Organic Kenya or Poisonous Kenya?
There is an interesting piece on 60 minutes, a popular prime time television show on CBS, about Kenya’s lions being poisoned by Maasai herdsmen in the Mara. You can watch the entire clip on-line by clicking on this link.
So, the piece states that the Maasai herdsmen have discovered that an imported pesticide called Furdana, is an especially good “weapon” to use against lions that attack their cows and the Maasai, acting in anger, have been using this pesticide to kill lions that kill their cows. The high death rate of the lions has now raised concerns from conservationists because they fear that Kenya is going to destroy one of it’s most important assets, i.e. it’s animals and the tourists who flock to see them.
Now, while the story focused on the deaths of the lions, there was one significant issue that got my attention and it was this: The pesticide Furdana has been banned in both Europe and America, but for some reason, the Kenyan government allowed it into the country and farmers have been using it on their crops. I guess this may finally destroy the myth that many Kenyans harbor about the food that is grown in their country: For some strange reason, Kenyans believe that the food grown in their country is “organic” and that farmers don’t use pesticides. It’s a total myth. Your mother may not use pesticides on the sukuma wiki she grows in her backyward, but all the large scale farmers are using it. My grand-mother, who’d I’d say was a mid-sized farmer, used to spray her potatoes with pesticides. The one thing I remember is that one day, all I could see was soil and the next day, after she’d sprayed the grounds, I’d see the potatoe sprouts! Like vroom! It was like magic, but when I think about it today, it wasn’t magic, it was poison.
This brings me to my final point, which I have harped on continuosly on this blog and that is about the importance of having rules. Kenya is supposed to have a bureau of standards that is supposed to check the safety of “stuff” that is imported into the country. Just because a western country is given you something for free, doesn’t mean you should automatically accept it, if it is dangerous!
At some point, a society has to be governed by rules, otherwise, it will continually break down. Have you guys noticed the high rates of cancer in the country lately? What are people ingesting?
And I know someone will say that we’re all going to die one day, so who cares, but that’s not what it’s about. It’s about the quality of your life. If you live for a long time, do you want to be burdened down by sickness and ill health? having to take numerous medications everyday just to stay alive? Constantly in pain and in the hospital?
If you abuse your body, it will catch up with you and it will show.
** I was looking at a picture of George Muhoho and that man looks wasted, finished. You’d think with all that money, the Kenyatta’s would at least spruce up. Is it the pesticides?
Corruption and ineptness… and muhoho-ho-ho fits the bill…
I have said Kenya is over-populated & killing the lions will do little for the masais & their emaciated cows…
Kenya’s ‘growth’ in resources are being out-stripped by the population growth…
coldtusker: Kenya’s ‘growth’ in resources are being out-stripped by the population growth…
I don’t think people are honing in on this issue of population growth. They tend to focus on the raw number (is it 35 million or 38 or 40 million?) and forget to link it to this issue of productivity, which is the only way to increase your resources.
But you talk about these issues and you are accused of reading too much or thinking too much and of being too theoretical, until of course, the practical implications of these problems start to play out in real life.
The questions are:
1) can an agricultural economy sustain a population of 40 million plus? I would say yes, but only if they increased their productivity by using machines and technology (like Brazil).
2) Can a service-oriented economy sustain a population of 40 million plus? I’ve read that if you are going to rely on a service oriented economy, you need to have a low population of 10 million people (or less).
When you start approaching the 50 million mark, you better start producing. Something.
ke,
Coldtusker is right about the population issue. All our problems come from Ignorance. Nothing more nothing less.
I’m sure EVEN our Forefathers and ancestors were NOT as Ignorant as we have become as a continent.
You see countries in Africa find themselves in a strange predicament. Africans the reason why the west is ahead by such a big margin is because they decided to work together since they have common Interests.
I live in a mostly white community and I go to a mostly white university. Everyday I see these people I feel sorry for Africans because I realize how these people are doing it. Its not that they are more Intelligent.
The only thing about these people is because they find common Interests in most of the pursuits and come together to pursue them.
In Africa the opposite happens. We work at tearing each other apart. We never find common grounds on Issues that affect us all. We want to bicker all day to see who knows the most – while the problems continue to persist. We wait and bicker until desperation hits and then we start pointing fingers.
Many westerners don’t buy that charity and hunger crap anymore. Many westerners think that Africans are just Pure Ignorant people. Westerners are getting more and more cynical about these hand out overtures that never bear fruit. More westerners believe Africans live and strive for Ignorance.
CT,
I don’t know who you are talking to about the population issue, but the population issue is evident on the ground. We have already reached a point of reckoning. There are villages where they cannot subdivide land further, what can one do with 1/16 or 1/32 of an acre?
children from such situations if they do not get jobs, are ripe candidates for at best petty thievery, at worst…. I think we all know and can fill in the blanks.
KE,
I have seen pesticide drums used to catch rainwater for a families consumption. Talking about rules, how about pharmaceuticals? Don’t even get me started on expired medicines, or diluted medicines!
KE
Muhoho is not a Kenyatta. He is Mama Ngina’s brother. In other words, he is the Kenyatta’s in-law. He is the son of the late Chief Muhoho.
You have to get these things right…….
On Pesticides
I suspect there are also many other dangerous chemicals maquerading as medicines in Kenya. The government is very lax on this issue of poisons.
They should get serious or you will soon have a cancer epidemic in Kenya.
KeIo
Van Hildenbrant
I can sense your sense of frustration about Africans bickering about everything….
The all problem is still “resources”
We Bicker about natural resources because we have no ability to produce STUFF.
Thats is
To add value
To manufacture
To create
To Iniatiate
To Mantain or Sustain
To Copy (we cant even copy except ape other peoples culture or region)
Lord
Please, lets not have another argument here. Have we not fought enough already my dear
On second thoughts no. Lets have an argument! I disagree with you. Its actually the other way round.
Without the following Kikuyu Chiefs, Kenyatta would not have been so big: Chief Koinange, Chief Muhoho, Chief Kinyanjui wa Gathirimu, Chief Waiyaki and Chief Waruhiu.
I will not elaborate.
Again, I refer you to history.
Lord
OK, I will relent and elaborate just a little bit.
Kenyatta was not born into any of the Kikuyu noble families. However, he had mystical powers which he inherited from his grandfather who was a medicineman and a seer. The powers are normally passed down from generation to generation.
The mystical powers made it easy for him to be accepted by the Kikuyu nobility to speak on behalf of the Kikuyu people.
Do not forget that the Kikuyu people have never had a central authority, such as an imperial King. They had, instead, a council of chiefs who regularly met to discuss the affairs of the whole community. It iwas during one such meeting in mid 1920s that they selected Kenyatta to be the POLITICAL leader. They then sent him to England in 1929 to agitate for African land rights. Have you ever heard of the Carter Commission?????
I will also tell you that Kenyatta had to bow to the senior elders at some point, notwithstanding his political power. Kikuyu seniority or hierarchy is not based on money or political power. It is based on knowledge, ritual and initiation.
That is enough history for one day.
Lets stick to PESTICIDES.
The questions are:
1) can an agricultural economy sustain a population of 40 million plus? I would say yes, but only if they increased their productivity by using machines and technology (like Brazil).
2) Can a service-oriented economy sustain a population of 40 million plus? I’ve read that if you are going to rely on a service oriented economy, you need to have a low population of 10 million people (or less).
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Ans no. One-
Kenya is good in producing some things and we poor in others. So this question basically takes us back to the old idea of a global economy. We need to specialize on what we can produce at the least cost(Comparative Advantages).
Ans no. Two-
Again it depends on how cheaply we can produce it. If we can produce it cheaper than India and China then we will always have a market for the goods. But If India and China can produce it at a cheaper cost then we will lose the markets to them.(I.e holding all the other factors constant)
**************************************
We need to be practical about what we produce. One thing I would suggest to the Industry minister is to look at what these competitor countries need I.e India and China.
We can sell them whatever they need to produce. The Minister needs to find and Identify those things that we can produce cheaper in Kenya and sell to these emerging countries and sign more bilateral quality control agreements to force these countries to stick to quality.
China and India are going to need a lot of raw materials for their growing economy. Some of these raw materials we already have In Kenya and just need to start mining them e.g Oil.
The government also needs to move from Traditional agricultural economy to more service sector based. e.g Day trading etc. Many Kenyans are missing out on easy ways of making money like day trading.
I wonder if any one can do day trading in Kenya with the slow Internet. By the time you refresh your screen all your money is gone.
Has anyone here ever done day trading in Kenya ?
Van Hildenbrant: If we can produce it cheaper than India and China then we will always have a market for the goods
There might be a problem with this suggestion because I have read that the one thing both India and China realized is that with such large populations, they had no choice, but to start producing (for themselves) whatever it is they needed.
So, apart from oil, which I doubt Kenya will ever find, there is nothing Kenya can give them because they already produce whatever it is they need.
This is especially true with India because it is less dependent on exports to the west (unlike China, which has to sell all those goods they manufacture).
So, maybe Kenya should stick to selling goods to the west where it has been able to compete quite well, especially with things like flowers, coffee and tea.
The labor costs in Kenya are more expensive than the labor costs in India and China so how can Kenya sell anything to those two countries.
On day trading:
I’ve said often that too many people (even in the face of so many fraud cases) still seem to think that the best way to buy stocks is to believe what the CEO’s are saying about their companies. It’s amazing how people will trust a guy who stands in front of a microphone with a suit and starts spouting off all kinds of mumbo jumbo financial info.
Company financial statements are treated like the holy bible.
Maybe when high speed internet arrives, people will start using technology and data to analyze what’s actually going on.
Day Trading: That is not production. In reality, unlike ‘long-term investments’ day trading produces few ‘real’ gains. When I say investments, I mean an injection of funds/real money to improve, expand, etc… It may also fail.
Population: Most Kenyans (even educated Kenyans) are villagers at heart. Given the chance, they would breed like rabbits – where they don’t already do so.
Agriculture: Kenya is becoming as a wasteland. We went from 10% forest cover to 1.5% in 45 years. And it gets worse. Lakes are drying up (KWS spends Kes 100mn/month to replenish Lake Nakuru with water from boreholes in the dry season), rivers have become seasonal… and slash & burn is the only method of farming practised!!!
Now… in spite of all this poverty & famine… how the heck do Kenyans (esp rural Kenyans) continue popping out babies??? I though famines kill off people. In Kenya, the famines (currently 10mn affected) have done zilch for population growth rates!!!
Sure… I live in the city and all that jazz but I don’t have 10 kids & wait for food aid…
How do the poor (& starving) afford to have so many kids?
How can starving mothers keep popping them out?
Should we cut back on free neo-natal & maternity clinics to manage population growth?
(I know the last one sounds cruel but… will we be a country of mostly under-fed beggars by 2030?)
The answer is to start providing free birth control pills to women (beginning in high school).
It sounds like kibaki has lost control of his mind and of the country. I ask again, who is in charge?
You need rules for everything and I don’t understand why people aren’t able to see the links between rules and everything else: the economy, the environment, public health, etc, etc….
Those who don’t follow rules (but can use the lack of enforcement) benefit the most!