Rastafari, Climate Change and Crop Failure in Africa

Climate change emergency and crop failure constitute urgent maladies in the African context. Paradoxically, Africa possesses vast tracts of land but continues to suffer from food shortages. Along the same lines, it is absurd that the western anthropogenic greedy consumerism that endangers the ecosystem through climate change crisis tend to harm the least industrialized African states as compared to their western counterparts. This chapter seeks to examine the Nyahbinghi Rastafari perceptions, responses and engagements on the aspect of food (in)security/crop failure in Africa. The study also considers how and to what extent Rastafari serves as a resource (or confounding factor) in relation to land, and food systems stability in Africa. The chapter posits that in spite of being marginalized and misunderstood, Rastafari environmental ethic guided by a ‘green philosophy’ and dependence on Ital (natural) food is consistent with organic farming, food security and living in harmony with Mother Earth in contrast to the toxic and greed-driven consumerist ‘Babylon shitstem’ (western corrupt and oppressive system). Using a decolonial theoretical framework, the study established that Rastafarian communities perceive that western consumerism cannot be exonerated from the climate change crisis and its ripple effect on food availability and crop failure in Africa. This is partly due to their long-term pollution of the soil, water and air through pesticides and fertilizers as well as genetically modified food crops. The chapter concludes that Rastafarians serve as a strong resource for supporting organic farming, food security and climate restabilization within a framework of their environmental I-consciousness.