Causes Of Lack Of water and food in

Africa

BY: OTHMAN NAFE AHMAD

AND SARMAD BILAL

Causes of lack of
food:
1.

Drought and other extreme weather events.

2.

Pests, livestock diseases and other agricultural

problems.

3.

Lack of emergency plans.

4.

Corruption and political instability.

1.Drought and other extreme

weather events.
The

comparison of the severest food

crises in the later history reveals that all
were preceded by drought or other
extreme weather events. They resulted
in poor or failed harvests which in turn
resulted food scarcity and high prices of
the available food.

2.Pests, livestock diseases

and other agricultural
problems.
In addition to extreme weather events,
many failed harvests in African and
other Third World countries were also
caused by pests such as desert locusts.
Cattle diseases and other agricultural
problems such as erosion, soil infertility,
etc. also play a role in food insecurity.

3. Lack of emergency plans.

History of the severest food crises

shows that many countries were
completely unprepared for a crisis
and unable to resolve the situation
without international aid.

4. Rapid population growth.

Poor

African and Third World countries have

the highest growth rate in the world which
puts them at increased risk of food crises.
For example, the population of Niger
increased from 2.5 million to 15 million
from 1950 to 2010. According to some
estimations, Africa will produce enough
food for only about a quarter population by
2025 if the current growth rate will
continue.

Causes of lack of
water:
1.

Climate change.

2.

Physical scarcity and economic

scarcity.

3.

Regional variance.

1.Climate change

According to the Africa Partnership Forum, Although Africa is the

continent least responsible for climate change, it is particularly
vulnerable to the effects, and the long-term impacts include,
changing rainfall patterns affecting agriculture and reducing
food security; worsening water security; decreasing fish
resources in large lakes due to rising temperature; shifting
vector-borne diseases; rising sea level affecting low-lying coastal
areas with large populations; and rising water stress.

2.Physical scarcity and economic

scarcity

Water scarcity is both a natural and human-made phenomenon.

It is thus essential to break it down into two general types:
Economic scarcity and physical scarcity. Economic scarcity refers
to the fact that finding a reliable source of safe water is time
consuming and expensive. Alternatively, physical scarcity is
when there simply is not enough water within a given region.

3.Regional Variance

Northern Africa and Sub-Saharan Africa are progressing towards

the Millennium Development Goal on water at different paces.
While Northern Africa has 92% safe water coverage, Sub-Saharan
Africa remains at a low 60% of coverage - leaving 40% of the 783
million people in that region without access to clean drinking
water.