Posted by SWASTHIK on Dec. 18, 2012, 5:29 p.m.
Prevention
The effort to bring modern agricultural techniques found in the Western world, such as nitrogenfertilizers and pesticides, to Asia, called the Green Revolution, resulted in decreases in malnutrition similar to those seen earlier in Western nations. This was possible because of existing infrastructureand institutions that are in short supply in Africa, such as a system of roads or public seedcompanies that made seeds available.[50] Supporting farmers in areas of food insecurity, through such measures as free or subsidized fertilizers and seeds, increases food harvest and reduces food prices.[6][51]
The World Bank and some rich nations press nations that depend on them for aid to cut back or eliminate subsidized agricultural inputs such as fertilizer, in the name of privatization even as theUnited States and Europe extensively subsidized their own farmers.[6][52] Many, if not most, of the farmers are too poor to afford fertilizer at market prices.[6] For example, in the case of Malawi, almost five million of its 13 million people used to need emergency food aid. However, after the government changed policy and subsidies for fertilizer and seed were introduced, farmers produced record-breaking corn harvests in 2006 and 2007 as production leaped to 3.4 million in 2007 from 1.2 million in 2005.[6] This lowered food prices and increased wages for farm workers.[6] Malawi became a major food exporter, selling more corn to the World Food Program and the United Nations than any other country in Southern Africa.[6] Proponents for helping the farmers includes the economist Jeffrey Sachs, who has championed the idea that wealthy countries should invest in fertilizer and seed for Africa’s farmers.[6]