Elizabeth Nyanokwi Kenya,tobacco farmer
“I am a widow with seven children and also a small- scale farmer. Tobacco is my main cash crop. The company that buys our tobacco provides us with fertilizer that they deduct from the sale of our crop. The prices we receive are very low. British American Tobacco (BAT) used to work this village, Ntiange, but three years ago they handed over to another company.
“We are disappointed that they did not leave any school, road or dispensary behind. I call on the G8 to consider the behaviour of companies from its member countries in Africa. They should behave responsibly and not treat us like doormats.”
By making company directors legally responsible for the social and environ- mental impact of their business activities, G8 leaders could make firms more accountable for workers in their supply chain
Abiba Gyarko Ghana, tomato farmer
“My husband and I have two small children. We are small farmers, growing tomatoes and maize. The land does not belong to us. We rent seven acres from a landowner. We have five permanent workers who depend on us. We also hire some casual labour.
“In the market our fresh tomatoes have to compete with cheap tinned tomatoes from Europe, and we are losing. When we began farming eight years ago, the price of fertilizers and chemicals was low because there were some government subsidies. But that is gone now and the prices keep rising. European governments subsidise their farmers to produce all these cheap, tinned tomatoes, it is not fair competition. I call on the G8 to stop this unfairness, to make the playing field level.”
In the 1990s, as a condition of loans from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund, Ghana was forced to open its markets to tomatoes. Since then, two of its three tomato processing plants have closed, pushing many into poverty
Justine Chesang Uganda, coffee farmer
“I earn a living through agricultural production: I grow maize, coffee, bananas, beans and vegetables. I produce enough bananas for my family, and the rest I sell. Coffee I grow for commercial purposes, so I can buy necessities such as soap, sugar, salt and cooking oil.
“Coffee grows very well in our district. We harvest enough, but the price keeps fluctuating — year after year, month after month, even weekly. When the prices drop, I can’t buy the things I need.
“If I got a better price for coffee I would save. Then I would be able to plan, and use modern farming methods — because that needs capital. I would use some money to buy certified seeds.
“We don’t consume this coffee; it is consumed in your countries overseas. The coffee we produce is the backbone of our country; moreover it is good quality, organic coffee. Why can’t you give us the price it deserves?”
The World Bank planned its debt relief to Uganda in 1998 to 2000 on the basis that the country’s export earning would rise by 6% over two years. Instead, coffee prices have fallen by more than 60% in two years. Uganda’s level of debt is now unsustainable
Sabina Nicholas Tanzania, nurse
“There are 14 people, all family, living under our roof. We use about 10 buckets of water in the morning and 10 buckets in the evening. In the past we had pipes coming to our house, and all I had to do was turn on the tap. But then this new company, City Water, took over. There were a lot of leaking pipes, due to the construction of a road and new houses. Rather than repairing the pipes, they decided to cut off the supply to some areas.
“Now we are forced to buy water from private vendors and it is very expensive. My daughters leave early in the morning to buy water before it runs out. Sometimes they cannot find water nearby and they have to walk a long distance to another area to fetch it. It makes me angry when I hear how much money has been given to City Water to improve water supplies in Dar Es Salaam. My message to the G8 is this: give priority to women and girls in providing safe water. Make sure that when you give money to help Africa, it is used to help poor people.”
Across Africa, aid from the World Bank, European Union and G8 countries continues to be tied to water privatisation, despite evidence that these schemes have failed to benefit poor communities
Lynette Atieno Muga Kenya, sugar-cane farmer
“I am a widow with five children, and I also look after my sister’s orphan daughter. I am responsible for all these children.
“I used to grow sugar cane and supply it to the sugar factory. With this income, I could cover most of our needs. I was doing so well until the factory closed. The government has signed agreements that allow imports of cheap sugar from foreign countries.
“This was a disaster for me, and for the community: it caused a rise in school dropouts and child labour, as well as a rise in HIV/Aids — people who are desperate for food will do anything to earn a living, especially those women and girls who are most vulnerable.
“We still try to grow some sugar cane, but we have to sell it to other sugar factories a long way away. With the cost of transport, the money we earn is very low. I used to have three-quarters of an acre of sugar cane, but now I have only a third of an acre. I am not sure if it is worth the amount of time and labour it requires for the small amount of money I receive.
“I have to keep on begging the school and well wishers to help me educate my children. They are very bright, and my worry is that they, too, might drop out of school. My message to the G8 is that they have to make trade fair — it is impossible for us to compete.”
The European Union, United States and other G8 countries are giving subsidies to their own farmers and corporations worth $300-million a year. In April, the World Trade Organisation declared that the EU has been illegally over-exporting subsidised sugar