A serious problem in Africa today is the emergence of rampant, deadly strains of disease that are affecting livestock and ravaging populations of pigs and cattle in many African nations, putting food security at risk in many populations of various nations. With already major food scarcity issues among many emerging African nations, disease will only further pressure an already dire situation for food security in Africa. Livestock play important roles in farming systems, which provide primarily food and income, which is necessary for food security. Nearly 12 percent of the world populations rely solely on livestock for its livelihood. (4)

The latest outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF) in the West African island nation of Cape Verde threatens the country's entire pig population, according to a 1996 FAO report. The disease has been endemically present in at least part of Cape Verde archipelago since 1985 - with peaks of morbidity/mortality twice a year, in spring and winter. (1) ASF is caused by a particularly resistant virus and is a potentially devastating disease. Very few pigs survive infection and those that do are contagious. ASF is endemically present in wild pigs in so

http://www.fao.org/news/1997/970707-e.htm

(2) Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. "FAO responds to outbreak of swine fever in Benin" 1998. Rome, Italy.

http://www.undp.org/seed/unso/pub-htm/pastoral-eng-roeder.htm

(4) Pig Disease Information Centre. "Pig Health" 2000.

The problem of food security in most Western countries isn't on the brink of disaster considering the grain excess and food stocks we take for granted. Often times countries in Africa are at the brink of famine and even the slightest change in food production can put many lives at risk. The loss of half of all pigs in a particular meat eating culture can greatly affect the food security of the people in that region. (4) When farms are hit hard from disease, often animals that would have been used for breeding get destroyed and the entire breeding project must often times be restarted. Many pig farms are poorly financed and are put into financial ruin due to ASF epedemics. The rural poor people are at the highest risk of failing food security and major outbreaks of ASF can cause a short-term, unexpected loss in food security for these people. Dr. George Nassara from Benin's Government Stock Breeding Department told Reuters that he believes almost 100 percent of all infected pigs die of the disease. He says that "clandestine trade" and improper disposal of carcasses has led to failed efforts to control the disease. Officials are concerned that without early detection and control, ASF will spread beyond the Southern Provinces where the disease has only been found so far. The chances, say some officials, of the disease spreading to neighbors such as Nigeria and Togo are extremely high. This has implications for all countries that rely on livestock for their sustainability.

Some common words found in the essay are:
Benin Cote, Western Africa, Classic Swine, Cape Verde, Eradication Program, Food Security, Breeding Department, Africa Livestock, Nigeria Togo, Verde Cote, food security, cote d'ivore, cape verde, swine fever, rome italy, food agriculture organization, agriculture organization, food agriculture, united nations, fao report, organization united nations, organization united, agriculture organization united, 1998 rome italy, fao report disease,
Approximate Word count = 1328
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)