International Affairs — Food Crisis In War Zone, Afghans Also Fight for Bread by Mark Hilpert Countries where the global food crisis has led to riots, strikes, deposed prime ministers and other unrest read like a litany of the world’s intractable trouble spots: Haiti, Indonesia, Egypt, Bangladesh, Burkina Faso, Bolivia and Uzbekistan, to name a few. In developing nation after developing nation, millions who were already living on the edge of hunger have been pushed into such desperate acts as feeding their children with mud pies, as in Haiti. Wealthy nations have taken note, worried that hunger-based instability could spread and provide a potential breeding ground for crime and terrorism. Foreign Policy magazine recently reported that Pakistan’s high wheat prices contributed to the defeat of President Pervez Musharraf’s party in February’s elections and up to half of the country’s 160 million citizens are now facing food insecurity. But neighboring Afghanistan — chronically food insecure due to a highly arid climate, transportation difficulties, corruption, crime and terrorism— has been relatively quiet on the security front, although Afghanistan certainly hasn’t escaped this “silent tsunami,” as the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) describes the global food crisis. To assess the unique challenges that Afghanistan faces in feeding its population, The Washington Diplomat recently spoke to Rick Corsino, WFP country director in Afghanistan. A WFP employee since 1993, Corsino is well trained to head the Afghan mission, having served in WFP positions in such famine-ravaged countries as North Korea and other developing nations in the Caribbean, Asia and Africa. “We have been a partner with the Afghan government from the beginning,” said Corsino, who was preparing for a meeting with President Hamid Karzai on the food crisis in Afghanistan, where hunger has threatened millions as prices for wheat, the country’s key staple, have spiked. Despite a good year for Afghanistan’s cereal crops in 2007, prices increased approximately 60 percent in 2007 and another 70 percent to 75 percent in the first three months of 2008, leading to an almost tripling in price. This rise was due in part to an approximate doubling of world wheat prices in the past year as demand for biofuels and animal feed climbed and wheat crops in other countries failed. The average Afghan now spends up to 75 percent of their income on food, according to the WFP. Fortunately for Afghans, their government recognized the problem last December and made a $77 million appeal for international food aid in January, which was met by Canada, the United States and European nations. Corsino praised Karzai’s government for its foresight in addressing the problem — before the global food crisis made headlines around the world. “They knew this problem was brewing and have been very active in addressing it, removing an import duty on staple foods and getting an agreement with international financial institutions to use some of the national treasury to buy food abroad to distribute to the hungry. They are also trying to establish a grain reserve, but that might not be the best idea at this time due to record high prices,” Corsino said. “The government acknowledges the added difficulties caused by very low wages for public service jobs in this crisis,” he continued. “Teachers have demonstrated a willingness to stop work due to their low wages and decreased purchasing power. The government has in place plans to increase salaries of public servants like teachers and policemen, but it will require some more time.” And the WFP, which maintains nine offices around Afghanistan, has been a key partner in the government’s efforts. The group recently distributed 30,000 tons of food to approximately 400,000 Afghans affected by the record wheat prices and plans to distribute another 88,000 tons by July to aid the 2.5 million Afghans now classified as “food insecure.” But for Corsino and his WFP colleagues, the key challenge in alleviating Afghanistan’s food shortages has been transportation. In addition to the country’s notoriously poor roads and rugged terrain, food convoys face the continual threat of attacks from shadowy groups. In May 2007, the WFP suspended convoys along the southern ring road in Afghanistan after a series of such attacks. Even after shipments resumed in July, attacks continued, including one in Nimruz province that resulted in two police and 13 assailants dead and a loss of 40 tons of food. “The main difference is access, both in terms of getting food to Afghans and getting WFP staff around the country. This is mainly due to physical insecurity due to criminality and lack of Afghan government ability to project control and authority in remote provinces,” Corsino said. Next Page