Yesterday, 17 October, the world observed the 19th International Day for the Eradication of Poverty. In the words of Kofi Annan, former UN Secretary-General, the day presented “an opportunity to acknowledge the effort and struggle of people living in poverty.” Since the early 1990s, the eradication of poverty has re-emerged as a mainstay in the international community’s agenda.
Egypt’s government seems to recognize the link, as many of the proposed policies from the Ministry of Environment would suggest. Sara al-Sayed, a senior coordinator at the Wadi Environmental Science Center, believes the ministry has pinpointed many important problems and solutions, but lacks the support to implement them.
“They know the bad effects rice burning has on the environment and general well-being, for example…They know how to fix the whole problem to actually help turn it into an economic benefit, but they don’t have the ability to make it happen.”
As is the case with many inefficient governments, shortsighted policies and practices tend to lead to long-term setbacks.
Here in Egypt, the effects of the mismanagement of arable land on economic well-being are all too palpable. According to al-Sayed, many farmers who her organization has collaborated with around the country complain of agricultural/irrigation mismanagement and private sector urbanization and industrialization as affecting the land and the livelihood of many farmers.
“There are very few incentives left for people to farm, and maintain the land. This leads to [long term] damage and you see now we are one of the biggest food importers.” As they feel powerless to give to the land, the land obviously cannot give back to them.
The environmental crisis poses yet another reinforcement of the constantly perplexing "poverty trap." The alleviation of one will help solve the other. The question of which should go first is not as important as the need to work on both in tandem for a viable solution to either and both.
