The world is thirsty because we are hungry

There are 7 billion people to feed on the planet today and another 2 billion are expected to join by 2050. Available statistics indicate that we drink from two to four litters of water every day; however, most of the water we drink is embedded in the food we eat.

Sufficient good-quality water is key to the health and well-being of humans and ecosystems and an essential ingredient for socio-economic development. 

However, when a billion people in the world already live in chronic hunger and water resources are under pressure, we cannot pretend the problem is “elsewhere”. (www.unwater.org) March 22 each year is observed as World Water Day and the theme for this year’s celebration is Water and Food Security. 

The theme is to draw worldwide attention to the relationship between water and food security focusing on water scarcity, which already affects more than 40 per cent of the people on earth and is limiting the ability of farmers to produce enough food to eat or earn a living.

The question then is; how well have we utilized our critical finite resource-water-to ensure that food production in Ghana is not threatened?

It is estimated that fresh water will become an increasingly scarce resource in the coming years and Ghana like Somalia is at risk of being hit by a serious draught if pragmatic steps are not taken to reverse the increasing rate at which natural water bodies are being degraded. 

An increased body of evidence has shown that changes in climatic conditions are adversely affecting Ghana’s natural resources such as land, water, forests and vegetation, as well as human capital. 

Thus, climate change is expected to have significant impact on agriculture and food production and consequently food security. Recent statistics show that a total of 1.2 million Ghanaians are with limited access to sufficient and nutritious food throughout the year, whiles another 2 million are at risk or becoming food insecure during the lean season or at the onset of a natural or man-made disaster. 

Events such as the severe floods and drought of 2007 have heightened the already existing vulnerabilities among people and communities who are already facing shortages in food supply in the country and events such as galamsey operations, indiscriminate dumping of waste and indiscriminate constructions along water ways is just but a few of the human activities that are likely to threaten Ghana’s food security.  

Thus, coping with population growth and ensuring access to nutritious food to everyone calls for a series of actions we can all help with. It is estimated that about 30 per cent of the food produced worldwide is never eaten and the water used to produce it is definitely lost. 

Some proposed steps such as following a healthier, sustainable diet, consuming less water-intensive products, reducing the scandalous food wastage and producing more food of better quality, with less water have been noted to be some of the simply ways to preserve water and sustain food security. 

It is important to note that not only do water bodies provide a source of irrigation for our farmers, but are also a source of protein (fish) that adds up to balance ones diet.

In 2004, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) revealed that fish are an important protein source for some West African countries, comparing nearly two-thirds of daily animal protein intake in Ghana, the Gambia and Sierra Leone. 

However, Ghana’s fisheries have experienced gradual decline during the last four decades, mostly due to overfishing and lack of good governance in the fishery sector. The decline of the fishing sector has limited the country’s ability to meet domestic demand and threatened the economic and food security of many Ghanaians. 

The pathetic stories of the dying if not already dead Odaw River and the Korle Lagoon which used to be a source of fresh water fish like the Tilapia are just but a few of the examples which prove that lack of political will and man’s disregard for the gifts of nature are likely to put us in a state of want should we be struck by any serious man-made or natural disaster. 

Unless we increase our capacity to use water wisely in every endeavour of life and learn how to appreciate its role in ensuring food security, we will fail to end hunger and we will open the door to a range of other ills, including drought, famine and political instability.