Human Rights Watch has documented apparent war crimes committed by Russian forces in Ukraine, as devastating images emerge from areas recently liberated from Russian control.
“The cases we documented amount to unspeakable, deliberate cruelty and violence against Ukrainian civilians,” Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch, says in a statement.
Today we’re asking if unmanned aerial drones could be used to deliver humanitarian assistance to warzones, and talking to farmers in Kenya about a new law some say could limit the use of indigenous seeds.
In Ukraine, Ethiopia, Syria, and many other conflict-affected countries, humanitarian access has been a critical challenge. Could aid groups use unmanned drones to bypass blockades and airdrop lifesaving assistance to people in desperate need?
A Washington Post columnist sparked social media debate recently when he called for sending “large unmanned aircraft with humanitarian aid to Ukrainian cities under siege.”
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My colleague Jessica Abrahams decided to dig deeper into the pros, cons, and practicalities of using drones in situations like these. The big takeaway, according to most of the experts Jessica spoke to: The drone technology that currently exists raises too many safety concerns for use in a conflict situation like Ukraine.
“It would increase risk to civilians on the ground without providing a meaningful benefit,” says Nathaniel Raymond, an aid worker-turned-lecturer at Yale University.
A small drone can typically only carry about 10 or 20 pounds of cargo.
“So the question then is: Can you get enough mass into a besieged area to be worth it over other kinds of transportation technology?” asks Mark D. Jacobsen of Air University, the U.S. Air Force’s military education center.
That question raises more complex dilemmas. Larger drones would have to be powered by liquid fuel, which means that if one was shot down — not unlikely in a warzone — “it’s basically going to be a missile landing on civilian populations filled with fuel,” says Raymond.
Uplift Aeronautics was a project that aimed to develop drones capable of delivering humanitarian aid to besieged cities in Syria. Its battery-powered drone crashed and set three acres of land in California on fire. Jacobsen, who was responsible for that demonstration flight gone wrong, has a message for people who continue to suggest similar ideas: “It’s probably two orders of magnitude harder than you think to do at scale.”
Read: Here's why drones can't be used to deliver aid to Ukraine [PRO]
+ Devex Pro subscribers can learn more about how other organizations with little to no experience in Ukraine and Eastern Europe are scrambling to respond to the crisis. Not gone Pro yet? Start your 15-day free trial.
Seed sovereignty
The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change recognizes “African indigenous knowledge systems” as smart climate adaptation strategies, and 90% of farmers in Africa rely on informal seed systems, sharing their seeds with each other when there are shortages.
But some worry a new law in Kenya — nominally aimed at preventing biopiracy and disease, and thus protecting Kenya’s food security — will restrict farmers’ ability to trade seeds that aren’t certified, David Njagi reports for Devex.
“These institutions have tricked the world into thinking Africa cannot produce food without pumping chemicals in the soil, using high yielding varieties and reorienting agriculture to its market,” says Million Belay at the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa. One alternative to expensive hybrid seeds – which farmers complain lack resilience, require chemicals, and can only be used once – could be community seed banks.
Read: Farmers turn to indigenous seed banks as Kenya restricts informal trade
+ Learn about how agriculture, nutrition, sustainability, and more intersect to remake the global food system by signing up for Devex Dish — our free, must-read Wednesday newsletter.
Who’s who
The International Labor Organization’s new president, a new director of the World Food Policy Center at Duke University, and Germany’s new special envoy for international climate policy — Catherine Cheney has the roundup of job moves, leadership changes, and executive appointments in the month of March.
Who's who in #globaldev: March 2022 executive appointments [PRO]
Systems change
“For the white savior used to ‘helping’ Africa, it was unthinkable that some African countries simply had more experience in responding to outbreaks such as Ebola.”
— Hannah Belayneh, policy and advocacy officer at Results CanadaBelayneh writes that advocates should weave anti-oppression into their calls for a more equitable global response to COVID-19.
Opinion: Want COVID-19 to end? Dismantle oppressive colonial systems
In other news
A convoy of aid trucks arrived in Tigray last Friday, the first emergency food supplies to reach the besieged region of northern Ethiopia by road for more than 100 days. [The Guardian]
Médecins Sans Frontières has temporarily suspended operations in an impoverished suburb of the Haitian capital, Port-au-Prince, due to rising gang violence. [VOA]
The head of Sri Lanka’s central bank has resigned, along with the country’s entire cabinet, as protests over the government’s handling of its economic crisis continue. [BBC]
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About the author
Michael Igoe@AlterIgoe
Michael Igoe is a Senior Reporter with Devex, based in Washington, D.C. He covers U.S. foreign aid, global health, climate change, and development finance. Prior to joining Devex, Michael researched water management and climate change adaptation in post-Soviet Central Asia, where he also wrote for EurasiaNet. Michael earned his bachelor's degree from Bowdoin College, where he majored in Russian, and his master’s degree from the University of Montana, where he studied international conservation and development.
