countries of Cameroon, Ghana and Ivory Coast. These countries are vulnerable and in need of finding new suppliers during this time of conflict.

The United States Responds

The U.S.’s response to the Ukraine crisis and the subsequent rise in food insecurity has been primarily geared toward restoring global food security. In June 2022, the U.S. government invested $760 million in humanitarian aid to “mitigate further increases in poverty, hunger and malnutrition in vulnerable countries impacted by high prices of food, fertilizer and fuel.”

Via USAID, the U.S. will mobilize $640 million worth of economic assistance “to support bilateral targeted agriculture and food security programs to strengthen agricultural capacity and resilience in more than 40 of the most vulnerable countries.” These programs will be customized according to each country’s specific needs. The White House has said that solutions will “tackle urgent global fertilizer shortages, purchase resilient seeds, mitigate price shortages for fertilizer, scale-up social safety nets for families suffering from hunger and malnutrition and avert food and humanitarian crises in the most vulnerable countries.”

The crisis in Ukraine is challenging global food security, resulting in reduced production in Ukraine, inaccessibility of the Black Sea ports and an increase in food prices. It comes at a time when countries are still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic and climate-related issues. Hence, the U.S. has stepped in to provide aid to combat the crises that threaten global food security and affect lower-income countries that are heavily dependent on food imports from Russia and Ukraine.

– Claudia Efemini
Photo: Flickr

Addressing Tree Inequality is Key to Achieving the SDGs

Addressing Tree Inequality is Key to Achieving the SDGs
People surviving on less than $1.90 daily live in extreme poverty, which accounts for 9.2% of the global population in line with a 2021 World Vision report. With worldwide disruptions to economic activity amid the COVID-19 pandemic, progress against global inequality is continuously under threat, especially as 97 million more individuals fell into extreme poverty in 2020 the World Bank testified. A 2020 ForestNation report has revealed a causal relationship between tree canopy and income, stating a clear association between high income and green-rich areas. One can see this trend on the island of Montreal, highlighting an apparent discrepancy between the prosperous Town of Mount Royal and a low-income neighborhood, Parc-Extension.

According to a 2021 CBC News Analysis of City of Montreal and Census Data, the average household income for the former accounts for $110,000, equating to 30% tree cover. Meanwhile, the latter assumes a median income ranging from $32,000 to $40,000 with only 6%-15% tree cover.

Addressing Tree Inequality is Key to Achieving the SDGs

Planting trees in both rural and urban areas strengthens the world’s economic systems by introducing new opportunities for employment and trade. The timber sector validates this, generating worldwide economic contributions worth $600 billion, equivalent to 1% of global Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while also providing a total of 54.2 million formal and informal employment opportunities as per the World Bank.

According to the Global Assistance Report, trees provide valuable nutritional support necessary for eradicating food insecurity. One billion of the world’s population relies on forests to secure food, with women and children resembling an unprecedented share. This illustrates how addressing tree inequality is key to achieving the SDGs via reducing inequality and hunger and improving human welfare, livelihood and food security.

Trees help improve agriculture by creating an environment favorable for growing crops. By regulating the temperature and improving moisture, trees reduce soil salinization and make crops less sensitive to weather fluctuations and especially violent winds. Recognizing that agriculture assumes an essential role in enhancing worldwide economic development, accounting for 4% of global GDP according to the World Bank, this highlights one way how addressing tree inequality is key to achieving the SDGs by attaining economic growth and improved standards of living.

UNICEF defines quality education as access to rudimentary literacy and numeracy skills for every human irrespective of one’s origin. ForestNation shows that planting trees can improve a student’s cognition and linguistic, scientific and mathematical proficiency. Trees can widen students’ knowledge of environmental and ecological matters, as well as spark curiosity and innovation amongst them, which illustrates the positive ramifications of expanding access to trees in education.

Positive Work Across the Globe

Several organizations have launched various worldwide efforts to lead reforestation. Since 2015, ForestNation, a for-profit sustainable business, has aided Tanzania in planting trees across the country. Today, the number of trees that the business planted exceeds 1 million, which brings eminent contributions to Tanzania’s wealth. For example, every 100 fully grown fruit-bearing trees including mangos and bananas generate around $173 in income. Knowing that agriculture represents one-quarter of Tanzania’s GDP, indicates significant economic development within the country.

In Morocco, the country sought to lead an initiative to overcome the country’s susceptibility to drought, collaborating with civil society, the government aims to plant 800,000 trees by 2024 in varying parts of the country. Such a partnership aims to reinforce the agricultural sector’s strength and provide food sources necessary for socioeconomic development, particularly since agriculture assumes 30% of Morocco’s employment and 20% of GDP.

To build inclusive development among rural and urban areas across Turkmenistan, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) aided a tree planting campaign on the national level. Following training sessions that USAID funded, and with support from several local community, private sector and administrator representatives, around 5,000 fruit-bearing tree seedlings have undergone implementation in two different project areas. Such a sustainable endeavor plays an important role in developing Turkmenistan’s agriculture and widens its income sources according to the UNDP.

Overall, tree equality has proven effective in enabling the world to stay on track to achieving the SDGs by 2030, as the positive impact of trees can trickle down from addressing poverty to other SDGs.

– Noor Al-Zubi
Photo: Flickr

Examining Japan’s Middle Class

Japan’s Middle Class
Although the Japanese economy is the third largest in the world according to its nominal GDP, its middle class has begun to contract. Unemployment and poverty resulting from COVID-19 revealed new patterns of decreasing consumerism and stagnant wages. While Japan’s middle class is slowly disappearing, there are a few solutions from both corporate policy and grassroots organizations that are attempting to alleviate poverty and reinvigorate citizens with low income.

Poverty in Japan

In the 1980s, the once booming Japanese economy met economic stagnation during the 10 years known as the “Lost Decade,” spanning from 1990 to the early 2000s.

Before the crisis, which the real estate market caused, Japan’s annual GDP growth rate was 0.82% higher than that of the United States. However, the bursting of the real estate bubble lowered Japan’s growth rate to a feeble 1.14% during the Lost Decade. Many view the Lost Decade as one of the events that began the fading of Japan’s middle class.

From 2020 to 2021, estimates stated that one in six people living in Japan lived in relative poverty. According to some workers, open work is scarce in the aftermath of the pandemic, and Japanese media seldom covers these stories of hardship. Notably, women, who often take retail jobs with temporary contracts to balance work with childcare, experienced economic hardship after most retail shut down during the pandemic. In early 2020, around 40% of the labor force took on “non-regular” jobs, which pay lower wages and often end in swift termination.

Japan’s Middle Class

According to Oxford Economist Shigeto Nagai, a drop in consumer spending could follow the shrinking middle class. In 2020, after a steep increase in sales tax the year before, COVID-19 caused consumer spending to plummet further. Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry reported a 12.3% decline in retail consumption from 2019. More than 10 million Japanese citizens earn less than $19,000 per year, and having less disposable income exacerbates the issue of falling consumer spending.

A “life-time employment system” also contributes to the shrinking of Japan’s middle class. Companies value taking care of employees after retirement as well as seniority-based wages. This results in an emphasis on long-term company loyalty, and raises in wages are difficult to achieve. However, as previously mentioned, nearly half of the labor force participants work in non-regular jobs. This poses a significant problem to middle-class households in which stability is a necessity.

Alleviating Poverty

Established in 2000, the World Bank and the government of Japan conceived The Japan Social Development Fund (JSDF) to alleviate the effects of the Lost Decade. Since its founding, the government has provided approximately $855 million to support its projects. These projects aim to reach the population that often cannot access aid from charitable organizations, and intends to empower and protect impoverished communities. Similarly, small, grassroots organizations in Japan help alleviate poverty by providing support for their prefectures. For example, groups such as Food Bank Kochi and NPO Gift provide food and activities for communities that have become impoverished. The Kagoshima Volunteer Bank, which aims to teach and care for single-family households, provides educational services to communities.

In regards to the corporate world, economist Shigeto Nagai has suggested that start-ups in Japan will offer higher wages to new workers and recent graduates as compared to established corporations and that this type of shift in the labor sector could ultimately increase the economic flexibility of the middle class.

– Caroline Zientek
Photo: Flickr

6 Facts About Democracy in West Africa

Democracy in West Africa
Since it enacted democratic reforms more than two decades ago, West Africa has made substantial progress in democracy and human development. However, recent armed conflicts, corruption scandals and constitutional rights suppressions have caused recent setbacks in democracy in West Africa. One can see this in the form of undemocratic constitution modifications used to retain power, coups in several West African nations, social media restrictions and insurgencies. Although the region is much more stable than before its democratization, those in power must correct recent violence and corruption in West African nations to ensure that democracy in West Africa is viable long term.

6 Facts About Democracy in West Africa

  1. Coups. Burkina Faso has faced three coups in two years, with the latest one coming in January 2022. Mali and Guinea also experienced similar coups, which were led by mid-ranking military officials. On top of these government coups, many West African nations such as Nigeria have dealt with terrorist attacks from Boko Haram.
  2. Elections. Mali’s military junta went back on its previous promise with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to hold elections in 2022, instead opting to push the date back to 2026. As a result of the junta undemocratically holding on to power by delaying elections, ECOWAS placed harsh economic sanctions on Mali. Also, Togo’s 2020 election was marked by calls of fraud by the opposition party that lost to its incumbent leader Faure Gnassingbé, who took control in 2005 after his father and former coup leader Gnassingbé Eyadéma died.
  3. Freedom House’s 2019 Democracy Index. Five of the 12 nations with the largest score declines in Freedom House’s 2019 democracy index are West African countries. After Freedom house reclassified Senegal and Benin as “partly free,” the only West African nations that Freedom House designated as “free” are Ghana and Cabo Verde.
  4. Effects of Extremism on Poverty. Many nations in West Africa are still developing economically while simultaneously dealing with issues of terrorism and anti-democratic sentiment. According to the World Bank, almost 60% of rural Togolese live below the poverty line. The growth of violent extremism in West Africa is a byproduct of economic hardship and limited access to education, which leads to an increase in crime.
  5. The Role of the International Community. External election monitoring and assistance can help not only bring back faith in West African electoral systems but also provide a smooth transition of power. A new sense of legitimacy in these elections will make coups, and political violence in general, less common. When government leaders such as Mali’s junta opt to push elections back as a way to stay in power, strict economic sanctioning from the EU and ECOWAS are vital to incentivize democracy and dissuade leaders of other nations from following in Mali’s footsteps.
  6. Initiatives Underway. Tariffs and other economic sanctions can dissuade nations from getting rid of democratic norms. In 2017, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Chad and Mauritania created a task force called G5 Sahel Joint Force to address extremism in West Africa. However, the long-term success of West African democracy also relies on grassroots support of organizations that aim to combat violent extremism and educate citizens on civic values. USAID created the REWARD II project, building on the first phase of the REWARD project that ended in 2020, to address security vulnerabilities by locating West African regions at risk of political violence and teaching peaceful approaches to conflict management within the community.

Looking Ahead

Although democracy in West Africa has been on an upward trajectory since the early 2000s, the recent spike in coups, political extremism and terrorism have caused setbacks to the democratic progress that West African nations previously oversaw. Through economic sanctioning of undemocratic actors on the global scale and grassroots peacemaking strategies, nations outside of West Africa have also demonstrated an interest in the region’s development.

– Salvatore Brancato
Photo: Wikipedia Commons

Pricepally: Nigerian Startup Fights High Food Costs

Nigerian Startup Fights High Food Costs
Pricepally is a food co-op that connects Nigeria’s urban consumers directly with farmers and wholesalers, thus bolstering Nigeria’s urban centers against the impending global food crisis. Luther Lawoyin originally developed Pricepally in 2019 to make food more affordable and accessible for Nigerians. The digital startup uses modern technology to connect urban consumers directly with wholesalers and farmers, bypassing the country’s inefficient food supply infrastructure, which contributes to high food costs. Additionally, the Nigerian startup fights high food costs by enabling customers to pool their resources with other Pricepally users to invest in bulk purchases, providing further savings.

An Instant Hit

Lawoyin came up with the idea for Pricepally after monitoring his new family’s collective grocery expenses. After doing some research, he realized that Nigeria’s outdated supply chain infrastructure resulted in “a lack of integration” between consumers and producers. Intermediaries meant to connect rural producers with urban consumers lacked a sound data structure, meaning that farmers had no way of knowing current market demands. The Nigerian startup fights high food costs caused by an inefficient and inequitable market structure by providing a community-based platform that benefits both consumers and producers.

Following its launch in November 2019, Nigerians quickly recognized Pricepally as a valuable consumer platform amid high inflation. The digital startup’s popularity skyrocketed when the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020, providing consumers with a safe method of obtaining essential resources. The Lagos-based startup met the needs of quarantined populations, quickly obtaining a government license to travel despite pandemic restrictions.

Pricepally began as a modest operation with only seven employees operating solely within the city of Lagos. Within months of its debut, Principally received funding from multiple investors, allowing it to rapidly expand operations to include the Nigerian capital of Abuja, serving more than 5,000 consumers per month.

Benefits Farmers and Consumers Alike

While Pricepally’s creator initially developed the platform with urban customers in mind, its operation has become an incredibly beneficial mechanism by which smallholder farmers can expand their market access. Chronic underinvestment and an outdated supply chain infrastructure have caused Nigeria’s smallholder farmers to become embroiled in poverty. A lack of basic facilities such as transportation routes, energy and water irrigation systems deter investors and leads to inefficiency and significant agricultural losses. In fact, Nigeria’s agricultural industry loses anywhere from 55% to 72% of Nigeria’s fresh produce before it even enters the domestic market.

Pricepally works to overcome these structural pitfalls by acting as a fair and reliable middleman, using its mobile and web-based services to connect farmers with consumers. This reduces the various intermediaries that once clogged the value chain, providing an equitable and transparent procurement process that empowers small-scale farmers to attain fair prices. In the spirit of transparency, Pricepally has begun featuring farmer’s profiles on its website, ensuring people can trust that they are buying high-quality produce. The Nigerian startup fights high food costs by streamlining the supply chain process in a manner that optimizes both transparency and equitability.

Future Goals

Pricepally recently started working with Prosper Africa, a U.S. government operation aimed at expanding bilateral trade and investment between African nations and the United States. This partnership works to secure U.S. investment and further expand Pricepally’s operational capacity.

In early 2022, Pricepally expanded its operations to the Nigerian coastal city of Port Harcourt, meaning the startup now serves consumers in Nigeria’s three largest urban centers. The most recent operational expansion increases Pricepally’s customer base while also connecting more markets and expanding overall supplies.

As investments continue to pour in, Pricepally is focused on improving its warehouse and processing facilities and investing in tech support so that the digital platform can serve more consumers each month. In the long-term, Lawoyin hopes to continue expanding operations to encompass other African nations struggling with similar supply chain and infrastructure issues.

As Pricepally continues to grow, it hopes to expand support for smallholder farmers within Nigeria as well as throughout the rest of Africa. Many of Nigeria’s farmers are simply trying to make ends meet, but Lawoyin hopes to transform farming to make it a viable career choice. He plans to do so by investing in programs aimed at addressing the issues that smallholder farmers face, including a lack of proper education, infrastructure and financing.

Within only three years, Pricepally has transformed the agricultural sector of Nigeria for the better. The Nigerian startup fights high food costs by leveraging shared economy principles that benefit consumers and producers alike, streamlining the procurement process and cutting out unnecessary intermediaries. As the startup continues to expand its operational capacity, it has the potential to transform the food supply chain of countless African nations, thus bolstering the world’s most vulnerable populations against the threat of food insecurity.

– Mollie Lund
Photo: Wikipedia Commons