The Solution of Human Problems is in HEALING: Health, Environment, Agriculture ad Leadership

Humanity is facing a multifaceted challenge that needs a coordinated but multidimensional approach to resolve. Disasters are becoming more frequent, with increasing severity of their impact. Yet humanity continues to degrade the environment, eat junk and overindulge in unhealthy practices. People have lowered their guard, and are on a negative sprint towards wholesome destruction. Nature is hurting as ecosystems become increasingly unsustainable. Several global and local interventions have been propounded at different levels, with steps being taken to reverse the losses. Climate change mitigation and adaptation has been touted as the approach to reverse the adverse effects of environmental degradation.

While reading the ideas by Eric Amunga, through his verified Twitter handle @amerix, I got the idea of sustainable mitigation and adaptation. Eric proposes a HEALing agenda for society. In his argument, HEAL is an acronym for Health, Education, Agriculture and Leadership. In his June 11, 2018, thread, Eric avers that for communities to be healthy, they need awareness. They cannot sit and listen to be aware if they are not educated. Hence, they need education. Yet to be educated, they need to have eaten from some agricultural produce. This produce, @amerix believes, will only materialise where leadership is visionary. This is his HEAL agenda.

This piece seeks to modify @amerix’s idea. The modified approach is meant to build on what the Government is already doing, and to complement the efforts through interventions that are not adequately covered by the Government. The HEALING agenda then starts with the component of HEALTH. The communities that are suffering from lifestyle conditions are the focus. People often take in junk food, negating the advice from nutrition experts. Fast foods have become the new normal. This denies the body the necessary nutrients found in the newly defined food groups (as opposed to the traditional balanced diet of carbohydrates, proteins and vitamins). We are what we eat. When we eat junk, our bodies become weak, with fragile immunity. Aside from consuming junk, people have normalised motorised travel, whether they are travelling long distances or shorter. Because many can afford vehicles due to enhanced standards of living, walking and exercising have been reduced. With increased commitments and tight schedules, many people overlook the need to reflect on their lives and enjoy the little achievements. Greed has taken control and many people only think of increasing their wealth, because wealth is an end in itself rather than a means to an end. Non-communicable diseases, nutrition, mental health and wellness are the main focus of the HEALTH component.

The second component is ENVIRONMENT. @amerix had education, which in this logic, falls under the leadership component. The increase in the frequency of disasters is partly a result of climate change. The globe is becoming warmer due to the depletion of the ozone layer. This is caused by unsustainable human activities resulting from environmental degradation. The increase in temperatures leads to the melting of the glaciers, a rise in water levels, an increase in ocean tides, and a disruption in the weather patterns. The effect is in the increase in pests and diseases for both livestock and humans. It further leads to failure in agriculture and scarcity of water due to erratic rains. The ripple effect is in loss of livelihoods, high cost of living and declined standards of living. This increases the vulnerability of populations, irrespective of the geographical location or economical status. Interventions here include restoration of vegetation cover for carbon sequestration and water catchment. This will also slow down environmental pollution and provide food and livelihoods for households. Waste management remains a neglected aspect especially in urban areas where waste is generated at high rates than they are collected and sustainably disposed of. Most of the poorly disposed waste finds itself in water bodies. The third aspect is on conservation of energy, reduction in the use of fossil fuel and investment in green energy. This includes investment in solar energy, biogas and recycling of biomass to produce eco-friendly energy like briquettes. Community disaster risk reduction initiatives should be introduced at this level. Community committees should be established and trained on disaster risk reduction, early warning systems and building resilience towards self-reliance. Personal responsibility is key because environmental conservation is a broad spectrum to be approached holistically rather than by single and isolated practices. It encompasses small acts like switching off the light when not in necessary use, turning off water taps, use of biodegradable material and ensuring that one does not litre around. Each person should ensure that their land has at least 10% tree cover. This is equivalent to 64 trees per acre or 7 trees in a 50*100 feet plot. Some estates have up to 90% tree cover, hence 10% is achievable. This makes them fruitful, calm, flowery and beautiful. The culture can be cultivated at the early stages of schooling through the environment clubs in schools where top environmentalists are celebrated.

The third component is AGRICULTURE. This is the main livelihood activity in Kenya. The more the population grows, the more agricultural production needs to increase. People are a product of their food. Hence, agriculture is key to a healthy diet. The government is investing modestly in agriculture. However, this is considered a trade for the rural communities who likely underperformed in formal schooling education. A social engineering effort is required to reorient agriculture as a livelihood for any class. This should involve the introduction of climate-smart farming and animal husbandry. From the foregoing, this cannot succeed without logical flow from the need for good health and favourable climatic conditions. Farmers' field days provide a platform for the exchange of ideas and sharing of farming experiences. The government supports the agricultural society of Kenya shows. Many people attend these shows for entertainment rather than learning the new techniques in agriculture. At the school level, the government is reintroducing the 4K Clubs (Kufanya, Kuungana Kusaidia Kenya). This is a novel idea that should be supported to improve the perception of agriculture by children. Entrepreneurship should meet health requirements through value addition along the agricultural value chains. Schools can introduce value addition chains to train the learners on entrepreneurship skills. This implies that under agriculture, there are aspects of nutrition where farmers are encouraged to grow crops that meet the recommended dietary requirements in their gardens or farms, and in the case of mixed farming, include the balance that would capture a holistic diet. The product should be as much for consumption as it is for business.

The fourth component is LEADERSHIP. This is comprehensive as it includes education, integrity, mentorship and coaching. One major problem with contemporary society is the lack of integrity. This is partly attributed to poor parenting due to the burden of professional or artisanal engagement of parents. The children are left under the care of domestic workers or daycare facilities. The daycare staffers and domestic managers may not have the requisite capacity to bring up a holistic individual the way a parent would. The abdication of parental role ends up bringing up moral retards with a limited sense of conscience. They are often brought up in environments that are not conducive to growth. The result is a generation that is not responsible for sustainability. The resulting imbalance causes a mental health challenge whose indicators include increased crime, homicides, suicides and violence. The increase in the number of accidents on the roads is partly attributed to the kind of society that is brought up from a weak background. People are willing to take high risks including sacrificing life on the altar of economic gain. In public and private service, virtue is less important. Many youths confide that given an opportunity, they will seek material wealth by whatever means. The wealth is an end in itself rather than being a means to an end. They would rather lose their friendships and gain more material wealth through unscrupulous means. During elections, the clean aspirants are taunted because they are not aligned to theft. They are loathed because they are unlikely to be corrupt when they ascend to political office. The system has been convoluted to accept deviance as normal. Here lies the conundrum: there are no leaders. A whole generation has been and continues to be wounded. Each person is for themselves. Positions of trust are opportunities to steal for oneself, their families and close associates. The leadership component in the intervention is to reverse the trend and inspire hope for the youth. Just like in the process of reclaiming the wasted environment, the approach here is evolutionary, to understand the drivers of the moral status, and reverse through addressing the pull and push factors. This can be achieved through establishing sessions in schools, inspiring the teachers and influencing the perception of the children. Regulatory frameworks should adopt the carrot and stick approach and corporates encouraged to reward progressive thoughts and ideas rather than mediocrity. Peer champions should be empowered and continuously capacity-built to address the misinformation in societies. Counties should endeavour to establish Youth Compacts. This is a forum where the youth-serving organisations hold quarterly sittings to discuss the employability and productivity of the youth The participants include tertiary institutions of learning that train the youths, the employers who absorb these youths into their companies, the government that sets the policies that affect youths, the security actors who deal with the young criminals, and the youths themselves.

Finally, people should appeal to their conscience. They should cultivate a culture of personal responsibility. A danger to the environment is a danger to self. Self-preservation starts with a safe environment.