Hunger Crises and Agriculture: The role of the world order.

Ebü Masum Mücahit

(Translated from Turkish by Khadijat Ogunyemi)

Since the beginning of time, agriculture has always been one of the most economic activities as it is connected to nutrition which is the most basic need of humans. Over 300 years ago, the world has approximately 9 million square kilometres of agricultural land. As the world shifted to mechanized farming, this land area has increased to about 37 million square kilometres. However, it appears that the positive effects of this increase are not felt in underdeveloped countries which are still dealing with hunger crises. Even though a series of factors might have been stated causations, there is one reason always left out: the negative effects of imperialism of the so-called world superpowers.

For starters, it is obvious that industrialized countries are equally most sufficient in agriculture production, and they have a larger scale of agricultural exports. Their citizens enjoy this prosperity even though very few are employed in the agricultural sector. On the other hand, citizens of countries where basic economic resources are agriculture-based find it difficult to feed adequately. In many such countries, there is a high rate of hunger and poverty related death. At a moment, one may ask, why are they finding it difficult to produce sufficient food and process their agricultural product.

It appears that one of the main factors setting these countries back is the imperialist politics of their developed and industrialized counterparts. For years, developed countries have worked hard to keep the underdeveloped countries at bay in food production race. They put all forms of obstacles in their ways, even if it involves using their citizens or government against them.

For instance, in 1976, a Turkish mechanical engineer invented a hazelnut thresher. He applied to the Ministry of Industry for a patent. While he waits for a response from the ministry, it came as a shock that the same machine is being marketed by an Italian company.

There is a story of the British colonizers cutting off the thumbs of 5000 silk weavers to allow the British wool fabrics to thrive in the global market. Well, this is just a “inhuman” version of what happens today. Since the establishment of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, which is backed by these superpowers, many countries have been prevented from producing certain crops.  

During the era of Adnan Menderes, Turkey’s first democratically elected prime minister, the government brought an agricultural revolution onboard, and this includes the production of cotton and hemp. But within a short period, the government was brought down, and the prime minister hung to death. A similar event ensued during the prime ministership of Necmettin Erbakan, a German-trained engineer who brought a mechanical revolution to his country. In his era, the country produces tractor engines which made it possible for farmers to obtain tractors for a cheap price. Erbakan’s government met its waterloo in the hands of foreign-backed forces. Thereafter, the western-backed governments imported cheaper tractors from other countries, making his tractor projects hit bankruptcy. If this project was allowed to work at that time, there will not have been a need for the importation of machines. Thus, foreign dependency in terms of agricultural production would be eliminated, the yield per unit area of the country will increase and the country would have been able to sustain the exportation of agricultural products.

The United Nations and its institutions established by Zionist groups around the world, work collectively to design policies that slow down the growth of some countries. An example of this is the design of the loan system. Countries borrow in the currencies of these groups (i.e. dollars) and every 10 years, a global financial crisis is inevitable. The IMF and the World Bank which is working for these groups, to slow down economic growth, approach the debtors and give outrageous demands such as closing or selling of important factories, restriction on production in agriculture, provision of loans to service existing debts amongst others. Thus, countries are more controlled by these Zionist and imperialist groups. In the 2007 financial crisis, they forced the aircraft factory in Indonesia to close.  

Another example of the imperialist control mechanism is the provisions of “aides” and the free flow of cash. This is evident in Somalia, prior to the famine in the 1990s, Europeans flooded Somali with “monetary aides” which later led to a low turnout of agricultural production. Then, Somalians found it easy to earn money and cater to their needs, while they paid relatively little interest in cultivation and agricultural development. On the other hand, Italian companies established plantations in agricultural areas in Somalia producing food for Italians.

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) might have been established for agricultural productivity or say poverty elevation, but it seems it contributes very little to the progress of underdeveloped and developing countries. Instead, it has always been an instrument of misinformation and wrong decisions. Therefore, governments and Muslim thinkers should be alert because distributing aids to prevent hunger-related death is not enough, and definitely not the way out. First, the mindset of the people in these countries should be improved. Foreign dependency on agriculture should be eliminated by supporting domestic production.

Muslim countries should put forward the development plans of their own countries rather than implementing the policies of the UN and Western countries. Muslims have to engage in the production of their own medicine and seeds. Subsequently, Muslim countries with their arable lands, suitable climate, cheap labour, higher production, and profits will not experience hunger. Exports will increase and citizen welfare will improve. Moreover, the emigration rate will decrease significantly.

If at all Muslim countries want to be self-sufficient, they need to hold up their values and set up their own researched plans towards efficient use of their lands. In this case, their citizens will not starve, nor will the government have to solicit aids from western countries.

If the Muslims produce their own food within the framework of their values and deen, there will not be debates of what is and what is not haram, as it happens today. Meanwhile taken the increased reports of “toxication” by western food companies, it is high time it is known to all that raising a physical and spiritual healthy generation comes with eating halal and beneficial food.