Between 1980 and 1987, Africa's debt increased from $120 billion to $250 billion. The African people were poor, without food, starving, living in unsanitary conditions, and owing millions. In order to pay their debts, they stopped all development and became more export oriented. Governments increased the amount of land set aside for so called "cash crops" such as coffee, cotton and peanuts, leaving little land for growing food Africans actually ate.
The public out cry has been enormous as First World nations, global organizations and wealthy individuals have given generously into relief funds for victims of drought, war, and famine. After the crises of the 1980's in Ethiopia, for example, many people and world organizations from raised money for food and supplies. Rock stars alone donated $300 million in supplies. .
Farmers who decided to switch to "cash crops" are suffering as they cannot to pay for pesticides and fertilizers needed to grow the crops. They find themselves taking out loans to pay for these supplies and end up further in debt. In order to maintain the same standard of living, farmers are cultivating more land for "cash crops", leaving less land for domestic crops. Furthermore, "cash crops" rob soil of nutrients leaving the land useless and unable to grow food. Lastly, although food aid and financial assistance have been helpful, they might actually hinder the rate of development rather than improving it. African leaders say that western nations are too generous with food aid, causing people in Third World countries to become overly dependent, and unable to cultivate their own crops. Instead of farming they are leaving rural regions, moving into cities and living solely off aid.
Several different solutions have been proposed to reduce, and in the long run, end hunger in Third World countries. The most radical of these solutions is to wipe out African nation's debts to foreign lenders.
