Ko e ngaahi moveuveu naʻe faʻu ʻi he taimi ʻoku pipiki ai ʻa e

I know what it’s like to get a big piece of machinery unstuck: Kuo pau ke mau fakaÊ»aongaÊ»i ha hala Hoi ke toho Ê»aki ha fakatahaÊ»i mei ha malaÊ»e pelepela, and I’ve seen up close how a minor catastrophe like this can stop the entire process for farmers who want to harvest their crops.

Ê»Io, that’s nothing compared to what just happened in the Suez Canal, Ê»a ia Ê»oku taÊ»ofi ai Ê»e ha vaka tahi ne fute Ê»e 1,300 ha potufolofola mahuÊ»inga Ê»i he vahaÊ»a Ê»o Ê»Esia mo Ê»Iulope Ê»i ha meimei uike Ê»e, disrupting global trade—and providing a vivid reminder of how much we depend on transportation networks that are really quite vulnerable.

Naʻa mau tanganeʻia kotoa ʻi he hisitolia ʻo e vaka naʻe lele ʻi he Kanali Suesi ʻi Maʻasi 23, mahalo koeʻuhi ko e matangi malohi pe ko ha fehalaaki fakatekinikale, ʻi heʻene fononga mei Malesia ki Netaleni. Naʻe siʻi hifo he taʻu ʻe tolu kuo hili, Ko e taha ʻo e ngaahi vaka hina lahi taha ʻi he mamani, ʻoku mahulu hake ia ʻi he 220,000 toni matolu.

Ko hono faingataʻaʻia naʻe fai ki suspenseful televisone, pea ko e tokolahi taha ʻo e kakai te nau lava ʻo fakafekauʻaki mo ha konga ʻo e palopalema. Ne tafoki ʻeku fakakaukaú ki he pelepelá ʻi heʻeku fāmá. ʻOku ʻiloʻi ʻe ha taha kuo maʻu ʻi ha siamu femoʻuekina ʻa e founga ʻe lava ai ʻe ha bottleneck kovi ʻo taʻofi e ngaahi palani fefonongaʻaki.

We’ve also been reminded yet again about the fragility of our infrastructure. Kau ki 13 Peseti Ê»o e fefakatauÊ»aki fakaemamani lahi Ê»oku fou atu Ê»i he Kanali Suesi. Kuo Analysts Ê»osi feinga ke fikaÊ»i Ê»a e maumau fakaÊ»ekonomika Ê»oku fai Ê»e he blockage Ê»o e hala, Ê»i he faingataÊ»aÊ»ia Ê»a e vaka mei he fakatoloi pea toe routing. Ê»E fie maÊ»u ha ngaahi uike pe mahina ke fakaakeake kakato ai.

Ê»I Ê»Amelika Noate, he Ê»ikai mamata hotau tokolahi ki he haÊ»aa Ê»o e fakapuliki fakahangatonu, ka Ê»e lava ke tau ongoÊ»i Ê»oku Ê»ikai fakahangatonu kinautolu ko ha totongi fefonongaÊ»aki Ê»i he funga Ê»o e mamani ki he tokotaha kotoa pe. NaÊ»e Ê»ataa fuoloa Ê»a e totongi faÊ»oÊ»anga meÊ»a kimuÊ»a pea hoko e fakatuÊ»utamaki Ê»i he Kanali Suesi, and now they’ll continue to shoot upward as they work to get containers emptied and relocated. HangÄ“ ko Ê»ení, Ê»e uesia heni Ê»a e ngaahi koloa ngoue Ê»oku fakafolau atu ki muli Ê»i ha ngaahi kane, hange ko e keleni momoa Distillers (DDGS), ko ha ethanol Ê»oku Ê»i ai ha koloa Ê»oku ne fafanga Ê»a e fanga monumanu Ê»oku maÊ»olunga.

Ê»I heÊ»emau hoko ko ha tangata faama keleni US, Ê»oku Ê»i ai foki mo hotau ngaahi faingataÊ»aÊ»ia. Ê»Oku haÊ»isia ha konga lahi Ê»o e piini Ê»oku ou tupu hake ai Ê»i heÊ»eku hoko ko ha tangata faama Ê»i Ê»Aiouaa ki he kau fakatau Ê»i he ngaahi fonua kehe. Ê»Oku fie maÊ»u ha founga longomoÊ»ui Ê»o e fokotuÊ»utuÊ»u—one that we can’t afford to take for granted.

Hu ki he feituÊ»u Ê»uta broadband fakafehokotaki au mo e mamani lahi ange. Ê»Oku pehe pe mo e ngaahi hala maka Ê»oku ne poupouÊ»i Ê»a e trailers Ê»oku ne fetuku Ê»a e ngoue mei heÊ»eku fama. Hokó ko e ngaahi vaka lafalafa Ê»i he Vaitafe Misisipí, feituÊ»u 29 locks and dams allow shipments to float south to New Orleans and the wider world—oftentimes through the Panama Canal, Ê»a ia Ê»oku mahuÊ»inga tatau pe mo e maama foÊ»ou Ê»o hange ko e Kanali Suesi ki he mamani motuÊ»a.

NaÊ»e fie maÊ»u Ê»e he Kanali Panamaa ha toe fakaleleiÊ»i Ê»i ha ngaahi taÊ»u. Yet there’s an even bigger problem closer to home. Ê»Oku Ê»i ha tuÊ»unga maÊ»u pe Ê»a e loka mo e dams Ê»o e Vaitafe Misisipi hono fakaleleiʻí. Ê»I he taimi naÊ»e langa ai kinautolu Ê»i he ngaahi taÊ»u Ê»o e 1930, NaÊ»e totonu ke nau ngaue ki ai fekauÊ»aki mo 50 ta'u. Soon they’ll be twice as old as their original life expectancy.

They’re already starting to fail. Ê»Oku fakamamahiÊ»i Ê»e heÊ»enau falalaÊ»anga Ê»etau tuÊ»unga fakaÊ»ekonomika Ê»i he taimi kotoa pe. Uike kuo Ê»osí, ko ha polokalama loka-mo e-tanakiÊ»anga vai Ê»i Ê»Ilinoisi tapuni Ê»i he taimi naÊ»e haÊ»aki mai ai ha ngaahi vaka lafalafa ki ha loka. I was supposed to send multiple semi-truck loads of grain to the river for shipment overseas this week—but now I can’t, koeÊ»uhi he kuo taÊ»ofi Ê»e he ngaue langa ha ngaahi vaka lafalafa mei he hiki upriver. We’re told to expect a delay of two or three weeks.

Fakafehoanaki ki he moveuveu Ê»i he Kanali Suesi, this is a tiny inconvenience—but it’s also the kind of malfunction that has become normal, Ê»i ha aggravation hokohoko atu Ê»a e malava Ê»e he kau faama Ê»Amelika ke feÊ»auhi mo fakatau atu ki he toenga Ê»o e mamani.

Ko e founga ke tokanga lahi ange ai ki heÊ»etau faÊ»unga. President Biden’s new $3 trillion Ê»oku kau Ê»i hono fakamoleki Ê»o e fokotuÊ»u fekauÊ»aki mo e $1 trillion ki he fokotuÊ»utuÊ»u. It’s important that we do not forget or neglect the transportation infrastructure like barge and rail that have gotten this country to where it is today. It may not be new and sexy but it’s still the most efficient way to handle the volumes of freight going across, pea mei he fonua ni Ê»oku tau fakafalala kotoa ki.

I don’t know how it will finish; I just hope it doesn’t run aground.

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Nominations ʻoku tali ʻa e kau kanititeiti ki he 2021 Global Farmer Network Roundtable and Leadership Training. Tentatively scheduled to be held during summer 2021, the next Roundtable will include a virtual component prior to meeting in person in Brussels, Pelisiume. The face-to-face event date is dependent on when travel is allowed and people feel safe. Ako lahi ange ki he meʻa naʻe hokó heni.

Lomi'i heni ke fai ha foaki ki he netiueka ʻa e kau ngoue fakamamani lahi.

To learn more about how the GFN empowers farmers to share ideas through a strong voice, lomiʻi ʻi he heni.