Brother Sidibeh,

Your Africa case in  point as illustrated below is one of the many answers to 
your question as to why  we as Africans cannot feed ourselves. It is not only 
what happens on the ground,  but the entire global economic set up that keeps 
us where we are.

I  promise to come back to your question probably after the Ramadan as I have 
my  hands full with work in addition to trying to be more diligent during 
this holy  month.
Jabou Joh

In a message dated 10/7/2006 6:12:45 A.M. Central  Daylight Time, 
[log in to unmask] writes:
Here is a West African case in  point:
Italy, like all EU countries, heavily subsidise agricultural  production of 
its farmers. So they are able to sell paste tomato relatively  cheaply to 
retailers in Ghanain towns. Ghanain tomato farmers are unable to  sell their 
products in the same market since they cannot compete with the  lower prices 
of imported italian tomatoes.
Young Ghanains then  migrate to the urban areas in search of work since 
farming no longer remains  a vaible souce of income. Unemployment in the 
cities grow exponentially and  many youing men therefore, risk their lives on 
open fishing boats leaving  the Gambia and Senegalese coasts for the nearest 
European ports, again in  search of work.

To help their farmers, many African governments  protest by trying to raise 
tariffs on imported agricultural goods (such as  cheap, tatseless, frozen 
chicken all over Gambia and Senegal). But then the  Europeans threaten that 
they will cut funds and aid they provide as  subsidies to national budgets. 
So no schools and clinics will be built and  teachers' salaries may be unpaid 
for months.
(A senior Ghanain  representative illustrated this graphic arm-twisting by 
the EU last year at  the global forum at Davos).
This, plus the corruption and stupid  economic policies of African  

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