The Foreign Service Journal, October 2012

10 OCTOBER 2012 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL I often ask new FSOs to sum up the purpose of our visit to a village or ministry in one sentence before we arrive at a vil- lage or ministry, and then ask them to do so again after we depart. They generally don’t say much before we arrive—they are just glad to leave the office. But afterward, their voices ear- nestly proclaim the “absolute needs” of beneficiaries that their program can fix. I can almost see fire in their belly again. Raymond H. Morton USAID FSO, retired Sarasota, Fla. Seven Billion and Counting I’m surprised there have been so few responses to Ben Barber’s clear, concise article in the April issue (“Seven Billion and Counting”) concerning population growth. The prospect of billions of people competing for resources and employment on a rapidly deteriorating planet would seem to merit more attention. The “Green Revolution” that used industrial farming methods to obtain greater crop yields to feed soaring popula- tions did as much damage as good. Large agribusinesses have reduced the varieties of grains, seeds and fruits to those that suit their purposes and are easily packed and shipped. (Often those varieties require the use of pesticides, which the same compa- nies sell.) They also practice a method of agri- culture totally dependent on oil, in which farms are consolidated into large holdings worked by machines. These large mono- cultures would seem to be both the cause of, and more subject to, droughts, because they need more water and oil to operate. Both resources will be in shorter supply in the future. Factory farms housing huge numbers of animals in terrible conditions and fac- tory fishing in the form of overfishing or fish farms keep up with growing demand at the expense of animals, the environ- ment and public health. What new, magical technology can be used to feed even more people today in the face of droughts and changing weather patterns? Barber’s description of six young university graduates in Cairo who work the night shift at a hotel for a dollar a day, because no good job is available without family connections, is equally depressing. It also fits the profile of some of the terrorists involved in the 9/11 attacks. Huge pools of disaffected young people unable to find meaningful work (or any) are a source of instability and migration. I empathize with how Barber has been affected by the growing crowds and environmental deterioration he sees when returning to places formerly visited. Solving one problemwithout thinking of others created endangers all. Several months ago a radio talk show host interviewed attendees at a confer- ence in Washington, D.C., on poverty in the developing world. Some spoke of their agencies’ work in the field since the 1960s. That the problems are not only there but seem to be getting worse is truly discour- aging. Population growth is a serious problem that isn’t being addressed. But Barber’s article was a very good start. Michele D. Fiala Bangkok, Thailand Remembering Adele Americans in Paris have lost a good friend: Adele Annis died on July 3 at her country home in Gressey, France. Although she was not an official Ameri- can, she worked for many years on behalf of both residents and temporary visitors to France. tunity to help these new officers, I worry about their ability to make contributions to USAID’s development programs that hit the mark set forth in a 2011 Government Accountability Office report (GAO-11- 241): “to develop the men and women the United States requires to fulfill its leader- ship role in world affairs, and to advance and defend U.S. interests.” Though I was a farmmanager and an agricultural teacher before I joined USAID, one does not need to have degrees and practical experience in agriculture to be a successful agricultural development officer. But sometime, early on, you do need to know what illiteracy, hunger, poor health and a livelihood of $0.70/day mean to a family, community and developing nation. State points out in its comments to the GAO report that “much of the training at our posts is accomplished via on-the-job experience.” Unfortunately, I have not seen nearly enough of this at the posts where I’ve worked as a consultant. Every- one needs to “kick the tires” for every development program handled. Part of the problem is the fact that USAIDmanagers assigned as supervisors and mentors in overseas missions do not have enough time to share their devel- opment experience with junior officers. Field trips to understand development are rare events and often difficult to arrange because of—you guessed it—forms and paperwork. As a consequence, the motivation, compassion, curiosity, technical skills and previous development experience acquired—and required to join USAID— all vaporize quickly. And since tenure and promotion in USAID largely depend on an officer’s ability to meet paperwork deadlines and get along with others, it’s no surprise that those are the skills new hires devote time to honing.