Project

The Intersections of Insecurity in Nigeria, India and Malawi

This project was produced in partnership with the Under-Told Stories Project

Fred de Sam Lazaro presents a series of reports from around the world, examining the intersections of food, food policy, and food security. In Nigeria, Africa's most populous country, a legacy of corrupted governance and an economy based primarily on oil exports has left the agriculture sector significantly weakened and millions of Nigerians hungry. And as poorer neighboring countries export more food to Nigeria in exchange for petrodollars, people there also go hungry. In 2005 thousands of children in neighboring Niger died of malnutrition not because the country had had a particularly bad harvest but because there was a food shortage in Nigeria and people in Niger could not afford the ensuing higher prices. India has enjoyed bountiful harvests for four decades, owing to a green revolution of modern, chemical-based farming that transformed a chronically food-short nation. Today there's widespread concern about profligate use of water and chemical farming that have depleted soils and aquifers. From Malawi, the debate continues over the benefits of providing cash or crops to recipient nations, and the effects of domestic farm law on world food markets continue to grow.

As it Grows, India Faces Problems Feeding Itself

India, soon to be the largest nation on earth, is facing a crisis in providing enough food for its people without destroying their environment.

In an effort to increase the agricultural production in India in the 1960s, plant geneticist M.S. Swaminathan and American scientist Norman Borlaug developed hybrid crops and synthetic pesticides and fertilizers. This "green revolution" almost doubled the amount of wheat grown in India.

Malawi: Food Aid Ethics

Fred de Sam Lazaro introduces his reports from Malawi and the ongoing debate over the benefits of providing cash or crops to recipient nations. He also looks into the growing effects of domestic farm law on world food markets.

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Nigeria: Families Left Hungry

The first in a series of reports from around the world about food, food policy, and food security: Nigeria, a country that has historically enjoyed food surpluses. That was before vast oil reserves were discovered. Today Africa's most populous nation must use its revenues to import food–elbowing out impoverished neighbors in a precarious regional food market.

Correspondent: Fred de Sam Lazaro
Producer: Nicole See
Videographer: Tom Adair
Editor: Skip Davis