GOOD GOVERNANCE: IMPERATIVE FOR TECHNOLOGICAL

GROWTH AND FOOD SECURITY

By
Engr. Prof. J.O. Ohu, FNSE, FNIAE, C.Eng
Department of Agricultural & Environmental Resources Engineering
University of Maiduguri, Maiduguri,
Borno State
Introduction:
Recently the terms Governance and Good Governance are being
increasingly used in development literature. The concept of governance is not new.
It is as old as human civilization. Simply put, governance means: the process of
decision making and the process by which decisions are implemented (or not
implemented).
Since governance is the process of decision making and the process by which
decisions are implemented; an analysis of governance focuses on the formal and
informal actors involved in decision making and implementing the decision made
and the formal and informal structures that have been set in place to arrive at
implementing the decision.
Government is one of the actors in governance. Other actors involve in governance
vary, depending on the level of government that is under discussion.
In rural areas, the actors may include influential land-lords, association of peasant
farmers, cooperatives, NGO, research institutes, religious leaders, finance
institutions, political parties, the military etc. The situation in the urban areas is
much more complex.
Fig. 1 provides the interconnections between actors involved in urban governance.

Figure 1: Urban Actors

(After: UN- ESCAP, 2008)

At the national level in addition to the above mentioned actors, media, lobbyist,
international donors, multinational corporations etc. may play a role in decision
making or in influencing the decision making process which is termed
governance.
Formal government structures are one means by which decisions are arrived at and
implemented.
At the national level, informal decision-making structures such as cabinets or
informal advisors may exist. In urban areas, organized crime syndicates such as the
Land Mafia may influence decision-making. In some rural areas, locally
powerful families may make or influence decision making. Such formal decisionmaking is often the result of corrupt practices or leads to corrupt practices. Bad
governance is being increasingly regarded as one of the root causes of all evils
within a society.

GOOD GOVERNANCE:
Good governance has eight major characteristics. These are: Participatory,
Consensus oriented, Accountability, Transparency, Responsiveness, Effective and
efficient, Equitable and inclusive and the Rule of law.
Good governance assures that corruption is minimized, the views of the minorities
are taken into account and the voices of the most vulnerable in the society are
heard in decision making. It is also responsive to the present and future needs of
the society. Figure 2 gives the characteristics of Good Governance.

Figure 2: Characteristics of Good Governance

(After: UN-ESCAP, 2008)

Participation:
Participation by both men and women is a key cornerstone of good governance.
Participation could either be direct or through legitimate intermediate instructions
or representatives. It is important to note that representative democracy does not
necessarily mean that the concern of the most vulnerable in the society is taken
into consideration during decision making process. Participation needs be informed
and organized. This means freedom of association and expression on the one hand
and organized civil society on the other.

Consensus-ness:
There are many actors with many view points in a given society. Governance
requires meditation of the different interest groups in the society to reach a broad
consensus on what is in the best interest of the whole community and how this can
be achieved. It also requires a broad and long-term perspective on what is needed
for sustainable human development and how to achieve the goals of such
development. This can only result from an understanding of the historical, cultural
and social contexts of a given society or community.
Accountability:
Accountability is a key requirement of good governance. Not only governmental
institutions but also the private sector and civil society organizations must be
accountable to the public and to their institutional stakeholders. Who is
accountable to whom varies depending on whether decisions or actions taken are
internal or external to an organization or institution. In general an organization or
institution is accountable to those who will be affected by its decisions or actions.
Accountability can not be enforced without transparency and the rule of law.
Transparency:
Transparency means that decision taken and their enforcement are done in a
manner that follows rules and regulations. This also means that information is
freely available and directly accessible to those who will be affected by such
decisions and their enforcement. it also means that enough information is provided
and that it is provided in easily understandable forms and means.
Rule of Law:
Good governance requires fair legal frame works that are enforced impartially. It
also requires full protection of human rights, particularly those of minorities.
Impartial enforcement of laws requires an independent judiciary and an impartial
and incorruptible police force.
Responsiveness:
Good governance requires that institutions and processes try to serve all
stakeholders within a reasonable time frame.

Effectiveness and Efficiency:

Good governance means that processes and institutions produce results to meet the
needs of the society while making the best use of resources at their disposal. The
concept of efficiency in good governance covers the sustainable use of national
resources and the protection of environment
Equity and Inclusiveness:
A societys well being depends on ensuring that all its members fell that they have
a stake in it and do not feel excluded from the main stream of the society. This
requires that all groups have opportunities to improve or maintain their well being.
TECHNOLOGY:
In general, technology is the relationship that society has with its tools and crafts
and to what extent the society can control its environment.
The Merriam Webster dictionary offers a definition of technology as the
practical application of knowledge especially in a particular area and
a capability given by the practical application of knowledge.
Ursula Franklin (1989) gave another definition as the practice, the way we do
things around. Stiegler Bernard (1998) defines technology in two ways as: the
pursuit of life by means of other than life and as organized inorganic matter.
Technology can be most broadly defined as the entities, both material and
immaterial, created by the application of mental and physical efforts in order to
achieve some value. In this usage, technology refers to tools and machines that
may be used to solve real world problems. The word technology can be viewed
as an activity that forms or changes culture.
It is necessary to note that not all technology enhances culture in a creative way.
Technology can also help facilitate political oppression and war via tools such as
guns. As a cultural activity, technology predates both science and engineering, each
of which formalizes some aspects of technological endeavor.
The distinction between science, engineering and technology is not always clear.
Science is the reasoned investigation or study of phenomena, aimed at discovering
enduring principles among elements of the phenomenal world by employing
formal techniques such as scientific method.
Technologies are not usually exclusively products of science because they have to
satisfy requirements such as utility, usability and safety. Engineering is the goal
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oriented process of designing and making tools and systems to exploit natural
phenomena for practical human means, using results and techniques from science.
Mans technological ascent began in what is known as Neolithic period (New
Stone Age). The invention of polished stone axes was a major advance because it
allowed forest clearance on a large scale to create farms. The discovery of
agriculture allowed for the feeding of larger populations and the transition to a
sedentist life-style increased the number of children that could be simultaneously
raised.
Additionally, children could contribute labor to the raising of crops more readily
than they could to the hunter-gatherer life-style. With this type of increase in
population and the availability of labor lead to increase in labor specialization.
The emergence of increasingly hierarchical social cultures, the specialization of
labor, trade and war amongst other cultures and the need for collective action to
overcome environmental challenges such as building of dikes and reservoirs are all
thought to have played a role in technological development.
Technology has affected society and its surroundings in a number of ways. In many
societies, technology has helped develop more advance economies and has allowed
the rise in leisure class. Many technological processes can produce unwanted byproducts known as pollution, and deplete natural resources to the detriment of earth
and its environment.
FOOD SECURITY
Food security refers to the availability of food and ones access to it. A household
is considered food secure when its occupants do not live in hunger or fear
starvation. World wide, around 852 million people are chronically hungry due to
extreme poverty, while up to 2 billion people lack food security intermittently due
to varying degree of poverty (FAO, 2003). As of late 2007, increased farming for
use in bio-fuels, world oil prices at more than U$100.00 a barrel, global population
growth, climate change, loss of agricultural land to residential and individual
development and growing consumer demands have pushed up the price of food
crops. Food riots are already taken place in many countries across the world.
It is becoming increasingly difficult to maintain food security in a world beset by a
confluence of peak phenomena, namely: peak oil, peak water, peak grain etc.
More than half of the planet population numbering 3.3 billion people is expected to
be living in urban areas by November 2007 (FAO, 2003).
In Nigeria, more than 70% of the population lives in rural areas without good and
sound technological development and food to sustain them. In that context,
agricultural development to meet the needs of people has been a problem.
Important issues for farmers in such areas include: land use techniques, soil
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quality, water use (quantity and quality), subsides, credit, market stability/access
and insurance.
The commonly used definitions of food security come from the FAO and the
United States of America (USDA). Food security exists when all the people at all
times, have access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food to meet their dietary needs
and food preferences for an active and healthy life.

What happens when people do not have food security?

For people who do not get enough regular, healthy food, ill health and shorter life
expectancy are real risks. Children and especially very young children, who suffer
food insecurity, will be less developed than children of the same age who have had
sufficient food. They will likely be shorter and weigh less and be less able
physically and intellectually, because of poor nutrition. This is what is referred to
in medical terms as stunting. This process starts in the uterus if the mother is
malnourished and continues through approximately the third year of life. It leads to
higher infant and child mortality. Once stunting has occurred, improved nutritional
intake later in life can not reverse the damage. Stunting itself is viewed as a coping
mechanism, designed to bring body size into alignment with the calories available
during adulthood in the location where the child is born. Limiting body size as
away of adapting to low levels of energy (calories) adversely affect health in three
ways:
1). Premature failure of vital organs during adulthood. For example, a 50 year old
individual might die of heart failure because his/her heart suffered structural
defects during early development.
2). Stunted individual suffers a far higher rate of disease and illness than those who
have not undergone stunting.
3). Severe malnutrition in early childhood often leads to defects in cognitive
development (Braun, et al. 2004; Fred Cuny 1999).
Why is there food insecurity?
Poverty: Poor people lack access to sufficient resources to produce or buy quality
food. Poor farmers may have very small farms, use less effective farming
techniques, and/or be unable to afford fertilizers and labor saving equipment, all of
which limit food production.
Often they can not grow enough food for themselves, lee alone generate income by
selling excess to others. Without economic resources and a political voice, poor
farmers may be forced on to less productive land possibly causing further
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environmental deterioration. Addressing poverty is critical to ensuring that all

people have sufficient food.
Health: Without sufficient calories and nutrients, the body slows down, making it
difficult to undertake the work needed to produce food. Without good health, the
body is also is also less able to make use of the food that is available. A hungry
mother will give birth to an underweight baby, who then faces a future of stunted
growth, frequent illness, and learning disabilities and reduced resistance to
diseases.
Water and the environment: Food production requires massive amounts of water. it
takes about 1000 litres of water to produce one kilogram of wheat and 3000 litres
of water to produce one kilogram of rice. Producing sufficient is directly related to
having sufficient water. Irrigation can ensure an adequate and reliable supply of
water which increases yield of most crops. Increasing irrigation efficiency and
limiting environment damage through salinisation or reduced soil fertility are
important for on going food availability.
Gender equity: Women play a vital role in providing food and nutrition for their
families through their roles as food producers, processors, traders and income
earners. Yet women in lower social and economic status limit their access to
education, training, land ownership, decision making and credit and consequently
their ability to improve their access to and use of food. Food utilization can be
enhanced by improving womens knowledge of nutrition and food safety and the
prevention of illness.
Increasing women participation in decision making and their access to land and
credit will in turn improve food security.
Disasters and conflicts: Droughts, flood disasters and pests can quickly wipe out
large quantities of food as it grows or when it is in storage for later use. Likewise,
seeds can be destroyed by such environmental dangers.
Conflicts can also reduce or destroy food in production or storage as farmers flee
to safety or become involve in the fighting. Previously produced land may be
contaminated with explosive debris and need to be cleared before it again can be
used for food production.
Population and urbanization: Population growth increases the demand for food.
With most productive land already in use, there is pressure for this land to become
more productive. Poor harvests and higher costs lead many poor farmers to migrate
to cities to look for work. Expanding cities spread out across productive land,
pushes food production further and further away from consumers. This increases
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the cost of the activities associated with producing and transporting food and
decreases the food security of the poor in cities.
GOOD GOVERNANCE AND TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT.
Todays world would not be the same tomorrow, especially in the area of
technology development. Changes are taken place constantly and the realm of
education and enlightment campaign are particularly sensitive in efforts to bring up
new information generation.
Technology advances can further economic growth because they contribute to the
creation of new goods, new services, new jobs and new capital. The application of
technology can improve productivity and the quality of products. It can expand the
range of services that can be offered as well as extend the geographic distribution
of these services.
The development and use of technology also play a major role in determining
patterns of international trade by affecting the comparative advantages of industrial
sectors. Since technology progress is not necessarily determined by economic
conditions, it can be influenced by advances in science, the organization and
management of firms and especially government policies and activities.
New technologies can help compensate for possible disadvantages in the cost of
capital and labor faced by firms and governments. Various implementations of
technology influence the values of a society and new technology often raises new
ethical questions. Examples include the rise of the notion of efficiency in terms of
human productivity. Good governance will uphold the concept of efficiency for
sustainable use of national resources and the protection of environment.
In Nigeria, the development of government efforts to facilitate technological
advance has been particularly difficult because of the absence of a consensus on
the need for an articulated policy. There has never been a continuous policy to
encourage technology development. Over the years, there have been various
programmes and policies developed by various governments. The approach had
been ad hoc and uncoordinated. Much of the programme development was based
upon what individual committees judged appropriate for the agencies over which
they have jurisdiction.
Despite the importance of technology in the economy, technology-related
considerations often have not been integrated into economic decisions.
There is no long-term perspective on what is needed for sustainable human
development and how to achieve the goals of such development. This has resulted
into non-understanding of the historical, cultural and social contexts of different
societies and communities in the nation. As mentioned earlier, good governance
requires meditation of the different interests in the society to reach a broad
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consensus on what is in the best interest of the whole community and how this can
be achieved.
Considerations on what constitutes government policy (both in terms of the
industrial policy and technology policy) cover a broad range of ideas that are never
seriously implemented. Various federal agencies and private sector groups have
developed critical technology lists. at a time, suggestions were made for the
creation of federal mechanism to identify and support strategic industries and
technologies. This idea had been viewed in some quarters as unwarranted and
unwanted interference in the private sector which will cause unnecessary
dislocations in the market place or misallocation of resources. The government
does not have the knowledge or expertise to make business-related decisions.
Instead, it is agued that the appropriate role for government is to encourage
innovative activities in all industries and government parastatals and to keep
markets related decisions making within the business community that has the
ultimate responsibility for commercialization and where decisions have
traditionally been made.
The relationship between government and industry is a major factor affecting
innovation and the environment within which technological development takes
place. This relationship often has been adversarial, with the government acing to
regulate or restrain the business community, rather than to facilitate its positive
contributions to the nation. Technology issues and responsibilities remain shared
among many government departments and agencies. This diffused focus has
sometimes resulted in actions which if not at cross purposes, may not account for
the impact of policies or practices in one area on other parts of the process.
Technology issues involve components which operate both separately and in
concerts. While a diffused approach can offer varied responses to various issues,
the importance of inter-relationship may be under estimated and their usefulness
may suffer.
Good governance at the national level will provide a strong foundation for
technological progress, and will attract both official development assistance and
vital investments from the private sector, particularly in the area energy. Business
and industry need stable governments and predictable regulations before any
meaningful technological development can be achieved.
Development of a Technology Policy:
In articulating a natural technological policy, the federal and state governments
should be seriously involved in coordinating technological development and
increase their spending on the sector. Emphasis should be focused on development
of new products, processes and services to facilitate industrial advancement.
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In addition, a significant number of proposals aimed to increase both government

and private sector support for Research and Development (R& D) leading to
commercialization of technology should be encouraged. Consideration and
delineation of national objectives should be aimed at encouraging industries to
engage in more long-term planning with regards to R&D and to make decisions as
to the best allocation of resources.
Such a technology policy could generate greater consistency in government
activities. Because technological development involves numerous risks, efforts to
minimize uncertainty regarding federal programmes and policies may help
alleviate some of the disincentives perceived by private sectors. The government
should focus on increasing investments in research to meet the nations needs in
energy, environmental quality and health, investments in the development and
commercialization of new products, process and services for market place. The
government should also focus on investments in small, high technology business in
the light of their role in innovation and job creation and investment in the countrys
infrastructures to support all these efforts.
To make productive use of these investments, the administration should support
increased cooperation between all levels of government, industry and academia to
share risks and funding, and to utilize the strength of each sector in reaching
common goals of economic growth, productivity improvement and maintenance of
high living standard through technological development.
The establishment of a Science Technological Council by the Federal Government
of recent is a welcome idea. This body should coordinate science space and
technological policies throughout the country.
Legislative Initiatives:
The Government should promulgate a legislation to reflect a trend towards
expanding the governments role beyond traditional funding of mission-oriented
R&D. The new legislation should aim at the following:
1). encouraging industry to spend money on R&D
2). assisting small, high technology business
3). promoting joint research activities between companies
4). fostering cooperative works between industries and universities
5). facilitating the transfer of technology from the federal laboratories to the private
sector and
6). providing incentives for quality improvements.
These efforts will remove barriers to technology development both in the private
and public sectors.

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Industry University Cooperative Efforts:

Cooperative efforts among the academia and industry need be encouraged to
increase the potential for commercialization of technology. Traditionally, basic
researches are been performed in the universities or in the federal laboratory
system, while the business community focuses on the manufacture or provision of
products, processes or services. Universities are especially suited to undertake
basic research. Their mission is to educate and basic research is an integral part of
the education process. Universities generally are able to undertake these activities
because they do not have to produce goods for the market place and therefore can
do research not necessarily tied to the development of a commercial product or
process. The industry is supposed to be the primary source of funding basic
research in the universities. It should also become the principal determinant of the
type and direction of the type of research performed in academia. This will result
into a strong connection between the university and industrial communities.
The separation and isolation of the two parties involved in the innovation process
is a barrier to technological progress. The difficulties in moving an idea from the
concept stage to a commercial product or process are compounded when several
entities are involved. Legislation to stimulate cooperative efforts among those
involved in technological development is one way to promote innovations.
GOOD GOVERNANCE AND FOOD SECURITY
Agriculture is one of the most promising instruments for reducing poverty and
securing local livelihoods. One of the critical conditions required of the
agricultural sector is to ensure that good governance structures and related policies
are in place at all levels.
Achieving food security in its totality continues to be a challenge not only for
developing nations, but also for developed world. The difference lies in the
magnitude of the problem in terms of its severity and proportion of the population
affected.
In developed nations, the problem is alleviated by providing targeted food security
interventions, including food aid in the form of direct food relief, food stamps or
indirectly through subsidized food production. These efforts have significantly
reduced food insecurity in these regions. Similar approaches are employed in
developing nations but with less success.
Food security is affected by a complexity of factors. These include: unstable social
and political environments that preclude sustainable economic growth, war and
civil strive, macro-economic imbalances in trade, natural resources constraints,
poor human resource base, gender inequality, in adequate education, poor health,
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natural disasters such as floods and locust infestation and the absence of Good
Governance. All these factors contribute to either insufficient natural food
availability or insufficient national food availability or insufficient access to food
by households and individuals.
Lack of macro-economic policies and unstable political situations are preconditions to governance problems. Policy biases, under investment,
mis-investment and lack of capacities underpin weak governance in agriculture
resulting in food insecurity. The root cause of food insecurity is the inability of
people to gain access to food due to poverty (Inter Academic Council, 2004).
In developing nations, especially in sub-Saharan Africa, projections show that
there will be an increase in the tendency of food insecurity if adequate measures
are not taken. Many factors have contributed to this tendency including: high
prevalence of HIV/AIDS, civil war, strive and food and POOR GOVERNANCE,
frequent draught and agriculture dependency on the climate and environment.
In Nigeria over 70% of the food insecure live in the rural areas. Because over 70%
of the poor live in rural areas, where also the largest proportion of the food
insecure live, it is evident that we can not significantly and substantially reduce
food insecurity without transforming the living conditions in these areas. The key
lies in increasing agricultural profitability of small holder farmers and creating
rural off-farm employment opportunities.
The major challenge to food security in Nigeria, is its underdeveloped agricultural
sector that is characterized by over reliance on primary agriculture, low fertility
soils, minima use of external farm inputs, environmental degradation, significant
food crop loss both pre - and post harvest minimal value addition and product
differentiation and inadequate food storage and preservation that often result in
significant commodity price fluctuation. There is an overall decline in farm inputs
investments including fertilizers, seeds and most importantly technology adoption
to agriculture. The soil continues to degrade leading to a reduction in the
productivity of farms. Some of the causes of soil fertility depletion include: the
adoption of fertilizer replenishment strategies and soil and water conservation
measures, the decline in the use and length of fallow periods, expansion of
agricultural production into marginal and fragile areas, and the removal of
vegetation through over grazing, logging, development and domestic use.
Other causes include: rapid population growth, limited access to agricultural
related technical assistance and lack of knowledge about profitable soil fertility
management practices leading to expansion into less favorable lands.
A significant proportion of the food is lost through pre- and post harvest losses.
The tropical climate makes food produced in Nigeria prone to pests and diseases.
Poor handling and storage further increase the post harvest losses. Management of
agricultural system is further complicated by the existence of diverse
heterogeneous systems.
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Generally, poor polices can greatly affect food security. The problem arises when
the focus on policies, structures and institutions is put above that of the people
themselves. When policies are not inclusive in their design, they tend to handicap
the exempted lot by providing barriers. One such way in which this may take place
is uneven development within the country where certain regions are preferentially
developed for political reasons at the expense of others.

Food Security Interventions:

How can food security be achieved?.
The solutions lie in increasing food availability, food accessibility and food
adequacy for all. Because food insecurity is directly correlated with poverty, it is
necessary to not only alleviate poverty but to also create wealth for the target
population. The key lies in mutual honest intentions from multi-stake holders to
ensure that all is done with the sole purpose of benefiting them. To achieve food
security especially in Nigeria, I hereby propose the following:
1). Boosting agricultural science and technology:
Current agricultural yields are insufficient to feed the growing population.
Application of technology to boost productivity is very essential, if food
insecurity is to be alleviated. There is too much reliance on the use of fertilizer
to bring degraded land back to production. Too much salt into soil will
thereafter make the soil unproductive. Such affected soils need be reclaimed
before re-usage. The use of soil and water conservation techniques and the
practice of organic farming is widely accepted and use in many parts of the
world to attain food security.
2). Securing property rights and access to finance
3). Enhancing human capital through education and improved health
Government policies can help create a favorable environment for producing
and marketing crops. Long term success in improving food security depends on
the ability of millions of small farmers to benefit from these gains and increase
production as part of sustainable diversified agricultural system.
Farmers need be educated and exposed to current trends in farming through the
application of available technologies. For example, Sierra Leone has made use
of such education, a key element in mobilizing a community based drive to
eradicate hunger. FAO (2204) predicted that more than 200,000 of the countrys
450,000 farmers could have been enrolled in such a programme focusing on
food security.
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4). Conflicts prevention and resolution mechanism and democracy and governance
based on principles of accountability and transparency in public institutions
and the rule of law as the basic to reducing hunger among vulnerable members
of the society.
5). A long term policy be put in place to localize crop production based on soil
type and climatic conditions of the areas across the country. This will involve
R&D programmes. Farmers will be encouraged to boost crop production since
they are sure of marketing their products and their economy will improve.
This will also minimize wastes and through education, farmers will be exposed
new techniques of crop handling and processing.

CONCLUSION
To reduce hunger in an age of globalization, governance should be improved.
Democracy is one useful standard of good governance, but improved national
governance for technology development and food security need not begin or end
with democratization.
For the purpose of reducing poverty and hunger, the most important starting point
for judging good governance at the national level is governments performance
in providing basic public goods to all of its citizens, including those in the rural
areas. These essentials include: internal peace, rule of law, and public investment
in infrastructure and research. The rule of law and good governance are the
foundation for achieving sustainable development goals.
GOOD GOVERNANCE, TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT, FOOD JUSTICE,
FIGHT HUNGER, WALK THE WORLD CAMPAIN!!!

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References:
F.A.O.(2003). Understanding seed systems and strengthening seed security.
Rome 28pp.
F.A.O.(2004). International year of rice, fact sheets.
Ursula Franklin (1989). Real world of technology. House of Anansi Press
Fred, Cuny (199). Famine, conflicts and response: a Basic Guide. Kumarian Press.
Inter-Academy Council (2004). Realizing the Promise and Potential of African
Agriculture. Amsterdam.
Von Braun, Joachim; Swaminathan, M.S.; and Rosegrant, M.W. (2004).
Agriculture, Food security, Nutrition and Millennium Development
Goals (Annual Report Essay) Washington, D.C.: International Food
Policy Research Institute (IFPRI).

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