Eritrea and the problem of subsistence food
Stefano Pettini
The first problem that Eritrea has faced not just achieved independence was that of power. The destruction, economic stagnation and chronic backwardness caused by the long war of liberation had in fact altered the prospects for achieving food security through agricultural modernization and the exploitation of potential noticed this core activity for the subsistence of the population, necessitating a detailed plan for revitalizing the area. In addition to the war also recurrent droughts alternating with periods of large rainfall had exacerbated an already serious situation for the backwardness of the methodologies and the endemic poverty caused by colonialism during which the infrastructure had deteriorated, and nothing had been done to prevent erosion soil and its consequent impoverishment.
resources for the implementation of this recovery plan stemmed largely from the economic remittances from Eritreans living abroad, expatriates during the period of terror perpetrated by the Ethiopian dictatorship, and food aid from donor countries. The objectives were to transform the agriculture of the colonial setting, which aimed for export, in a type of agriculture that's predilection traditional crops most suitable for domestic consumption. The transition period would inevitably be long and the Eritrean government decided to address it by offering the people a form of direct assistance and free as transitional facility until it had Food obtained national security through agricultural development of higher productivity. The use of this option was in a rather spontaneous because that was the practice used in conventional or customary international system, in a time when the experience was not long enough to highlight the possible negative social consequences.
After a few years the system of direct assistance in fact showed its limits and above the risk of serious consequences for the recipients as it gradually had become virtually a habit he had unwittingly involved whole communities starting to promote a dangerous culture of dependency in which many had started to see food aid as a permanent factor in their lives and also as "a right and natural law 'is a kind of lethargy established to work with a life expectancy to be conducted through the support of social assistance. In fact, since the food needs were invariably met with government assistance were lacking the basic incentives to work gradually eroding the stimulus and the work ethic, and causing weakness, inactivity and unemployment.
The Eritrean authorities and then, after some years, is convinced that it was time to abandon the direct and general support for a scheme called "food for work "scheme that was introduced as an alternative to weaken the culture of dependency and to strengthen the work ethic and at the same time to make significant contributions to the rigorous programs of agricultural water management and that the country was facing in achieving the objectives of food security. However despite the advantages of the strategy of "food for work not turned in the predominant method of delivery for, inter alia, because this form of aid based solely on the distribution of food did not allow people to meet other needs of daily life and indirectly contributed to the distortion of market prices due to the fact that a certain amount food aid was sold on the market. This phenomenon associated with speculation and commercial logic in turn caused price increases of food uncontrollably, as well as encouraging but on a rather small scale the phenomenon of corruption.
however perfect the new system, however, brought considerable benefits to the population, through the work recovered dignity and sense of belonging, both government finances that no longer had to deal with the huge expenditure grants, and while the government recovered the workforce needed for the reconstruction of the infrastructure required in national development. A revolution in all programs of social emancipation and Eritrea, however, came a new economic aggression by Ethiopia that sank the country, initially launched to promising targets, in a new state of crisis and difficulty. All it turned out to upset the internal balance until the intervention of the United Nations re-established a state of relative peace that allowed some recovery of all those activities aimed at the insurance needs of the country's food, though in different ways from previous ones. The new threat posed by the unresolved border issue with Ethiopia, Eritrea had in fact forced the administration to employ young people in military service for an indefinite period for national defense, with the subsequent absorption of the food resources, and suggested the application to the remaining population, a new and conceptually different method of service called "cash for work".
At the political level the scheme "cash for work" had already been deemed the most suitable, but even preferred by the government that he had presented since 1996, unfortunately had not found practical application because of various organizational difficulties that had to prevail, As mentioned, the adoption of a scheme of temporary assistance more direct and conventional means of distribution of free food. This new method involved the mobilization of population to undertake the building and infrastructure for food security and payment of work completed not more directly with the distribution of food, but with a payment in lieu. Ensure a sustainable food supply is sufficient to require a focused and well coordinated national mobilization that involved all segments of society and the Eritrean government is adjusted accordingly in the development process and appropriate mechanisms to mobilize and use resources effectively and human National Financial to produce results in a rapid liberation from dependence on other countries with the attainment of food self-sufficiency.
The system called "cash for work was an important first step in permanently eradicated since the scourge of addiction to government assistance and contributed to the restoration of that virtuous cycle that would have restarted the economy and ensured not only a widespread distribution of subsistence food, but also allowed the people have small amounts of cash to meet other needs, while restoring the dignity deriving from having been able to play a productive role and not just passive. The scheme "cash for work" also reduced market distortions as through payment in cash of the work was obtained by a process more transparent and direct distribution of goods that actually eliminated the speculation, hoarding and intermediate steps of merchants, from trafficking in the form of food aid.
The new method, while making substantial benefits and a new balance between consumption and accumulation through the reduction of avoidable waste, which is a direct consequence of the free distribution of food, however, raises the immediate reaction from donors who conceived of Assistance people just as free distribution of food aid and did not approve of these were marketed and sold even at controlled prices. The strengthening of the work ethic and control of expenditure due to the assistance in national accounts Eritrea were not considered as priorities in the international arena, and despite using the "cash for work" has ensured a more efficient allocation of resources through the market and more effective use as a tool for the stimulation of national economic development and enhancing prospects for financial accounts for both the government and for international partners, is still criticized. An example
authoritative came by Ambassador Geert Heikens who recently declared that the European Union is considering the possibility to request back to Eritrea three million dollars as the equivalent of goods instead to be distributed for free have been sold, causing the reaction of the Eritrean government that has claimed the right to manage the flow of humanitarian donations in a manner consistent with the needs of the country and respect for the dignity of its people.
At this ethical problem not easily solved in the meantime he had added to an increasingly difficult relationship with NGOs due to the progressive callusing than one type of assistance and aid that if in its initial stage many years ago was crucial to the restart the activities of the country now had stabilized in an increasingly more invasive and far away from development programs issued by the government that it intended to gradually move away from any kind of addiction. In particular the lack of transparency in the management of economic resources by these organizations had begun to fuel a strong exchange of hard currency outside the legal channels, with negative repercussions on the prices that tended to increase, while rendering it difficult to assess the commitments that they could take, because of their over-confidence and management independence.
The solution adopted by the Eritrean government has been to eliminate the excessive fragmentation of collaboration through a selection of partners based on the availability of such a sum to pay in hard currency in banks Eritrean, corresponding to the financial commitment that they intended to assume, as a guarantee of actual availability of resources necessary to carry out programs of cooperation agreed with the government. The new regulation imposed by the Eritrean government in May of 2005, which brought the minimum threshold necessary to re-enroll in year one million dollars (€ 840,000) for national organizations and two international ones, caused the non-renewal of registrations Historical Ong, who worked regularly with financial assets of the new lower minimum limit, which were forced to leave the country fueling a new chorus of protests and controversy. In various discussions the representatives of the NGO has accused Eritrea of \u200b\u200bexcessive protagonism resignation and lack of respect to his state of need that was supposed to advise the government a more supine acceptance of the aid with the abandonment of unrealistic claims management from the generosity of others.
Ironically, judging by the repeated positions in the international community against Eritrea is showing a clear preference for countries as it less virtuous than with their apparent inertia rewarding donors accepting any kind of intervention, even the most invasive in terms of social and cultural life, the result of finding themselves increasingly dependent on aid to those who prove to be decisive rather than turned into a lifelong addiction that prevents them from every possible growth and stifle any hope of self-determination. Whatever the overall trend, however, Eritrea has always taken a definite attitude towards the donor countries asking them not begging but appreciation for the efforts made by the country in the direction of self-sufficiency, and cooperation in increasing knowledge and methodologies in agriculture and technology. In addition there are in addition to that Eritrea had never moral contract external debt is owed to both the international community of former settlers who are jointly responsible for the state of economic depression facing the country.
Stefano Pettini
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