The Effects of Language Extinction on Cultural Identity in Third World Countries - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 7 Words: 2171 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/04/10 Category Culture Essay Level High school Tags: Cultural Identity Essay Did you like this example? Language extinction has grown immensely in third world countries recently, stripping many from their cultures. Some see language extinction as a positive effect because narrowing down the number of languages can lead to easier communication between people. Others see it as a negative effect because the growth of language extinction means the increase of dying cultures. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Effects of Language Extinction on Cultural Identity in Third World Countries" essay for you Create order There are some that think of language extinction as neither beneficial nor harmful and think there should be a greater focus on the other problems surrounding third world countries. Language extinction may not be the biggest issue in these countries, but should still be focused on, and resolved through the preservation of endangered languages, due to the death of people’s cultural identities, traditions, and morals. The term â€Å"third world country,† also known as a â€Å"developing country,† is a country that is in need of becoming more advanced or modern economically and socially, for example, some of the countries of Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Oceania. Third world countries face many problems like poverty, starvation, hazardous water sources, high death rates, corrupt governments, inadequate education, and poor sanitary conditions. These issues in developing countries overshadow the issue of language extinction, with language extinction just now being paid attention to in recent years. Languages are often looked at serving valuable references of group belongings that allow people of different ethnicities or nationalities to know what group they belong to, and what similar heritage they may share (â€Å"‘Our Languages are Dying’†). Extinction or loss of a language is not only looked at as one less way to say â€Å"hello,† but is also looked at a s the death or loss of a culture (â€Å"‘Our Languages are Dying’†). Languages are utilized like tools for comprehension of people’s realities, a person’s language influences the way they perceive the atmosphere around them, their beliefs, their actions, their speech or diction, and their behavior in social situations (â€Å"‘Our Languages are Dying’†). Due to the lack of light shined on the issue of language extinction there is now a growing fear of alteration or abandonment to one’s native tongue indicating a possibility of their language not surviving till the twenty-second century (â€Å"‘Our Languages are Dying’†). â€Å"It is estimated that only ten percent of the present languages in the world will survive† (â€Å"‘Our Languages are Dying’†). The article â€Å"‘Our Languages are Dying’† comes from a non-profit organization, Cultural Survival, the organization works to keep the vast amount of cultures alive. Many languages are endangered, in danger or at risk of becoming extinct; ninety percent of languages are predicted to vanish with this generation (Abrams and Strogatz). Daniel M. Abrams one of two of the authors of â€Å"Linguistics: Modelling the Dynamics of Language Death,† is a professor; the other author Steven H. Strogatz has attended man y refined colleges such as Princeton, Cambridge, and Harvard. Languages are representations of people’s cultures and ethnic classification ’s that are being stripped away with the increase in the number of languages disappearing or vanishing sooner than one may think. The Earth’s population is continuously growing with third world countries making up the majority of the population and first world countries, like the United States and small parts of Europe, making up the minority. â€Å"The Earth’s population of seven billion people speaks roughly 7,000 languages;† comparing the number of languages to the population amount there should be about one million people speaking each language (Rymer). With the accelerated deterioration of the many languages in the world, many are referring to it as a â€Å"linguistic genocide† (Wolfin). Adrian Wolfin, the author of the article â€Å"Falling Silent,† has written articles for the organization and magazine New Internationalist. â€Å"Seventy- Eight percent of the world’s population speaks the eighty-five largest languages, while the 3,500 smallest languages share a mere eight and one-fourth of a million speakers† (Rymer). In the next one hundred years linguist s, a person who studies languages, believe approximately half of the Earth’s amount of languages have a possibility of vanishing or becoming extinct (Rymer). â€Å"More than one thousand languages are listed as critically or severely endangered;† with one language statistically becoming extinct every fourteen days. (Rymer). Languages that are spoken in remote or abandoned places, like many areas in third world countries, are now not being protected by any national borders or natural barriers from the dominating languages, like English, in control of world communication and trade (Rymer). The article â€Å"Vanishing Voices,† written by Russ Rymer, was published in a widely popular magazine National Geographic. Smaller or minuscule languages are being dominated by the more known or popular languages for ease of communication and business matters between countries causing many smaller spoken languages to disappear or become extinct stripping people from what should be their native tongue. The cause for many languages being abandoned is due to multiple factors, from parents not teaching the language to their children, smaller languages being dominated by larger languages, or genocide, mass murder of a particular group of people. Many parents in tribal settlements or communities, like those found in m any third world countries, commonly are found not teaching their children their native tongue, what is supposed to be their first language, but are instead teaching languages that are said to provide improved education and achievements (Rymer). Often parents that speak smaller languages do not find the need to teach their language to their child since it is considered uncommon; they view communicating the small language not convenient or unbeneficial to their child’s future (â€Å"‘Our Languages are Dying’†). Many people believe abandoning their native tongue will be beneficial to them economically; the reason for this belief is due to the media mainly showing more popular languages causing people who speak smaller languages to feel isolated (Ostler). Because of the isolating feel, people will abandon their native tongue and the many traditions that come with the language to learn the more â€Å"beneficial† language for them (Ostler). Commonly the younger generation loses interest in the smaller language and older generations lose hope trying to keep the language alive due to the disrespect they have undergone for living with a small language (Ostler). Nicholas Ostler, the author of the art icle â€Å"Endangered Languages-Lost Worlds,† is a linguist, a person who studies languages, making him knowledgeable about languages and diction. Sometimes genocide is the cause for language extinction, if a population that speaks a certain language is suddenly murdered so is their language, traditions, and culture (Woodbury). â€Å"Often a community is pressured to give up its language, and even ethnic and cultural identity† (Woodbury). In some places, it is prohibited by law and people are punished for writing or teaching their language causing many languages to become extinct (Woodbury). Anthony C. Woodbury, the author of â€Å"What Is an Endangered Language?,† is a linguist and a member of the organization â€Å"Linguistic Society of America.† â€Å"Languages evolve, flourish, and disappear through history†¦ modern commerce and communications are assimilating thousands of once remote societies and their language into one global culture (Hayden). Thomas Hayden, the author of the article â€Å"Losing Our Voices,† is a journalist and a director at Stanford University. Each cause of language extinction is linked to the reason for the loss of many diverse cultures and traditions. Despite language extinction affecting cultures and traditions it also affects science and knowledge. The loss of a language means information loss which can create instability in an ethnic group; culture is the fo undation of stability or the feeling of security, and when a language becomes extinct it creates isolation, discouragement, and irritation (Hayden). When a language becomes extinct not only is culture and traditions lost but â€Å"many fields of science from evolutionary biology and anthropology to ecology and neuroscience will be impoverished† (Cookson). Each language that becomes extinct and is not documented or recorded leaves a tremendous gap in people’s knowledge or comprehension of some of the complicated anatomy the human mind is possible of conceiving (Cookson). Scientists hope to document languages before they become extinct to hopefully preserve the minimum of a small portion of its culture and scientific inheritance (Cookson). Any language that becomes extinct is considered a loss to science, however, some languages that are considered rarer are more valuable than others (Cookson). Clive Cookson, the author of Linguists Speak Out for the Dying Tongues: LANGUAGE: Scientists are Engaged in a Race Against Time to Research and Catalogue the Worlds Disappearing Dialects, Writes Clive Cookson:: [LONDON 1ST EDITION], is an editor and journalist for Financial Times and studies many fields of sciences. As language extinction increases linguists are now trying to categorize and decide the most valuable languages to preserve ba sed on the amount of useful information they have to offer and what insights are being lost (Rymer). Many linguists are attempting to learn as much as they possibly can about the endangered languages before they become extinct so not all beneficial knowledge is lost when the language vanishes (Woodbury). Language loss not only means the loss of a culture, which is already horrid enough itself, it also means the loss of valuable knowledge and science. There are many potential solutions to solving language extinction, and if the solutions were followed through it could mean the preservation of many diverse cultures and valuable knowledge. A possible solution to language extinction could be enforcing policies, improving education, and advertising to make the endangered languages more known (Abrams and Strogatz). The increasing number of conferences, workshops, and publications are now offering more support for people, schools, and communities that are attempting to preserve smaller or endangered languages (Woodbury). Many researchers are also trying to preserve endangered languages, so valuable knowledge is not lost, by making â€Å"videotapes, audiotapes, and written records of language use in both formal and informal settings, along with translations† (Woodbury). Many linguists are also working with communities that wish to preserve their language by offering â€Å"technical and practical help with language teaching, maintenance, and revival† and are also writing many dictionaries and grammars of the endangered languages (Woodbury). Many linguists are encouraging people to become multilingual, a person fluent of multiple languages, or at least bilingual, a person fluent in two languages, to maintain their native tongue while learning an international language (Cookson). There are also many organizations working to bring attention to language extinction and the need to record endangered languages (Pollak). Michael Pollack, the author of the article â€Å"World’s Dying Languages, Alive on the Web,† has had many of his articles published in the magazine The New York Times. It should be known that people do not have to give up their language or culture, just because it is uncommon, for a more popular dominating language. As seen in the Frida Kahlo painting â€Å"Self Portrait Between the Borderline of Mexico and the United States,† Mexico and the United States, two different cultures can collide without either having to give up their traditions or languages. Frida Kahlo, a Mexican, can still preserve her language and culture while adopting a language that may be known as more beneficial for her in the United States. However, some argue that there should be nothing done to preserve endangered languages because multiple languages can cause harder communication between people. People argue that society is lacking in change, of embracing multiple cultures, and should embrace a global culture for a faster development of economy (â€Å"‘Our Languages are Dying’†). Many languages can lead to uncontrollable people and unsteady governments; societies with many cultures are often hard to keep under control due to the diverse amount of morals and traditions (Ostler). Many think it would be much easier to abandon their smaller language and adopt a more international language to communicate with others easier and provide more economic benefits to themselves (Ostler). People also argue that languages have been disappearing for a long time and will continue to disappear, therefore there is no point in the preservation of the endangered languages (Ostler). Another argument is that third world countries need to focus on developing their country instead of trying to preserve a language or culture, however, without a person’s culture, there is no meaning to life. Despite people’s arguments for not preserving endangered languages, there is no denying that cultures and traditions are lost when a language dies. In conclusion, language extinction not only causes the death of cultures, traditions, and morals but also results in the loss of knowledge and science. Preserving endangered languages must be done to keep traditions and valuable or bene ficial knowledge alive for future generations. Many things can be done to preserve languages like specific schools that teach the endangered language, documenting the language, or teaching younger generations to become bilingual. Third world countries are already surrounded by multiple issues, there is no need for the increase of language extinction to become a bigger issue when it can be easily resolved. A person without their native tongue, or what is supposed to be their first language, are missing a huge chunk of their cultural identity.

Slavery During The Civil War - 1707 Words

Cotton was the king of the South. It was bringing in large amounts of money as the textile industry in the North grew. Slavery was vital to the economic well-being of the South, and when the North began to question the â€Å"peculiar institution† of the South the wall of civility between the two sectionalized areas began to crumble. Due to the growing issue of slavery in the 1850s, the United States of America was in a state of total disarray and turmoil. The tension that had always existed between the North and South over the matter of slavery was no longer ignorable. As the United States expanded to the West, the status of slavery in the new states erupted in a violence that could no longer be controlled by sectionalism. The peace treaties that had worked in the past became Band-Aids over stab wounds. Southern states began to leave the United States of America to form the Confederate States of America and war was declared as the South fired onto the forts of the North. The C ivil War was caused directly by the issue of slavery; the fugitive slave act in the Compromise of 1850, Dred Scott v. Sandford, and Bleeding Kansas prove that slavery was the key factor in the eruption of the nation. In 1832, Dr. John Emerson purchased a thirty year old male slave, Dred Scott, from the Blow family; Emerson moved from the southern territory of Alabama into the Northern territory of Illinois with Dred Scott in tow (VanderVelde 4). â€Å"Slavery did exist in Illinois, yet Emerson had brought hisShow MoreRelatedSlavery During The Civil War1159 Words   |  5 PagesThe Civil War, occurring between the years 1861 and 1865, was a devastating effect of sectionalism caused by the division of the country on the topic of slavery. Slavery impacted every aspect of the country, whether in the North or the South, though primarily in the South; major impacts were in the politics and economy of the early country ways which inevitably caused the Civil War. Slavery was the focal point of the economy in the South, this inthrallment was the fuel for the agricultural SouthRead MoreSlavery During The Civil War989 Words   |  4 Pagesthe foul seeds of slavery in American soil. Quickly, slavery would spread like weeds throughout the colonies, and became significantly important to the South. According to the Constitutional Rights Foundation, â€Å"Before the Civil War, nearly 4 million black slaves toiled in the American South.† However, during the late 1800s, many American citizens began to contemplate the mortality of slavery, thereby causing the states to divide. Although the North was for the abolition of slavery, the South defendedRead MoreSlavery During The Civil War Essay1728 Words   |  7 Pages Eighteen century was a time period when slavery took deep roots in the New World. Slavery institution deeply affected and shaped the United States in the way we know it now. It affected all aspects of an American society: politically, economically and socially. Slaves were the ones who worked on large plantations, harvesting the crops, taking care of houses, fighting for an American independence, and gave the white people a leisure time to improve their knowledge and exercise political powerRead MoreSlavery During The Civil War1571 Words   |  7 PagesSlavery, defined in Webster’s dictionary as the â€Å"condition in which one human being is owned by another†, was a heinous crime against humanity that was legal and considered a normality in America from 1619 to 1865. In 1865, the Union won the Civil War against the Confederates and declared that African American slaves be emancipated. Before their emancipation, African American families were split up, never to see each other again. Their rights of political and social freedoms were also stripped awayRead MoreSlavery During The Civil War Essay1761 Words   |  8 PagesThe idea of slavery in early America began when African slaves were brought to the newly settled North American settlement called Jamestown in Virginia in 1619, to help in the cultivation of cash crops as tobacco. Slavery was practiced all throughout the colonies in the 17th and 18th centuries, with the abundance of practically free labor provided from the enslaved African-Americans helped pave the road of economic foundations in the newly founded nation. With the invention of the cotton gin in 1793Read MoreSlavery During The Civil War1751 Words   |  8 PagesFreedom. Independence. Liberty. Slavery in America began as early as the 1600’s when the colonists began settling in Jamestown. Originally, slavery was merely a small system of labor, meant to aid the production of crops and help build the economic foundations of the New World. The concept of slavery differed from place to place and from person to person. Some believed that owning another person as a source of free labor was just, wanting to extend the idea of slavery. Others thought the labor systemRead MoreSlavery During The Civil War1900 Words   |  8 Pageslifestyles, abolitionists from north were against slavery and advocated emancipation to slaves in the south. Slavery may not have been the only factor that sparked a disagreement between the north and south but it certainly had an influence on states decisions to remain or leave the Union. The conflict of slavery has been an issue as early as the American Revolution but it became a serious problem around the 1850’s and during the Civil War. The impact slavery had on the Union can be seen in events suchRead MoreSlavery During The Civil War Essay1754 Words   |  8 Pages‘Modern’ slavery in America began in 1619 when the first wave of slaves, were brought from Africa to a North American colony in Jamestown, Virginia. From 1619 to 1807 (when The Act Prohibiting Importation of Slaves was made) according to the Trans-Atlantic Slave Database 12.5 million african were shipped to America. Prior to this slavery had existed as early as 1400 in europe. In America their sole purpose was to facilitate the production of lucrative crops such as Tobacco and cotton. By the 18thRead MoreSlavery During The Civil War1636 Words   |  7 PagesThe Reasons that led to the Continue of Slavery in Virginia When Englishmen arrived at Jamestown they found a great land for farming. A few years later when the Englishmen decided to settle down at the new land, they grew a high-grade tobacco at the Chesapeake . It did not take long time for settlers to understand that they could pay their fines, debts, and taxes with tobacco, so they started to grow tobacco everywhere. In order to support economic growth and luxury living, EnglishmenRead MoreSlavery During The Civil War1908 Words   |  8 PagesThroughout the 1800s in America, slavery was a controversy between the north and the south. A Slave was one who was the property of another human being under law and was forced to obey them. The North felt that slavery was unfair and inhumane, whereas in the South, they felt as though slavery was crucial to their success. African American slaves were not allowed many rights: they were not allowed to testify in court against a white person, could not receive an education, or even sign c ontracts

Banking Regulation Act Summary Free Essays

BANKING REGULATIONS ACT 1949 The Banking Regulation Act was passed as the Banking Companies Act 1949 and came into force wef 16. 3. 49. We will write a custom essay sample on Banking Regulation Act Summary or any similar topic only for you Order Now Subsequently it was changed to Banking Regulations Act 1949 wef 01. 03. 66. Summary of some important sections is provided hereunder. The section no. is given at the end of each item. For details, kindly refer the bare Act. * Banking means accepting for the purpose of lending or investment of deposits of money from public repayable on demand or otherwise and withdrawable by cheque, drafts order or otherwise (5 (i) (b)). Banking company means any company which transacts the business of banking (5(i)(c) * Transact banking business in India (5 (i) (e). * Demand liabilities are the liabilities which must be met on demand and time liabilities means liabilities which are not demand liabilities (5(i)(f) * Secured loan or advances means a loan or advance made on the security of asset the market value of which is not at any time less than the amount of such loan or advances and unsecured loan or advances means a loan or advance not secured (5(i)(h). Defines business a banking company may be engaged in like borrowing, lockers, letter of credit, traveller cheques, mortgages etc (6(1). * States that no company shall engage in any form of business other than those referred in Section 6(1) (6(2). * For banking companies carrying on banking business in India to use at least one word bank, banking, banking company in its name (7). * Restrictions on business of certain kinds such as trading of goods etc. (8) * Prohibits banks from holding any immovable property howsoever acquired except as acquired for its own use for a period exceeding 7 years from acquisition of the property. RBI may extend this period by five years (9) * Prohibitions on employments like Chairman, Directors etc (10) * Paid up capital, reserves and rules relating to these (11 12) * Banks not to pay any commission, brokerage, discount etc. more than 2. 5% of paid up value of one share (13) * Prohibits a banking company from creating a charge upon any unpaid capital of the company. (14) Section 14(A) prohibits a banking company from creating a floating charge on the undertaking or any property of the company without the RBI permission. * Prohibits payment of dividend by any bank until all of its capitalised expenses have been completely written off (15) * To create reserve fund and 20% of the profits should be transferred to this fund before any dividend is declared (17 (1)) * Cash reserve – Non-scheduled banks to maintain 3% of the demand and time liabilities by way of cash reserves with itself or by way of balance in a current account with RBI (18) * Permits banks to form subsidiary company for certain purposes (19) * No banking company shall hold shares in any company, whether as pledgee, mortgagee or absolute owners of any amount exceeding 30% of its own paid up share capital + reserves or 30% of the paid up share capital of that company whichever is less. (19(2). Restrictions on banks to grant loan to person interested in management of the bank (20) * Power to Reserve Bank to issue directive to banks to determine policy for advances (21) * Every bank to maintain a percentage of its demand and time liabili ties by way of cash, gold, unencumbered securities 25%-40% as on last Friday of 2nd preceding fortnight (24). * Return of unclaimed deposits (10 years and above) (26) * Every bank has to publish its balance sheet as on March 31st (29). * Balance sheet is to be got audited from qualified auditors (30 (i)) * Publish balance sheet and auditors report within 3 months from the end of period to which they refer. RBI may extend the period by further three month (31) * Prevents banks from producing any confidential information to any authority under Indl Disputes Act. (34A) * RBI authorised to undertake inspection of banks (35). * Amendment carried in the Act during 1983 empowers Central Govt to frame rules specifying the period for which a bank shall preserve its books (45-y), nomination facilities (45ZA to ZF) and return a paid instrument to a customer by keeping a true copy (45Z). * Certain returns are also required to be sent to RBI by banks such as monthly return of liquid assets and liabilities (24-3), quarterly return of assets and liabilities in India (25), return of unclaimed deposits i. e. 10 years and above (26) and monthly return of assets and liabilities (27-1). How to cite Banking Regulation Act Summary, Essay examples

Factors Behind Food Supply Shortages Kenya â€Myassignmenthelp.Com

Question: Discuss About The Factors Behind Food Supply Shortages Kenya? Answer: Introducation The article Maize shortage: How did we get here? Written by Ken Macharia in June 24th 2017 in Kenya is going to tell us about the shortage of maize that has currently become a political issue. The article clearly notes that this issue is not a new one as it has been experienced in Kenya from time to time. Kenya is running into a food crisis as the staple food is becoming less affordable owing to the high prices of flour (Peralta 2017). Kenya produces maize but not enough to meet the annual demand and thus is forced to import the deficit from the neighboring countries such as Uganda and Tanzania (Macharia 2017). There are several reasons that are behind the current alarming shortage of maize in Kenya; this articles marketing concern will be on the most critical factors that have been agreed by many to be responsible. The paper shall analyze how such a food shortage will or have impacted the food prices and how this has or will consequently impact the social welfare. This will be explained by the gains and losses on consumer and producer surpluses theory. This paper will thus be important to the Kenyan government and other governments that are undergoing a similar issue of food shortage. It will establish the problems, and draw conclusions that will be accompanied by various recommendations on the best way forward. The elasticity theory will help to explain why there still exist a shortage of supply for maize even when prices are very high. It will consider the previous actions taken by the government and how successful the policies have been. One of the policy is the waiving of import duty on maize and the elimination of VAT on bread and maize flour (Chinagoabroad.com 2017). The article also determines when and how this shortage is going to come to an end. The laws of demand and supply will help determine the equilibrium level. Demand and Supply Demand is what consumers need, whereas supply is what the producers provide. Kenya does not produce sufficient bags of maize to meet its annual demand; it produces 36 million bags whereas its annual demand is 42 million bags, the 6 million bag deficit is sourced from Uganda and Tanzania. At initial equilibrium level x, the quantity level is Q* and price level is P*. Since the shortage is caused by other factors other than price, the supply curve is forced to shift leftward from S0 to S1; the shift is represented by the arrow; the supply level fell from Q* to Q1. Demand and supply law dictates that any factor other than price causes the demand or supply curve to shift. A new equilibrium level e is created at the new supply level. The shortage in supply causes the price level to rise from P* to P1. This fall in the supply of maize explains the rising price of flour in Kenya. Producer and Consumer Surplus and the Dead Weight loss Producer surplus is the benefit the producers enjoy from selling at a price higher than what they are willing to sell. The consumer surplus is the benefit the consumers enjoy from buying at a price lower than what they are willing to pay. Importation is important for the Kenyan government to supply for the excess demand. Without importation the supply for maize is lower and thus the bags are sold at a high price P1. The equilibrium level where supply of maize equates the demand is at point x where 42 bags of maize are demanded and supplied at a price P*. The equilibrium quantity is met by importation (supply with importation); the price charged per bag is lower and thus a maximization of social welfare. At a high price P1, the consumer surplus is lower (area aP1b); since the equilibrium level is at x, the lower consumer surplus is associated by a deadweight loss on consumers equal to area bcx. The producer surplus without importation is the area below P1b but above the supply curve without importation; it is associated by a deadweight on producers equal to are cxd. At the equilibrium point x, both the consumers and producers surplus are higher since the deadweight loss is absent. The deadweight loss is a representatio n of efficiency loss. The equilibrium consumer surplus is ap*x and producer surplus is are below P*x but above supply curve with importation. Hoarding of Products Influence by Market Prices One of the most probable cause of the shortage is the preexisted drought that led to a reduction in the average harvesting by the farmers (Obulutsa and Miriri 2017). The economy received little rainfall during the previous year and the rainfall season was distorted. Since most of the Kenyan farmers depend on rainfall for their crops, there was no way they could have escaped the drought. Further, TheBigIssue (2017) also noted that farmers hoarded their produce since the market prices were low. Farmers have been receiving low prices for their products for years even after the input price have gone up (Mulenga 2017). The second cause is attributed to the governments failure to oversee the upcoming maize shortfall on the basis of the reduced average production during the previous harvesting; there was already in place a warning for the upcoming shortage. The instability in South Sudan is also another factor behind the interrupted maize supply. The instability caused a huge rise in the maize price in South Sudan compared to what the National Cereal Produce Board (NCPB) offered. This made it more attractive to sell maize bags in this region to get a share of the increased profit. Some investors from Uganda and Kenya exported maize to this region. The price offered in South Sudan was 5000 whereas NCPB offered 3000. This increased the shortage as some of the 36 million bags produced in Kenya were exported to South Sudan and the 3 million bags sourced from Uganda became unavailable since a better marketing was obtained. The 2.5 to 3 million bags sourced from Tanzania was also not available since there was a change of policy from selling maize to maize floor in Tanzania. The article by Macharia (2017) makes an important notion that the shortage could have been avoided by raising the NCPB maize price by 600 to 3600. This would have made it more attractive to many producers to sell to the NCPB. The action implemented was too little and wrongly implemented. Jonathan Nzuma noted that the subsidy policy was expensive and only a short term measure; it was not appropriate and would not benefit the consumers (Peralta 2017). The action taken was for the government to pump 6 billion on maize subsidy program which lowered the maize floor from ksh 182 to 90 (Oforo 2017). There was also an allowance for the importation of duty-free maize to curb the shortage (TheBigIssue 2017). Elasticity of Demand Consequences Elasticity is a determinant of how demand or supply responds to the price changes. There was a huge rise in the price of maize rose to the highest level ever experienced in this economy. Maize floor is a staple food and thus has an inelastic demand to price changes; this means that almost the same quantity is consumed no matter how high the price is. A 2kg tin of maize retailed at a price of Ksh 150 in areas where there is increased maize production and Ksh 180 where maize is inadequate; this translated to a 90 kg bag selling at Ksh 6750. Even after the subsidy, price offered by the retailers was above Ksh 90 because supply was still inadequate and the retailers were able to ration the product (Andae 2017). Other than the maize flour price going up and becoming unaffordable, the wheat flour price has also gone up and is also becoming unaffordable. This is because the demand for wheat flour has gone up owing to its increased consumption as a substitute for maize floor (Andae 2017). Ge nerally, there was an increase in the CPI and inflation rate with the biggest change lying on food and alcoholic beverages (Kenya National Bureau of Statistics 2017). The high price benefited consumers since the inelastic demand maintained almost the same level of demand. The harvesting of maize by Western and South Rift farmers in September is the only action that will stabilize the situation. Conclusion The maize production subsidy offered by the government was not the best solution to curbing the maize shortage. The subsidy was part of the campaign strategy employed by the government leaders on their personal boost for their campaign; it was only meant to appease consumers. This subsidy was beneficial only to the millers. The farmers had no benefit from this subsidy. What the government should have done, it should have used these 6 billion funds to buy the maize from the farmers at a higher price; this would have been more beneficial to the Kenyan farmers and would have translated to an improvement in the economys growth. The government should ensure that farmers get better prices for their produce so as to boost their productivity; this makes it impractical for the imposition of floor prices on maize. The government could have overseen the upcoming maize shortage and implement good policies towards the same. A research on the best policies could have taken place on the policy make rs side and leave subsidy as the last option. The warning provided by the experts on an upcoming maize shortage should have been taken seriously and could have provided the policy makers with enough time to decide on the best policies. It could have seen the dangers of allowing maize exportation to South Sudan and implement strict restriction before the situation worsens. Since the subsidy program was not the best policy, it is not expected to be sustained in the long run and thus the government should seek an alternative action. The land management practices could be a long term solution to increasing farmers productivity as recommended by the World Bank. References Andae, Gerald. 2017. "Expensive Maize Pushes Up Price Of Wheat Flour". Business Daily. https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/markets/news/Expensive-maize-pushes-up-price-of-wheat-flour/3815534-3940468-4cvuxrz/index.html. [Accessed 28 Sep. 2017]. Andae, Gerald. 2017. "Kenya: Retailers Sell Subsidized Maize Flour at Sh119, New Data Shows". Allafrica.Com. https://allafrica.com/stories/201707040263.html. [Accessed 27 Sep. 2017]. Chinagoabroad.com. 2017. "Asoko Sector Brief - Kenya Maize Production Q2 2017". Chinagoabroad.Com. https://www.chinagoabroad.com/en/article/asoko-sector-brief-kenya-maize-production-q2-2017. [Accessed 27 Sep. 2017]. Fews.net. 2017. "East Africa: Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Somalia, South Sudan, Rwanda, and Burundi Regional Maize Supply and Market Outlook". FEWS NET. https://www.fews.net/sites/default/files/documents/reports/East%20Africa_Market%20Supply%20Oulook_20170914_FINAL.pdf. [Accessed 28 Sep. 2017]. Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. 2017. "CPI and Rates of Inflation for August 2017". Kenya National Bureau of Statistics. https://www.knbs.or.ke/download/cpi-rates-inflation-august-2017/. [Accessed 27 Sep. 2017]. Macharia, Ken. 2017. "Maize Shortage: How Did We Get Here?" Capital Business. https://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/2017/06/maize-shortage-how-did-we-get-here/. [Accessed 27 Sep. 2017]. Mulenga, Davis. 2017. "'Government Will Not Set Floor Price for Maize' - Minister". 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