Page 38 - Msingi Afrika Magazine Issue 17

Food Health

Mariama Sonko

are the ones taking the stock to health, but also for environmental
the markets and doing the work to protection and social welfare.
conserve and harvest the traditional
plants that we use.” This project is Evidence across the continent
also sustaining biodiversity, since shows that the industrial food
one of the main ingredients comes system is not concerned with the
from a local tree with several health health and nutrition of people in
benefits. This tree was on the verge Africa. As long as it has a market for
of extinction, but now, thanks to its products and maximises profits,
the stock, communities are coming everything else tends to fall by the
together to help conserve it. This wayside. Agroecology and food
local food system is now there for sovereignty however, are centred on
the benefit of the whole population. ensuring health and nutrition across
the food production, processing and
But however positive their contri- marketing network - not only for
bution to the community may be, individuals, but for communities and
the future is uncertain for Nous the environment.
Sommes la Solution. A series of
national administrative procedures, 1”Dietary quality among men and
regulations and standards adapted women in 187 countries in 1990 and
for agroindustry is barring their legal 2010: a systematic assessment,” Fumia-
recognition and certification. ki Imamura et al., The Lancet, March
2015: https://doi.org/10.1016/S2214-
Other community initiatives across 109X(14)70381-X
Africa (and the world) who are
pushing back against the industrial 2Andrew Jacobs and Matt Richetl, “How
food chain are also facing similar Big Business Got Brazil Hooked on
challenges. If states are not actively Junk Food,” NY Times, 16 September
withholding support to assure the 2017: https://www.nytimes.com/interac-
viability of these types of projects, tive/2017/09/16/health/brazil-obesi-
they are throwing obstacles at them ty-nestle.html
while lending a hand to agroindus-
trial corporations. A high price to
pay, not only in terms of public

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