Death on the doorstep of the summit

As thousands of delegates converge on Johannesburg for the World Summit on Sustainable Development, 13 million people face severe food shortages and famine across Southern Africa. This crisis has many causes.

Climate, bad governance, HIV/AIDS, debt, and collapsing public services have all contributed. One major cause is the failure of over 15 years of World Bank and IMF designed agricultural reforms to deliver agricultural growth and food security.

In a new report issued today, Oxfam documents the impact of World Bank and IMF policies on food security and poverty in Malawi, Zambia, and Mozambique.

For 15 years the World Bank and IMF have promoted agricultural liberalization in poor countries with an almost theological zeal. Far too little attention has been given to the likely impact on the poorest farmers in remote areas. It is difficult to imagine a starker example of failed development than this crisis on the doorstep of the summit, said Penny Fowler of Oxfam GB.

Oxfam is calling on the international community to address the immediate food needs of the people of southern Africa. In addition, a new approach to agricultural policy-making is needed. The World Bank and IMF must put food security and poverty reduction first.

The one size fits all?’ liberalization policies have exacerbated the exclusion of the poorest from the market whilst further undermining their food security. The ability of governments to tackle the crisis is further undermined by crippling debt repayments to the World Bank, IMF and rich countries.

Many of the world leaders meeting in Johannesburg share responsibilities for these policies. At the same time, northern governments, especially EU and US, maintain massive subsidies to their own farmers, in a display of breathtaking double standards, explained Fowler.

The Oxfam report Death on the Doorstep of the Summit recommends: Mandatory impact assessments: Donors, particularly the World Bank and the IMF, should end all lending conditions that promote further liberalization of agriculture in Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia, pending thorough Poverty and Social Impact Assessments of agricultural policy reform in these countries. Ensure food security: Donors, particularly the World Bank and the IMF, should recognize and support Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia in developing transparent state-supported systems for ensuring food security and preventing future famine. A role for governments: Donors should acknowledge the need for governments to play an active role in developing market reforms that support rural development. Deliver food aid: Rich countries must deliver immediate food aid to avert the threat of starvation for millions of people across southern Africa. Suspend debt repayments: Malawi, Mozambique and Zambia should be granted an immediate suspension of the debt repayments they are making under the HIPC initiative. Support the Development Box?’: Industrialized countries should support the inclusion of a Development Box?’ in the WTO Agreement on Agriculture, which will allow poor countries to protect, through tariffs, and support, through targeted subsidies, key staple crops with the objective of ensuring food security and protecting rural livelihoods. End dumping: Northern governments, especially the EU and US, must end agricultural export dumping. They must immediately agree a clear timetable for phasing out export subsidies and export credits.