I bless the rains down in AFRICA!

*Picture courtesy of Miningjournal.com

Audience Piece #2: Facts on Food Shortages in Africa

My second Audience piece will be a stencil of the country of Africa with facts concerning food shortages within the country. The facts that I will include on my sheet are”

Climate change and deforestation pose a serious threat to positive, agricultural growth.

Food prices are skyrocketing between 21% and 51% Between September and November of 2010.

Under climate change, child malnutrition numbers would increase by 460,000 children by 2010, to just below 1 million children by 2030.

Refugees decimate land that could have the potential to grow successful crops to feed the entire country

Attention, Attention! Write all about it!

Audience piece #1: Written letter to Burlington Free Press

Dear Burlington Free Press,

            I would like to call attention to the increasing food shortages on a global scale. More specifically, I would like to address food concerns in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Although this country is thousands of miles away from Burlington, Vermont, I feel the need to discuss this issue to Vermonters.

Stereotypes of Africa are far and ranging. When most people think of Africa, they think of starving children, child soldiers, and blood diamonds. Although these are accurate depictions of a far from thriving country, what has been done to help acquiesce these problems?

On a global scale, some 16,000 children die every day from malnutrition. Most of these children live in third world, impoverished countries. Because the United States is a developed country that yields great power, what can we do about it?

So what? Thousands of people are dying from starvation on a global scale every day, and it’s not just in Africa. The fact of the matter is, the greater demographic of people reading this newspaper are sitting in their nice homes, surrounded by family, and in no position of starvation.

Journalists bring the news to the common people. They’re instructed to go out and report the news as they see it. They go out and find news that would be interesting to plain folks, like me, and bring back their findings.

I find it in good interest for your news staff to cover the pandemic occurring in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. People won’t know about the problem until you bring the news to them.

Most news people follow a motto along the lines of “Making a difference”. By supporting reports and investigations such as what is going on in a third world country and what can be done to stop it, you’re following that example. So, go out…

…And make a difference.

Sincerely,

Alyson Atondo

Lions, Tigers, and Food shortages, OH MY!

Alyson Atondo

Rob Williams

Environmental Issues

December 7, 2011

Food Struggles in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

While the Democratic Republic of Congo struggles with civil war and heinous crimes against humanity, the nation faces a high rate of undernourishment-76% of “the total population of 64,205 million with a 2% growth rate per annum”[1]-and widespread food insecurity. Although the country imports the majority of its agricultural goods from other nations, “in other parts of the country with better security conditions, crumbled infrastructure has significantly decreased the country’s food production capacity.”[2] In addition to the immense disparity between imports and exports and inadequate infrastructure, food prices “have increased by 52% in June 2009 compared to figures from May 2008,”[3] further limiting the nation’s food security. Despite the current political, economic, and civil situation, a key contribution to the future success of the country lies in combating the “‘extremely alarming’ 2010 [Global Hunger Index] scores”[4] by efficiently increasing food production and constructing an improved infrastructure (i.e. transportation systems and health care) to distribute the food.

Other inevitable causes of food insecurity in the Democratic Republic of Congo are the conflicts in the eastern regions and the massive influx of refugees, which result in deforestation of the “45 percent of DR Congo [that] is covered by primary forest which provides a refuge for several large mammal species driven to extinction in other African countries”[5] and forces farmers “to increasingly marginal hillside tilling” to escape the violence and looting, causing ““soil depletion or erosion [which] continues to undermine crop yields.”[6] The high rate of Internally Displaced Persons, or IDP, approximately at two million as of September 2010, contributes to food insecurity, particularly “in the Orientale Province, and in the South west of the country, [where] humanitarian organizations have suspended their activities.”[7] Without an efficient or strong protective force (i.e. army, police, etc.), many women and children face undernourishment as well as sexual and physical assault, and there simply are not enough resources from humanitarian or government aid to combat these heinous acts. Thus, the civil conflict leads to inadequate access to food and safety, while also harming the natural ecosystems in the eastern forest regions.

A low level of land use towards agricultural output and a high import rate despite the immense resources in the country cause high food prices, thus limiting food security. Currently, the Democratic Republic of Congo sustains only 3% of its total land towards agriculture, specifically harvesting “manioc, corn, legumes, plantains, peanuts” as food crops.[8] While products such as corn see success in developed nations like the United States, the Democratic Republic of Congo exports a substantial portion of its agricultural output to pay off domestic and international debts. As of April 12, 2011, the country exports $EU 39 million, or 9.71% of total exports, worth of those agricultural goods, while it imports a total of SEU 317 million, or 52.85% of total imports.[9] Consequently, the prices of food and crops escalate. Important crops affected by these price increases in 2010 are cassava flour and maize, which “increased by 21% between Sept (261 CDF/kg) and Nov (317)” and “a 51% increase between Sept (166 CDF/kg) and Nov (250.25),” respectively. Meanwhile, the capital city Kinshasa’s “imported rice prices (1112.78 USD/T) in Nov [2010] were 159% higher than the international prices of Rice Thai A1 Super (429.6).”[10] Although the country largely relies on local subsistence farming, it contends with a food shortage and rising food prices.

High food prices result in economic stagnation as “countries with low levels of GNI [gross national income] per capita tend to have high GHI scores,”[11] as well as low calorie availability. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute in December 2010, “in Sub-­Saharan Africa, daily calorie availability is expected to stagnate up to 2020 before slowly increasing to 2,867 kilocalories by 2050, compared with an average of more than 3,000 calories in all other regions,” so the Democratic Republic of Congo will see minimal average gains in food security in the next forty years.[12] The “1.3 percent or 37 kilocalories per capita per day”[13] decrease of calorie availability in Sub-Saharan Africa significantly affects children’s access to nutrition. Young children, particularly infants, rely on nutrition to develop healthily in the first years after birth, but “under climate change, child malnutrition numbers would increase by 460,000 children by 2010, to just below 1 million children by 2030; the number would still be 585,000 children higher by 2050, compared with the baseline without climate change.”[14] Since the Democratic Republic of Congo maintains low calorie availability and childhood malnutrition is set to increase, there is a limited prospect of economic growth and development (and consequently political stability) and food security in the future.

Climate change and deforestation pose a threat to agricultural production, food prices, and economic progress. In developing nations such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, “agriculturally-based economic growth is two to four times more effective in reducing poverty than growth in other sectors.”[15] However, deforestation, which is largely a consequence of the civil conflict in the eastern regions and can “produce up to 20% of global greenhouse gas emissions,”[16] will contribute to the failure in the production of agricultural products in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Even if the country attains stable “economic growth [which] will lead to income and employment generation, both of which will facilitate access to food,”[17] rising incomes also enforce a greater burden on food production, as more crops need to be grown to feed the population. To achieve this requires more land resources and consequently more deforestation in the nation’s eastern regions, as well as more oil for its production and distribution. As “climate change will affect crop area, yield, and production,”[18] these factors ultimately will increase the demand and price of food, which currently cannot be sustained, particularly without aid from developed nations who “play an increasingly critical role in meeting global food consumption needs.”[19] Thus, the Democratic Republic of Congo will face severe economic strife because “Sub-­Saharan Africa [including the Democratic Republic of Congo] faces increased net food imports even under the historic climate scenario as a result of growing populations; faster economic growth than in the past; and growing urbanization, coupled with insufficient improvement in agricultural productivity,”[20] while it attempts to pay off its international debts. Furthermore, “altered temperature and precipitation patterns and changes in irrigation water availability”[21] shifts growing patterns, therefore increasing food prices and limiting food security. Whether a result of bad weather or human development, climate change will impact food security in the country through the rate of production, distribution, and costs of food.

While food prices surge and diminish demand despite the evident extent of hunger, a poor infrastructure in the Democratic Republic of Congo hinders food distribution, causing food insecurity. Over the last few decades since civil conflict in the eastern provinces began, “impassable roads, failing electricity grids, and crumbling transportation systems”[22] limit access to food, employment, and economic development. According to the International Food Policy Research Institute, “poor infrastructure development will continue to constrain access to both agricultural inputs and markets for outputs.”[23] In the short run, improvements to transportation infrastructure would use more resources and cause further deforestation, but it would also provide temporary jobs and spur economic development in the long run through more secure and efficient trade, both domestically and internationally. In turn, incomes and food security rise. Furthermore, many residents and refugees from those regions suffer from diseases like HIV/AIDS, and medical services, infrastructure, and education of proper hygiene and health practices are insufficient to prevent them from spreading diseases, thus limiting access to food. The government of neighboring Burundi plans to instill economic measure that “will develop an environmentally sustainable and labor-intensive public works program for the rehabilitation and maintenance of roads and social infrastructure, marshland development, reforestation, terracing, and soil conservation”[24] and improve access to medical services. The Democratic Republic of Congo must look to its neighbor as a paradigm of infrastructure improvements, which in turn develop access to food, extend the average living age and promote better health, and fuel economic development, increasing food security.   

Not only are the civil conflicts in the eastern and northern regions of the Democratic Republic of Congo immense human rights violations, but also they obstruct adequate and sufficient access to food. Although the conflicts commenced in the last few decades, “targeted attacks against the civilian population, widespread sexual violence, recruitment and use of child soldiers and extrajudicial executions”[25] correlate to “deterioration in GHI scores.”[26] One result of the violence plaguing the nation is deforestation due to the “movement of millions of refugees through forest regions [decimating] wildlife and [taking] a heavy toll on protected areas.”[27] This deforestation proves important not only because of its impact on biodiversity in forest regions, but also it drives “poor farmers from their homes and severely disrupt[s] agricultural industries across the region,”[28] so the capacity for agricultural production becomes further unstable and fruitless. The country’s immense land resources possess the potential such that “if crop yields in the [Democratic Republic of Congo’s] 80 million arable hectares were at the global technological frontier, the country could feed about one-third of the world’s population,” but “this potential has been handicapped by decades of conflict, corruption, and economic mismanagement.”[29] Since the 1990s, the “Haut-Uélé and Bas-Uélé districts of the Oriental Province” have encountered violence caused by the Lord’s Resistance Army of Uganda, who launched “over 120 attacks… between March and September 2010” alone. Consequent to the attacks, “the displacement of 265,000 people…contributed to a deterioration of the food security and nutrition situation,” while “41 percent of surveyed households reported insecurity and lootings as their main shock during the previous six months.”[30] The resulting displacement of refugees seeking host families put “an additional burden to the food-insecure host families”…“who are obliged by their traditional solidarity to share their limited food stocks with the displaced families” although “nearly 53 percent of the surveyed households did not cultivate their fertile land located long distances from the settlements mainly because of insecurity.”[31] The cycle of violence and refugees leads to insufficient food cultivation, puts a strain on already finite food resources, and conveys inefficiencies in the government and military.

Due to the need to address food security in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the World Food Programme should initially focus its efforts towards increasing humanitarian aid and addressing childhood malnutrition through active government and World Food Programme initiatives. From 2007 to 2009 the World Food Programme implemented a relief program that “delivered food to 3 million food insecure people in DRC (cost for 2009: US$259 million).”[32] While this project is no longer under operation despite the most recent extension until December 31, 2010, the organization should re-extend its contract to aid the Internally Displaced Persons in the regions most affected by hunger until December 31, 2015. This would allow for a constant flow of monetary and food resources to feed the starving population in areas that face conflict. Nevertheless, this program neither address urban areas nor changes the fundamental issues at hand: poor medical conditions, war, and deteriorating infrastructure for transportation. Other available food aid comes from the European Union, who “plans to give CFA Francs 39bn to the Congolese government over three years to finance a food and nutritional security project, according to the head of an EU Commission delegation to DR Congo, Miguel Amado, on February 25^th [2009].”[33] Addressing the need for food using monetary measures means that the Democratic Republic of Congo can import more food from abroad, use it to subsidize farmers, or protect agricultural lands by funding the military. However, this exacerbates the pressure on the country’s economy as it already struggles to pay off its debts. In fact, one way of re-paying its loans requires sending the same food products it needs to other nations. Furthermore, the instability of the national government implies that the monetary aid could fall into the hands of corrupt officials or armed forces. To ensure the security of the transfer of funds, the World Food Programme, in coordination with the World Bank, ought to regulate the transaction and seek a reasonable rate of increments of payment for the country to recompense for the loan. With regards to childhood malnutrition, the World Food Programme could cooperate with the national government by investing in programs “improving maternal nutrition during pregnancy and lactation, promoting sound breastfeeding and complementary feeding practices, providing essential micronutrients, and adopting salt iodization, while also ensuring appropriate immunization.”[34] Such operatives demand an investment of money, medical resources, and infrastructure improvements, but ultimately, they would secure access to food for children and women as well as promote women’s social rights.

            In addition to increasing the supply of aid in the short run, the World Food Programme can also coordinate its efforts to educate farmers and the general public about eco-friendly farming practices and regulate improvements to infrastructure for long-term agricultural and economic development. The nation can pay off its current and future debt by exporting more timber and natural resources than food, as “there will be considerable pressure to turn towards forests—at least 60 percent of which are suitable for logging—as a source of income.”[35] However, this leads to increased soil erosion and contributes greenhouse gas emissions. At the same time, exporting these natural resources would come at a cost to domestic development. In the long run, infrastructure improvements financed by the World Bank would achieve lower food prices because of a greater access to food and higher incomes. Plans for infrastructure improvements would also attract foreign investments, which facilitates the flow of money throughout the country. Upon the project’s completion, the nation and the World Food Programme should cooperate with the World Bank’s BioCarbon Fund, which “[purchases] carbon from a variety of land use and forestry projects”[36] and increases productivity gains in agricultural yield, as “each farmer will receive payments as part of a carbon finance scheme.”[37] However, until the resolution of the civil conflict in the east, where the land is most productive, security issues will obstruct farmers from reaching their potential. Furthermore, even after carbon sequestration, the BioCarbon Fund would contribute to local and global carbon emissions, which already exists more in developing nations that developed ones. The UN Security Council must also work with the World Food Programme through the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, or MONUSCO, which currently “[will] be deployed until 30 June 2011, authorizing it to concentrate its military forces in eastern DRC while keeping a reserve force capable of redeploying rapidly elsewhere,”[38] but should stay until 30 June 2026 to ensure peace and stability.

            For any progress to develop food security, my personal recommendation is initially to establish physical security. This requires better infrastructure and improving and engaging the national military through training and help from foreign armies and humanitarian aid to suppress the conflicts in the eastern regions. Consequently, the reduction or eradication of violence diminishes the number of refugees and allows for stable agricultural production. Furthermore, the World Food Programme and the World Bank oversee the construction of infrastructural gains to ensure food security. Despite the immense financial costs in the short-term, these developments assure domestic security, economic growth, and more access to food without a substantial reliance on foreign imports, domestic security, and economic development in the long run.

                                                            Bibliography

Africa Research Bulletin. “Democratic Republic of Congo: European Aid for Food Security.” Africa Research Bulletin: Economic, Financial and Technical Series, 46 (April 7, 2009): 18157B. http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.proxy.bc.edu/doi/10.1111/j.1467-6346.2009.02207.x/abstract (accessed on April 7, 2011).

Ayres, Ed. "23 African countries face food emergencies." World Watch 16.6 (November-December 2003): 10. http://find.galegroup.com.proxy.bc.edu/gtx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T007&prodId=ITOF&docId=A110809996&source=gale&srcprod=ITOF&userGroupName=mlin_m_bostcoll&version=1.0 (accessed April 7, 2011).

Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. “Congo, Dem Republic of.” Quick Country Facts. http://www.fao.org/countries/55528/en/cod/ (accessed on April 14, 2011).

Food and Agriculture Organization. “Democratic Republic of Congo.” Food Security Information for Decision Making. http://www.foodsec.org/web/publications/briefs/countries/africa/dem-rep-of-the-congo (accessed on April 7, 2011).

Food Security Information for Decision Making. “Democratic Republic of the Congo Food Security Country Brief, September-December 2010.” Price Monitoring and Analysis Country Brief (September-December 2010). http://www.foodsec.org/web/publications/pubshome/pubsdetail/en/?dyna_fef[backuri]=%2Fweb%2Fpublications%2Fbriefs%2Fcountries%2Fafrica%2Fdem-rep-of-the-congo&dyna_fef[uid]=50640 (accessed on April 7, 2011).

International Food Policy Research Institute. “The Challenge of Hunger: Focus on the Crisis of Child Undernutrition.” 2010 Global Hunger Index. http://www.ifpri.org/publication/2010-global-hunger-index (accessed on April 11, 2011).

Mongabay. “Democratic Republic of Congo (Formerly Zaire).” Tropical Rainforests. http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20zaire.htm (accessed on April 7, 2011).

Nzuma, Jonathan M., Michael Waithaka, Richard M. Mulwa, Miriam Kyotalimye, and Gerald Nelson. "Strategies for Adapting to Climate Change in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa." International Food Policy Research Institute (2010). http://www.ifpri.org/publication/strategies-adapting-climate-change-rural-sub-saharan-africa (accessed April 7, 2011).

P. J. Gregory, J. S. I. Ingram and M. Brklacich. “Climate Change and Food Security.” Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences
Vol. 360, No. 1463 (November 29, 2005): 2139-2148. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30041400 (accessed on April 7, 2011).

Ringler, Claudia, Tingju Zhu, Ximing Cai, Jawoo Koo, and Dingbao Wang. "Climate Change Impacts on Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa." International Food Policy Research Institute (2010). http://www.ifpri.org/publication/climate-change-impacts-food-security-sub-saharan-africa (accessed April 7, 2011).

United Nations. “MONUSCO Mandate.” MONUSCO United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo.” http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/monusco/mandate.shtml (accessed April 14, 2011).

United Nations Security Council, 6324th Meeting. Resolution 1925 (2010). 2010. http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/monusco/mandate.shtml (14 April 2011).

U.S. Department of State. “Background Note: Democratic Republic of Congo.” Bureau of Public Affairs. http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2823.htm (accessed on April 7, 2011).

World Bank, The. “Advancing Food Security in a Changing Climate.” Democratic Republic of Congo. http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/CONGODEMOCRATICEXTN/0,,contentMDK:22858132~menuPK:349472~pagePK:2865066~piPK:2865079~theSitePK:349466,00.html (accessed on April 14, 2011).

World Bank, The. “Carbon Finance at the World Bank: List of Funds.” Carbon Finance Unit. http://wbcarbonfinance.org/Router.cfm?Page=Funds&ItemID=24670 (accessed on April 14, 2011).

World Food Programme. “Congo, Democratic Republic of.” Overview. http://www.wfp.org/countries/Congo--Democratic-Republic-Of/Overview (accessed on April 7, 2011).

World Food Programme. “Congo, Democratic Republic of.” WFP Activities. http://www.wfp.org/countries/Congo--Democratic-Republic-Of/Operations (accessed on April 7, 2011).

World Food Programme. "Emergency Support to Populations Affected by Insecurity in Haut and Bas-Uélé Districts in Oriental Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo." Emergency Operation (EMOP) DRC 200186: 2. http://www.wfp.org/content/emergency-support-populations-affected-insecurity-haut-and-bas-uele-districtis-oriental-prov (accessed April 7, 2011.)

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[1] Food and Agriculture Organization, “Democratic Republic of Congo,” Food Security Information for Decision Making, http://www.foodsec.org/web/publications/briefs/countries/africa/dem-rep-of-the-congo (accessed on April 7, 2011).

[2] World Food Programme, “Congo, Democratic Republic of,” Overview, http://www.wfp.org/countries/Congo--Democratic-Republic-Of/Overview (accessed on April 7, 2011).

[3] Ibid.

[4] International Food Policy Research Institute, “The Challenge of Hunger: Focus on the Crisis of Child Undernutrition,” 2010 Global Hunger Index, http://www.ifpri.org/publication/2010-global-hunger-index (accessed on April 11, 2011).

[5] Mongabay, “Democratic Republic of Congo (Formerly Zaire),” Tropical Rainforests, http://rainforests.mongabay.com/20zaire.htm (accessed on April 7, 2011).

[6] Ayres, Ed, "23 African countries face food emergencies," World Watch 16.6 (November-December 2003): 10, http://find.galegroup.com.proxy.bc.edu/gtx/infomark.do?&contentSet=IAC-Documents&type=retrieve&tabID=T007&prodId=ITOF&docId=A110809996&source=gale&srcprod=ITOF&userGroupName=mlin_m_bostcoll&version=1.0 (accessed April 7, 2011).

[7] Food Security Information for Decision Making, “Democratic Republic of the Congo Food Security Country Brief, September-December 2010,” Price Monitoring and Analysis Country Brief (September-December 2010), http://www.foodsec.org/web/publications/pubshome/pubsdetail/en/?dyna_fef[backuri]=%2Fweb%2Fpublications%2Fbriefs%2Fcountries%2Fafrica%2Fdem-rep-of-the-congo&dyna_fef[uid]=50640 (accessed on April 7, 2011).

[8] U.S. Department of State, “Background Note: Democratic Republic of Congo,” Bureau of Public Affairs, http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/2823.htm (accessed on April 7, 2011).

[9] Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, “Congo, Dem Republic of,” Quick Country Facts, http://www.fao.org/countries/55528/en/cod/ (accessed on April 14, 2011).

[10] “Food Security Country Brief.”

[11] “The Challenge of Hunger.”

[12] Ringler, Claudia, Tingju Zhu, Ximing Cai, Jawoo Koo, and Dingbao Wang, "Climate Change Impacts on Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa," International Food Policy Research Institute (2010): 8, http://www.ifpri.org/publication/climate-change-impacts-food-security-sub-saharan-africa (accessed April 7, 2011).

[13] Ibid. P. 12.

[14] Ibid. P. 12.

[15] World Bank, The, “Advancing Food Security in a Changing Climate,” Democratic Republic of Congo, http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/CONGODEMOCRATICEXTN/0,,contentMDK:22858132~menuPK:349472~pagePK:2865066~piPK:2865079~theSitePK:349466,00.html (accessed on April 14, 2011).

[16] Ibid.

[17] P. J. Gregory, J. S. I. Ingram and M. Brklacich, “Climate Change and Food Security,” Philosophical Transactions: Biological Sciences
Vol. 360, No. 1463 (November 29, 2005): 2145, http://www.jstor.org/stable/30041400 (accessed on April 7, 2011).

[18] "Climate Change Impacts on Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa." P. 10.

[19] Ibid. P. 8

[20] Ibid. P. 10

[21] Ibid. P. 10.

[22] Mongabay.

[23] "Climate Change Impacts on Food Security in Sub-Saharan Africa." P. 6.

[24] Nzuma, Jonathan M., Michael Waithaka, Richard M. Mulwa, Miriam Kyotalimye, and Gerald Nelson, "Strategies for Adapting to Climate Change in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa," International Food Policy Research Institute (2010): 20, http://www.ifpri.org/publication/strategies-adapting-climate-change-rural-sub-saharan-africa (accessed April 7, 2011).

[25] United Nations Security Council, 6324th Meeting. Resolution 1925 (2010). 2010. http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/monusco/mandate.shtml (14 April 2011).

[26] “The Challenge of Hunger”

[27] Mongabay.

[28] Ayers.

[29] Strategies for Adapting to Climate Change in Rural Sub-Saharan Africa,” P. 4.

[30] World Food Programme, "Emergency Support to Populations Affected by Insecurity in Haut and Bas-Uélé Districts in Oriental Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo," Emergency Operation (EMOP) DRC 200186: 2, http://www.wfp.org/content/emergency-support-populations-affected-insecurity-haut-and-bas-uele-districtis-oriental-prov (accessed April 7, 2011.)

[31] “Emergency Support to Populations Affected by Insecurity in Haut and Bas-Uélé Districts in Oriental Province of the Democratic Republic of the Congo,” P. 4.

[32] World Food Programme, “Congo, Democratic Republic of,” WFP Activities, http://www.wfp.org/countries/Congo--Democratic-Republic-Of/Operations (accessed on April 7, 2011).

[33] Africa Research Bulletin, “Democratic Republic of Congo: European Aid for Food Security,” Africa Research Bulletin: Economic, Financial and Technical Series, 46 (April 7, 2009): 18157B, http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com.proxy.bc.edu/doi/10.1111/j.1467-6346.2009.02207.x/abstract (accessed on April 7, 2011).

[34] “The Challenge of Hunger”

[35] Mongabay.

[36] World Bank, The, “Carbon Finance at the World Bank: List of Funds,” Carbon Finance Unit, http://wbcarbonfinance.org/Router.cfm?Page=Funds&ItemID=24670 (accessed on April 14, 2011).

[37] “Advancing Food Security in a Changing Climate.”

[38] United Nations, “MONUSCO Mandate,” MONUSCO United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” http://www.un.org/en/peacekeeping/missions/monusco/mandate.shtml (accessed April 14, 2011).

You have questions, I have answers!

Is Lake Champlain contaminated? If so, what causes this contamination? What is really in the water of Lake Champlain?

You have questions, I have answers! In my research project, I seek to discover the answer to questions regarding water quality within Lake Champlain. I also seek to undercover what kind of contaminants are within the Lake and what processes can be done to curb this ongoing issue once and for all. Look beyond the blue, clear water of Lake Champlain in Burlington Bay and you might see something like this picture taken from a Lake Champlain Basin Atlas: 

Water contamination within the Lake Champlain water basin has been a growing problem since the urbanization of many cities along the shores. As a result, contamination has become rampant within the lake. Some forms of contamination within the lake include but are not limited to high concentrations of phosphorous, eutrophication blooms, PCBs, mercury, and E. coli place Lake Champlain on a “high priority” status list. In my research project, I will be addressing these contaminants as well as how they can be contained and water quality can become better for the people who rely on the lake for a host of different purposes. Here is a picture taken from the Lake Champlain Basin Atlas that shows phosphorous loading by land use in different areas of the lake: 

Although Lake Champlain looks like a clean, pristine lake, it suffers from severe contamination on several levels. For example, eutrophication is a large problem within Lake Champlain. According to Living in the Environment by Tyler Mller, Jr and Scott E. Spoolman, eutrophication is described as “physical, chemical, and biological changes that take place after a lake, estuary, or slow-flowing stream receives inputs of plant nutrients – mostly nitrates and phosphates – from natural erosion and runoff from the surrounding land basin”.

So what are we dealing with? A quick clip located on Youtube from the movie, Bloom, will help us to better understand the answer to that question.

Because of its size, Lake Champlain does not just affect the residents of Vermont; it also concerns residents of New York as well as Canada. Lake Champlain serves many different purposes for the communities. On top of serving recreational needs for residents on the shores of the lake, Lake Champlain also serves agricultural needs. It is also an aesthetic backdrop for these water communities, especially Burlington! Steps need to be made in order to curb water contamination within the lake before it’s too late!

The above picture is one of a man who is part of the U.S. Geological survey (and the picture is taken from the U.S. Geological website) who is checking out water in Lake Champlain.Currently, the Lake Champlain Basin Program is helping to fund projects to study the water contamination within the lake. The U.S. Geological Survey is also completing a “five year study to understanding of mercury and methyl-mercury movement in the Lake Champlain Basin”.  The total funding for this extensive project totals over $700,000. The U.S. Geological survey is also conducting a survey that was initiated in 2006 to determine the presence of a new class of water contamination within the lake (nh.water.usgs.gov). The Lake Champlain Research Consortium, NOAA and the Lake Champlain Sea Grant (LCSG) are also participating in similar efforts to study the impact of water contamination within the Lake Champlain basin.

This beautiful picture of a water drop is taken by Martin Waugh and can be found on his site called Liquid Sculpture.

Water issues are a passion of mine. I firmly believe that the water contamination within Lake Champlain needs to be seriously considered. As well as having adverse affect on biodiversity within the lake, the impacts of water contamination also adversely affect the humans that are involved with lake life as well. In researching this project, I have made it my duty to make people more aware of the water contaminants lurking within the lake and hope that my passion rubs off on them. I, like researchers, will be conducting water test studies in order to bolster my evidence and making my work more credible. Although eliminating water contamination is not something that can be solved on a short term basis, I believe that, if given enough time and putting in enough passion, Lake Champlain can be cleaned up and people will not have to worry about alarming amounts of contamination within Lake Champlain’s water.

The picture of a protest regarding our water and our land (taken from Indymedia) says it all; water belongs to us and it needs to be cherished. I will produce pictures of the contaminants and their affect on posters as well as conduct water tests to convince my audience as to why they should act now and help to clean up the Lake Champlain water basin. Pictures will affect the limbic brain and this emotional transfer will make people more willing to want to help clean up the Lake and act now. I will also show videos of the lake and the state that it’s in now in order to further convince my audience to want to stand behind me and help to clear up the contaminants within the lake.

Last but not least, the bibliography! They say we save the best for last, right? Here are sources that I have so far for my research paper regarding water contamination in Lake Champlain.

1. Lake Champlain Basin Atlas (Program), Anonymous, 2004 - http://www.lcbp.org/atlas/html/is_health.htm

2. Preventing Pollution from Toxic Substances, Lake Champlain Basin Atlas - http://nh.water.usgs.gov/champlain_feds/toxic.htm

3. Lake Champlain- Partnerships and Research in the New Millennium, Thomas Owen Manley, Patricia Lee Manley, Timothy B. Mihuc, Lake Champlain
 Research Consortium, 2004 -
http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=61EJJ8XEZvwC&oi=fnd&pg=PA
191&dq=lake+champlain+phosphorus&ots=t3kGABnqoM&sig=NvsjH3JmvNZn
LDmXR4VdErWY8wc#v=onepage&q=lake%20champlain%20phosphorus
&f=false


4. Living in the Environment, G. Tyler Miller, Scott E. Spoolman, 2009


5. Harbor Watch, Jeff Meyers, Mercury Pollution in the Lake Champlain Basin, 1999-
http://www.harborwatch.com/news/mercury_pollutionin_the_lake_cha.htm