Hello readers.
Welcome to #ClimateJusticeThursday on CleanbuildVoices!
It’s no longer news that the climate crisis is a human rights crisis. Everywhere you turn to in Africa tells a story of climate change. From storm-ravaged communities to drought-prone areas, forcing millions of people to trek hundreds of miles in search of water, the problems are mounting.
Even worse, climate change is driving a humanitarian crisis- hunger. Studies have shown that smallholders or landless people, mostly women and girls living in rural areas without access to productive resources.
In this edition of our #ClimateJusticeThursday, we will discuss how the right to good food is a basic fundamental human right.
Did you know that the right to good food is an inclusive right? It is not simply a right to a minimum ration of calories, proteins, and other specific nutrients. It is a right to all nutritional elements that a person needs to live a healthy and active life, and to the means to access them.
As far as this definition is concerned, only the wealthy actually have access to food despite it being a human right. A report from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) shows that more than one billion people are undernourished. Over two billion suffer from a lack of essential vitamins and minerals in their food.
Sadly, nearly six million children die every year from malnutrition or related diseases. The right to adequate food can only be realized when every man, woman, and child, alone or in a community with others, has physical and economic access at all times to adequate food or means for obtaining it.
Since climate change calls for collective actions, consider some of the ways to address the food crisis while ensuring that everyone has access to food.
Governments should invest in renewable energy. Providing smallholders with access to electricity will help them to maintain proper storage. When food is properly stored, it can be sold. This will not only ensure that farmers’ livelihoods are met but people will be able to buy food at affordable prices.
Educate farmers on climate-smart agriculture. Many farmers have no clue what they’re dealing with. As such, governments, organizations and scientists, and climate activists can create programs that will help farmers practice sustainable climate-smart agriculture.
Share your resources with others. One of the ways to assist those affected by climate-induced hunger or food shortage is to share our resources with these ones. No doubt if you look around you, there are plenty of people that are in need of food.
Speak up. Today, many people earn less than they spend on food. While this might not be the case for everyone, you can do your part to speak up and call on the government to address food insecurity in your community. Everyone has a right to good food and they should get it!
Watch this space as we’ll be back for our #ClimateJusticeThursday next week.
