The lack of adequate rains and rise in hot temperatures has triggered
water stress and adversely affecting crop development in several areas in
Africa, reports NaijaAgroNet.
According to the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the
United Nations, this weather conditions is very high in the Southern Africa.
The latest Special Alert issued by FAO's Global Information and
Early Warning System (GIEWS),
indicated that while cereal stocks in the region are ample, the spell of dry
weather and erratic rains earlier in the season signals multiple risks to
agricultural yields and may aggravate the impact of the Fall Armyworm pest.
Reduced harvests are "foreseen to intensify food
insecurity in 2018, increasing the number of people in need of
assistance," part of the alert noted.
NaijaAgroNet
gathered that maize production hit a record level in 2017 in the Southern
Africa subregion, a welcome development after sharp output declines in the
previous year caused by an unusually strong El Niño.
Also, FAO said, Cereal production in the sub-region in 2018
is foreseen to fall due to erratic rains, along with an intense dry period in
January.
NaijaAgroNet recalls
that the alert comes as FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva, spoke in
Khartoum, emphasizing the importance of boosting the resilience of communities,
particularly in Africa - in making sure that "Zero Hunger is
possible".
Isaac Oyimah/GEE
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