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About the air that we breath

Ton Haverkort
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Toxic levels of pollution lead annually to the early death of an estimated 7 million people, according to a new World Health Organization report.
Nine out of 10 people around the world are exposed to dangerously high levels of pollutants that can lead to cancer and cardiovascular diseases, according to the study, which drew off the most-recent 2016 data. Air pollution levels were the highest in the eastern Mediterranean and southeast Asia, where in some areas airborne toxins were five times WHO limits and disproportionately affected the poor and most vulnerable.
It’s not just the air outdoors in polluted cities that poses a danger to public health. About 3 billion people are breathing deadly fumes from domestic cooking stoves and fires, according to the Geneva-based agency. Household air pollution caused an estimated 3.8 million deaths in 2016.
More than 90 percent of air pollution deaths affect low and middle-income countries, particularly in Asia and Africa, according to the report.
“Air pollution threatens us all, but the poorest and most marginalized people bear the brunt of the burden,” said WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus. “If we don’t take urgent action on air pollution, we will never come close to achieving sustainable development.” (Bloomberg, Jeremy Hodges, May 2, 2018).
Smog is a problem in several cities around the world and is harming human health. Senior citizens, children and people with heart and lung conditions like bronchitis and asthma are especially susceptible. Smog can inflame the airways, decrease the lungs’ working capacity and cause shortness of breath, pain when inhaling deeply, wheezing, and coughing. It can cause eye and nose irritation and it dries out the protective membranes of the nose and throat and interferes with the body’s ability to fight infection, increasing susceptibility to illness. If any of these symptoms are familiar in your surroundings, they could be related to smog or air pollution. Think again.
Worldwide air pollution is responsible for large numbers of deaths and cases of respiratory disease. Gases such as carbon dioxide, which contribute to global warming, are gaining recognition as major pollutants.
While major stationary sources like factories are often identified with air pollution, the greatest source of emissions is actually mobile, mainly automobiles. This is no different in Addis Abeba as there are hardly any factories in the city center as compared to the ever-increasing numbers of cars, many of which lack modern exhaust filters. In addition, meals are cooked in many homes by burning wood sending vast amounts of domestic smoke into the air. Cars, buses and trucks with diesel engines seem the worst polluters as they spit out huge amounts of black exhaust right into the face of pedestrians walking along the road. It is not only a lack of modern exhaust filters; it is also a lack of maintenance, while many cars are assembled at sea level and not tuned to the altitude of Addis Abeba where the oxygen/fuel mixture is negatively affected by the thinner air.
Admittedly, the smog in Addis Abeba may not yet have reached such serious levels and the numbers of cars and polluting industries are still far less than in other cities around the world but we are moving in that direction.
Imagine the effects on the economy, which we are desperately trying to boost. Many workers will be less effective while health related costs will become a burden for society. Meanwhile we will continue to contribute to global warming while we should find ways to reduce emissions and thus reduce global warming, which is believed to be a major cause for climate change of which we increasingly see the effects regionally and locally. More frequent and serious periods of drought, followed by floods are situations that do not contribute to economic growth, do they?
Talking about our environment, smog is not the only result of pollution in the city. There are other obvious signs of pollution, which negatively affect the environment we live and work in. The other day, I had a visitor from abroad in my car and he just couldn’t believe all the dirt he saw lying around town and along the roads. Surely, the way we deal with domestic and industrial waste is an issue here. And while there are some good initiatives in collecting domestic waste, this often doesn’t go much further than taking it out of sight to a dump somewhere else in the neighbourhood where it lies rotting and stinking away several days before taken to the city waste dump. The health hazards are obvious.
I could go on but I guess I made my point. Pollution negatively affects our health and economic growth. Something needs to be done about it, in terms of legislation, yes but probably more so by investors, industrial sectors and individuals becoming aware of their contributions to it and developing a consciousness to change our attitude towards the environment we live and work in and the air that we breath.

Ton Haverkort

The business of ART

Staff Reporter
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A forum dubbed ‘Media and the arts’ was conducted on May 1, during the exhibition of Tesfahun Kibru collection. The discussion that gathered journalists and artists focused on how the media can support the art as a business.
The event that saw opinions from artists and journalists also lights up how the art industry can be supported by the media in promoting its values. Seyoum Ayalew president of the Ethiopian Painters and Sculptors Association said that a policy should be ratified in order to support the art. ‘If we have a policy that guides us in the right direction, why can’t the art sector boom?’ questions Seyoum.
‘Art has a powerful influence to change society and with we can change many things that are happening around’ Seyoum added.
He also said that previously art pieces were used as a collateral for loans but they are not anymore. “Art pieces that hang in some banks were used as a collateral, but now it will be a joke if you go with your art pieces to the bank for loan.’
Gossa G. Oda who is an art lover and founder of Netsa Art Village said that the government should help the sector by giving a space for artists. ‘The government should allocate plots all over the country for artists to express their feeling freely. This will help the art to be more dynamic’ he said.
Alemayehu Seifesellasie who was a long time journalist at the Reporter and The sub Saharan Informer shared his views on how to report art stories. He said that the media is not that much interested in covering art events happening in the country. “The sad reality is, locally, the art is neglected, it is not given the coverage it deserves” he said.
Teguest Yilma Managing Editor of Capital Newspaper, in her opening speech said that art is multi-million dollar industry around the world. ‘Globally the arts and culture sector is worth billions of dollars. It is a sector, if correctly invested in, has the potential to become a huge driver of the economy; just like tourism’ she said.
‘Besides its economical advantage, the sector also offers many opportunities for the development of children, youth and communities’ she added.
According to the United Nations, Culture has the power to transform entire societies, strengthen local communities and forge a sense of identity and belonging for people of all ages.
Tesfahun Kibru’s exhibition officially opened on Friday March 20, 2018. The exhibition that is being held at Yucca House located in Bole Rwanda was visited by artists, art enthusiasts and the diplomatic community.
Tesfahun is well known for creating something amazing out of everyday things that people tend to consider trash such as metal scraps and discarded plastic. His work, unusual, in many people’s eyes, has left its own identity in the local art scene.
The exhibition featured different types of metal sculptures, paintings that used rust as paint and works of art that incorporates tire and rubber and will come to an end today May 6.
While the exhibition celebrated the 10th anniversary of Netsa Art Village, the Media and the Arts forum also saw the celebration of Capital Newspaper’s 20th Anniversary celebration. Capital, throughout its 20 years of existence has always supported the arts and culture sector.
“One of Capital’s missions is to promote societal values which include different forms of artistic expressions” concluded Teguest.

Improved farming practices

Staff Reporter
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Farmers adopting improved crop varieties and farming practices has made significant gains in their crop production and productivity, such that they produce surplus that tends to be supplied in the market for commercialization and these in turn result in earning for the farmers a substantially increased income from their farming. In contrary to this situation, those farmers who are not using improved crop varieties and farming practices have not made any significant gains and characterized by very low production and productivity. Fisseha Zegeye is a researcher and currently director for Public Communication and IPR Directorate at Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR). The research institute has commenced scientific research in major agricultural fields such as crop, livestock and natural resources since 1966.
Fisseha received a B.Sc. degree in Agricultural Extension in 2004, and M.Sc. degree in Agriculture (Rural Development and Agricultural Extension) in 2010 from the then Alemaya University, now named as Haramaya University. His current research interests include farming system, food security and climate change, agricultural technology and science. Capital spoke to him about the institute’s current focus and their future plan. Excerpts; 

 

Capital: Can you tell us the major achievements that EIAR have achieved in the last 50 years?
Fisseha Zegeye: Ethiopian Institute of Agricultural Research (EIAR) is a federal research institute and has commenced scientific research in major agricultural fields such as crop, livestock and natural resources since 1966. In the last five decades of its research activities, EIAR has generated over 3,000 agricultural technologies and information in collaboration with national and international research institutes. Of these technologies and information, 1,234 are improved crop varieties and 46 forage species, which has been released and registered for various agro-ecologies of the country. Furthermore, the outputs includes agro-techniques in crop and animal husbandry, pest disease management techniques, animal feeds, farm implements, soil and water management techniques, socio-economic and policy study recommendations. Among the major successes, the release of CBD resistant coffee varieties, the supply of the first superior hybrid maize varieties in 1980s, and the release of yellow rust-resistant wheat varieties in 1990s. In recognition of its valuable contributions and impact in the country’s agricultural development, it received several national and international science, technology and innovation awards. By advancing its scientific research capacity, creating technology capital and ensuring technology security, EIAR is working towards meeting the growing demand for agricultural technologies created in different chapters of the journey of the country’s renaissance.

Capital: Which current projects are you working and particularly excited about at the moment?
Fisseha: On top of my current responsibility of communicating research outputs for wider awareness and intellectual property management in technology transfer, I am supporting technology demonstration and popularization projects under Technology Transfer and Commercialization Research Directorate of the Institute. I am very much happy at this moment that it gives me immense opportunity to meet, discuss and exchange views with various actors in the system, technology beneficiaries and journalists. With their diverse views but reach in thoughts, I am very much excited of having learning opportunity from and with those practitioners in agricultural research and development system and those of the journalists who are typically interested to work in the field.

Capital: What is EIAR vision for the Agriculture?

Fisseha: The vision that EIAR aspiring for agriculture is to see improved livelihood of all Ethiopians engaged in agriculture, agro-pastoralism and pastoralism through market competitive agricultural technologies. The mandate areas that the Institute is currently working is to conduct research that will provide market competitive agricultural technologies contributing to increased agricultural productivity and nutrition quality, sustainable food security, inputs for agro-industries and export market, economic development and conservation of the integrity of natural resources and the environment. EIAR is working to realize the vision and its mandate through its triple research functions, such as i) generation of technologies that addresses food and nutrition security, agro-industry and export/domestic market needs inputs, and natural resource management technology needs; ii) demand creation through demonstration, popularization and capacity building of farmers, agricultural experts, etc.; and finally iii) source technology multiplication and maintenance.

Capital: The cost of food is too high and many farmers still use their products for their home consumption and some associated this with poor agricultural researches.  What is your stand on this point?

interview-2
Fisseha: Despite the performance of agricultural research, the efficiency and effectiveness of the system of the technology multiplication and transfer and its full utilization by the beneficiaries determine surplus production that directly leads to enough supply of agricultural produces in the markets. This is to say that the performance of the technology generation is not always necessarily linked with high food price and the farmers’/pastoralists’ use of agricultural produce for their own home consumption. Apart from the use of these agricultural technologies with their full improved packages of crop and animal husbandries, pest and diseases management practice, post-harvest handling technologies, etc., there are so many determining factors for high food price and the use of produces in home consumption. These factors as to my knowledge include production costs, nature of the product and customer preferences, market structure and competition, transportation costs, weather/climate conditions, those factors related to national and international political and economic situation will also determine food price.
Over the past half century, in realizing the country’s food security, EIAR has been working to generate proven agricultural technologies and bringing an impact in Ethiopian agricultural development. The impact of EIAR and its generated technologies have been felt by the growing number of famers, pastoralists, agro-pastoralists, and local agro-industries. It has supported millions of Ethiopian who are engaged in agriculture with various agricultural technologies and information that substantially contributed the growth of the national volume of agricultural production. With the efforts of EIAR and other key actors in the system, the country achieved its food security at national level as the world Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has witnessed.

Capital: Reports from funded projects in Ethiopia indicate that while farmers have made significant gains by adopting improved crop varieties and farming practices, productivity still falls far below the full potential along the commodity value chains. How can this problem be solved?
Fisseha: It is indeed, that those farmers adopting improved crop varieties and farming practices has made significant gains in their crop production and productivity, such that they produce surplus that tends to be supplied in the market and these in turn result in earning substantially increasing their income. In contrary to this situation, those farmers who are not using improved crop varieties and farming practices have not made any significant gains and characterized by very low production and productivity. This contrary prevailing situation make the overall volume of the country’s production far below the full potential along the commodity value chains. Moreover, there is also significant difference between those farmers who are adopting improved crop varieties that determine 60% of the productivity along with improved farming practices that limit 40% of the productivity and those farmers who are only adopting improved crop varieties. Therefore, the use of only improved crop varieties and crop farming with these technologies characterizes our agricultural sector low productivity taking other factor that determine the productivity of the crop sub-sector as being constant. In order to boost the productivity of the sub-sector to its attainable potential we need not only enhance access and use of improved crop varieties along with its full packages by the farmers but also work to improve other factors that determine the productivity of the sub-sector.

Capital: The other area to make big research is the shortage of researchers in agriculture. What are you working with local universities to get more professionals in the sector?
Fisseha: EIAR has established strong partnership with national and international higher learning institutes to increase its human resources capacity of the research programs. We have signed memorandum of understanding with selected national universities to train those researchers at MSc and PhD level with the required degree of qualification. We also have project based collaboration with some international universities for overseas scholarship and long and short term training supports. The Institute also supports the researchers to search by their own and get scholarship and training opportunities in prominent international universities.

Capital: How are you working with African and global research centers to share experiences and to bring new technology from abroad?
Fisseha: EIAR has been working with international development partners, donors, and agricultural research centers since its establishment in 1966. The Institute has strong partnership with international agricultural research centers called CG Centers through either represented branch offices in Ethiopia or they cooperate through their various networks. Funding agencies like FAO, BMGF, UNDP, World Bank and the like also assist us either sponsors or co-sponsors to the particular joint initiatives. The contribution of research partners to achieve the milestones of EIAR is tremendous. It is ranging from carrying jointly the research projects, germplasm exchange, technology demonstration and promotion, value chain development and creating market access, to physical and human capacity buildings, etc.

A digestive peak for an appraisal of Adam Reta

Staff Reporter
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The last Monday of August 2017 was a day of timid and cloudy night. A like of the atmospheric hurdle, invited congregants queued up who are exceeding a bit of 1,000. One can observe for sure that they were full of craving to see the kaleidoscope as to who would take the historic trophy of HoHE award. The organizers commissioned the renowned artist Taddesse Mesfin. Indeed, Tadesse is also known to design the Ethiopian birr to be minted in the current coin form three years ago. To one’s surprise, by virtue of money circulation we see the design of Coin on the hands of remote farmers. Hence, the artist’s design were made at voluntary basis, it can be underlined as a celebrated opportunity and a graceful offer to hand over the final laureates with a bronze of 3 kilogram weight statuette. Lastly, this long overdue HoHE trophy went for the novel authored by Adam Reta’s ‘Yesenebet kelemat’ (color of party). And the prize were handed for his youngest brother as he was his legal representative. The dignitary veteran author -Sahlesselassie Kidane Mariam notified ‘Yesenebet Kelemat’ in a slow and matured voice after reading the flipped award letter, to disclose the laureate in a ritual way of surprising notification. The dignitary did well as he announced the laureate. Anyone can guess what went next as the momentary silence were broken in pursuant to applause while handing-over the award. Although, any observer can imagine how tough was to reach the climatic stage of award, since the organizers initially received some twenty three novels were only shortlisted for the candidacy. To add an incessant to the story, Yalew Aklilu’s ‘Wesebsabe- to mean complexion ’ and Habtamu Alebachew’s ‘Yesuf Abeba ( to mean-‘ sunflower’ were among the top three outstanding finalists. Thus, anyone can see that the awarded ‘Yesenebet Kelemat’ won out of a very highly competitive short list.
Indeed the organizers has amplified how far the literary judges has down played rigorous techniques both in pre-event and post event undertakings. Critiques argued that Adam’s novel are disruptive in the narrative techniques, which caught exceptionality among the development of historical writing.  His protagonists are known for ‘interior monologue’ and ‘stream of consciousness’ techniques. Perhaps, an MA thesis at Addis Ababa University by Hiwit Walelegn (2012) entitled ‘Narrative Techniques of Adam Reta’s Geracha Qacheloch: Stream of Consciousness in Focus has argued that he remarkably employed ‘Stream of Consciousness’ as reflected in the classic dime Adefris . Reader fan of Adam Reta agree that Yesenebet Kelemat also advanced this controversial technique of ‘stream of consciousness’.
Someone a friend of mine was sharing me his testimonials about how far he become ‘ fan of Adam Reta’. Hilariously, he shares his good read for his wife when they lose appetite to eat at dining table. And they dwell to read some paragraph from Adam Reta’s book. His testimonials goes even to the level of putting Adams books as the hyper marker of the 60 generation by saying ‘I saw none other than Adams book to be informed about the social interaction, mores, intellect and political struggle of the sixties as he embraced those real episodes in his fiction. I never saw even from autobiography and public historians of the 60’s generation who revealed the scene of those decades for the successive generation of mine.
In his opinion, the plot and episode of a protagonist ‘Mezgebu’ in “Geracha Qachiloch’, is a textual reminder for us what took place in the 60’s. The guy even argued that ‘Without further arguing, the novelist – Adam Reta narrated what was difficult to explain in 500 pages of public history in a very few pages of ‘Yesenebet kelemat’. Perhaps, it is unusual experience to relate books of different genre since biography and fiction built on different canon. Though such a readers perspective can’t be undermined so far as anyone at least gauges his own utility out of engaging himself on reading books.
In summary, though we acclaim the book- ‘Yesenebet kelemat’ in its literary excellence, the popular opinion snowballed in post- award ceremony also echoed a similar affirmation. Arguably, Adam’s disruptive technique of writing helped ‘Yesenebet Kelemat’ to worth an award.

Contributed by HoHE award

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