War and Resource Grabbing, Two Sides of the Same Violence

Bombs not only destroy lives, they also destroy food potential

War and the struggle for resources lead to the destruction of ecosystems, the inability to produce food, food insecurity, hunger and migration for subsistence. Bombs not only destroy lives, homes and infrastructure, they also destroy food potential, condemning populations to a future of hunger. We see this happening in the Gaza Strip, where, in addition to the human losses, according to the alarm raised by the FAO, as of by September 2024, 10,183 hectares, or 67% of the total cultivated area, had been destroyed: 71.2% of the orchards, 67.1% of the arable land, 58.5% of the horticulture; decimated livestock farms, where only 43% of the sheep, 37% of the goats and only 1% of the poultry survived. And all the signs are that the situation is getting worse.

The military is also one of the biggest contributors to the global climate crisis. According to the Decarbonize the Military report taken up by Nature magazine, the sector is responsible for between 1 and 5 per cent of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. Armed forces have a massive carbon footprint that is missing from global accounting.

A painful complaint from the Slow Food community in South Kivu, Democratic Republic of Congo

Another painful complaint came from Anne-Marie Kazima Sabina, coordinator of the Slow Food community in South Kivu, a region in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo. She shared with us her denunciation of what is happening: “For several years, this area of Congo has been experiencing a serious and unprecedented humanitarian crisis, exacerbated by the ongoing armed conflict. The ravages of war have led to a major food crisis. Among those most affected by this dramatic situation are women and children, who bear the brunt of the violence. Women, mothers, nurturers, guardians of agricultural traditions and the main caretakers of agricultural fields, have had to abandon their land and seek refuge in the city, hoping to be less exposed. This has led to a massive influx of urban populations and the creation of shanty towns, exacerbating the health crisis, particularly through the spread of infectious diseases. At the same time, the food crisis has led to an increase in malnutrition, especially among children and vulnerable groups”.

Violent forms of land-grabbing affect territories devoted to food production

When it does not go to the extreme of war, equally violent forms of land-grabbing affect territories devoted to food production: in Senegal, the Kédougou region, far from the capital Dakar, is being devastated by the gold rush. Rich in natural parks and mountains, rivers and water sources, it has also been known for its gold mines since the time of the Mandinga Empire, a fortune and a curse for the population, 58.9 per cent of whom are food insecure.

In my country, Uganda, in the district of Hoima, voices have been raised in protest against the devastating consequences of the East African Crude Oil Pipeline project led by TotalEnergies. This project threatens not only food production, but also the environment and the global climate. This fertile land was used to grow cassava, beans, maize and bananas. More than 100,000 people in Uganda and Tanzania will be affected by the project, their land confiscated, and their livelihoods destroyed. What’s more, the pipeline crosses sensitive areas, threatening water sources and biodiversity. The expected CO₂ emissions will contribute to climate change, affecting not only the people of the region, but the whole world.

In Côte d’Ivoire, a dam built by Eiffage is destroying forests and protected species. The promoters and financiers had promised that the project would not harm the environment. But the dam will destroy 618 hectares of forest and harm endangered species. It will flood farmland and force the displacement of part of the population.

Slow Food embraces a strict weapons-free policy

To create real wealth, it would be necessary to ensure food self-sufficiency, and that would require investment in agriculture.

But what kind of agriculture? Certainly not the kind of agriculture that abandons its primary mission of feeding the community in favour of agro-industrialism, which pollutes, depletes the soil and destroys the landscape. The problem of monoculture is an age-old one for the African continent, in many cases dating back to colonial times. But today, the natural wealth, freedom and rights of indigenous communities to their land are being eroded at an unprecedented and rapid rate. The earth’s resources are not infinite, a paradigm shift is needed and a drastic change in the model of development and the global food system. Alternatives exist, and starting to practice them in every sphere, promoting community networking, being in solidarity with the weakest, is already a form of resistance to the spread of violence.

Real wealth is also rooted in peace. As Slow Food, we condemn all past and current breaches of peace. Food must never be used as a weapon of war. And weapons have no role in good, clean and fair food systems: in all our activities, whether in person or online, and in all our communication work, whether local or global, we embrace a strict weapons-free policy.

By Edward Mukiibi, Slow Food President

Sources

Uppsala Data Conflict Program

“This is what we die for” by Amnesty International

Altreconomia

Médiapart