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Accepted Paper:
Hope Eze (University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada)
Paper short abstract:
Evaluating present ecological practices that have led to food insecurity within the postcolonial African context, this paper explores how indigenous African knowledges can be harnessed to revitalize sustainable food production and combat food insecurity in Africa in the face of current challenges.
Paper long abstract:
The African climate crisis discourse often revolves around fossil fuel extraction and the resulting environmental degradation. While discussions frequently emphasize the direct adverse effects of ecocide on living beings, concerns mostly center on the potential apocalyptic future for Africa and the rest of the world if Global Warming persists. However, it is crucial to consider present urgent issues that require immediate attention. One such current effect of ecological violence in Africa is food insecurity. In addition to fossil fuel extraction, the African food crisis is also intricately linked to other factors. These include land grabs by agribusiness, the shift from subsistent farming to industrialized cash crop production, and the abandonment of indigenous biodiverse polycultures in favour of monocultures driven by industrialized agriculture. These unsustainable and ecocidal developments have resulted in a loss of diverse indigenous foods and limited access to the few available options.
As we grapple with the quest for a sustainable future, it becomes imperative to carefully examine our approach to agriculture and reassess the impact of current practices on both present and future generations of Africans. At the heart of this paper lies a pivotal question: Not overlooking the complex realities of the postcolonial context of most African nations, how can we harness indigenous African food production and distribution knowledge systems to tackle the prevailing food insecurity challenges on the continent? How do we go about restoring sustainable and resilient African food production and distribution practices in the dynamic and globalized world of today?
Centering Ecologies in re-configuring Africa studies – emerging perspectives
Session 1 Wednesday 2 October, 2024, -