A healthy farmer is either a productive farmer or has a potential to become more productive when he or she gets access to appropriate knowledge. This is why farmers need to stay healthy in order to contribute meaningfully to food security. Furthermore, it is common knowledge that the larger percent of our food in developing countries is produced by smallholder farmers, who mainly settle in the rural communities, where access to basic amenities is limited. One of these important amenities is potable or drinking water, which is becoming more scarce as a ripple effect of the climate crisis.
Water is everything to an average person to live and live well. Nothing can replace it as it is needed to survive the day. Sadly, the quality of water in most of our rural communities is extremely poor with little or no intervention to improve it. Likewise, it is not different in the urban areas, where most of the people depend on sachet water or bottled water as drinking water, which is expensive in the long run. Also, there are many choices or alternatives to get potable water in the urban areas (but still expensive in the long run) unlike the rural areas where access and choices are very limited. Inaccessible potable water is a bane to food security as many rural dwellers (smallholder farmers) suffer from various water-borne illnesses, and thus affect productivity. And this pandemic is on the increase as climate change is disrupting the current system, making water unavailable. More or less, this should be a public health concern that needs to be addressed proactively and immediately, but the reality says otherwise.
There is a need to review water policies currently in operation to identify the loopholes and get them fixed. In addition, we need to mobilize resources to develop appropriate water infrastructure that can support access to potable water especially for those in the most remote areas, who provide the food we eat. Furthermore, there is a need for political willingness to take the right steps at the appropriate time regarding potable water. Access to potable water should be the right of everyone to have - irrespective of the social status - no one should be left to drink any kind of unhygienic water. As the legendary musician, Fela Anikulapo Kuti, sang years ago, "water no get enemy" (water does not have an enemy). So, we all need potable water to be our companion every time we need to have it. Yes, "water, e no get enemy".
