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Showing posts with label Fight Against Hunger. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fight Against Hunger. Show all posts

Saturday, December 1, 2012

Save Africa from hunger -IITA boss

Sanginga, IITA Director General

The Director General of the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA), Dr Nteranya Sanginga, has urged world leaders not to relent their efforts towards the fight against food insecurity in Africa.
Sanginga expressed the institution’s gratitude over the improvements recorded in agricultural productivity in the past affirming that there are still more to be done as regards food security in the continent.
He noted that efforts should be doubled due to the spiraling growth rate of the continent’s population and the degrading soil which does not work towards improving agricultural productivity.
IITA revealed to NaijaAgroNet that the Sub-Saharan Africa’s population growth rate is 2.4 per cent, a rate which is high compared to 1.3 per cent of non-African countries.
“Clearly there is much work to be done in Sub-Saharan Africa,” Dr. Sanginga emphasised that food security attainment is huge with increasing challenge and increase in total production which is at the expense of natural resource base.
According to the IITA boss, there is the need to adopt sustainable intensification of agricultural production practices to conserve and recycle soil nutrient which will in turn reduce the need to clear new land for agricultural use.
Approaches to concentrate on towards addressing the issue of food insecurity, Dr. Sanginga said should include increase in agricultural productivity, food availability and its safety.
He stressed that the agriculture sector’s overall performance must all be increased against the growing urban population, uncertain effects of climate change, increased in demand for energy as well as disease pandemics.
He also commended the renewed attention to agriculture by leaders in the continent which is producing positive results, and urged for more commitment of resources to the sector, and that IITA is always ready to partner with any organisation towards improving lives of Africans.
IITA, one of the world’s leading research partners in finding solutions for hunger, malnutrition, and poverty has several awards for using research for development (R4D) in addressing the developmental needs of tropical countries, and had since inception worked with partners to improve crop quality and productivity, reduce producer and consumer risks, and generate wealth from agriculture.


Yinka Awosanya
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Wednesday, September 12, 2012

BioFISA records achievement against hunger


An initiative of the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD), BioFISA after four years of operation can now boost of some achievements in fighting hunger, curing diseases as well as livestock sustainability.
NEPAD revealed to NaijaAgroNet in a press statement that BioFISA over the past four years has made effective progress in the areas of the control of HIV infection, livestock disease and development of plant genetic resources guidelines.
The Director of the NEPAD Southern African Network for Bioscience (SANBio), Prof Luke Mumba attributed the achievements to the use of biosciences at BioFISA's primary strategy and continued support from the governments of the Finland and South Africa.
According to Prof. Mumba, BioFISA has helped small-scale farmers in growing and preserving mushroom, developing fish farming and promoting indigenous knowledge systems and scientific validation of traditional remedies.
“Now that we have started making use of the treasure in Africa, there is an imperative need to now focus on preserving, protecting and responsibly sharing indigenous knowledge within African communities to build synergies,” Prof Mumba added.
Speaking about the achievements of BioFISA, a Senior Coordinator of NEPAD's CEO’s Office, Mr. Abdoul Salam Bello said the programmes has affected over 600 small-scale mushroom growers in Malawi, Namibia and Swaziland, while training more than 100 agriculture extension officers and researchers from Angola, Namibia, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zambia in mushroom farming.
NaijaAgroNet further gathered that BioFISA which is a Finland and Southern Africa Partnership Programme to Strengthen NEPAD/SANBio currently covers eight research and development projects in 12 Southern African countries in Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Seychelles, Zambia and Zimbabwe.


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Tuesday, September 11, 2012

FAO boss urges academia to join fight against hunger

José, FAO Director General

The Director-General of the United Nations’ Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO), José Graziano da Silva has called on the academia to be involved in the essential and politically important research into rural poverty.
According to José, one of the great challenges man faces today is to make use of academic knowledge to comprehend and improve the life of rural populations all over the world. “We need to look at the reality outside of university walls,” he said.
José in a press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet affirmed that food insecurity, nutrient deficiencies and unsafe food top the list of most pressing issues in the fight against hunger and rural development.
Unequal competition between small-scale and large scale food producers, NaijaAgroNet gathered also contributes to hunger, yet small-scale farmers account for a larger percentage of food produce and any unequal competition will drive them out of operation.
“Academics should look into the issue of governance of the food and agriculture sector, both at global and local levels, and how to achieve a fair distribution of benefits,” José recommended that there is the need to reduce transportation and storage cost as well as food waste and loss if we want more people to be eating healthy diets, based on fresh foods.
The FAO boss also recommended a better conceptual clarification and practical proposals from academics and policy makers.



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Thursday, May 31, 2012

Jonathan bans foreign foods at govt functions


President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has banned continental dishes at all government official functions in order to promote local foods.
He said, the move by the federal government to ban foreign foods at state functions is to encourage the consumption of what is produced locally.
“We must grow local, buy local and eat local,” he declared.
The prescribed local foods by the president, NaijaAgroNet learnt includes local rice and cassava bread, to make use of the large population to create market for locally produced foods.
In his democracy day presidential address, Jonathan noted that the state house has been feeding on cassava bread and local rice, hence keeping his promise.
“Our agricultural transformation agenda is directed at promoting local production,” he said.
President Jonathan also asserted that agriculture accounts for about 40 per cent of the nation’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), while creating job opportunities for over 70 per cent of the total population.
He expressed the federal government’s move in the transforming the agriculture sector as Nigeria has a huge comparative advantage and increase in productivity, saying it would help reduce the rate of rural poverty as well as reviving the rural economy.
“Our goal is to add 20 million metric tonnes of food to our domestic food supply by 2015 and create 3.5 million jobs,” he said, stressing, “We are aggressively pursuing an agricultural transformation agenda.”
President Jonathan further affirmed that agriculture is no longer a development programme, hence the need to treat it as a business, one that could generate wealth and create jobs for millions of our youths.
Giving the reason behind the federal government stopping the distribution of fertilizers, the president said only 11 per cent of farmers benefit from the fertilizers that was earlier distributed. “The old system encouraged rent seekers to collude and deprive farmers of access to fertilizers, while some of the fertilizers ended up with political farmers and in neighbouring countries,” he said.
This, NaijaAgroNet learnt lead to the total deregulation of the procurement and commercialization of fertilizers and seeds by the federal government to the private sector in order to put an end to corruption culture in fertilizer procurement exercise.
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Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Football star calls for funding to prevent food crisis in Sahel



FAO Goodwill Ambassador, Raúl González
Goodwill ambassador for the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Raúl González has called for support towards prevention of nutrition crisis in the Sahel region of West Africa.

The Spanish football star, González visited Chad recently where more than 17 million people are at risk of hunger with over 1 million children under five, facing acute hunger.

FAO revealed to NaijaAgroNet in a press statement that the European Commission had increased their support to FAO in Chad by $1.3 million, about N208.3 million bringing its total support for the region to be $355 million, about N56.88 billion in 2012.

Identifying the fact that supporting local farmers and herders as priorities before and during the next planting season, Raúl said "If we want to help people grow their own food, funds are needed now."

The total amount needed by FAO in order to assist Burkina Faso, Chad, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal is estimated at $97 million.

Director General, FOA, José Graziano da Silva said the funds would be used for seed distribution, small-scale irrigations schemes, fodder production and vaccination campaigns.

Director General, FOA, José Graziano da Silva
The major causes of the drought in the region, NaijaAgroNet recalls, have been as a result of chronic poverty, high food prices, conflict and the last year's drop in cereal production.

"We are losing the opportunity to give local communities the means to stop jumping from crisis to crisis," FAO boss, José Graziano warns, urging coordinated action that builds up their resilience and links relief with development.

Raúl's visitation to Chad, FAO noted, is part of "Professional Football Against Hunger," a campaign launched in 2008 by the European Football League which represents 30 largest professional football leagues and almost 800 clubs across Europe, stressing that the campaign is also FAO's leading international efforts to defeat hunger.

Sir David Richards, Chairman of the Association of European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL), said they are partnering with European Community Humanitarian Office (ECHO) and FAO on this project.
"We are proud to use the power and popularity of football," he said, pointing out that European professional football is providing a megaphone to raise awareness for their work, so that the right help could get to the people in need as soon as possible.
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Tuesday, April 10, 2012

No single govt can fight hunger - FAO boss


The 32nd meeting of the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO’s) Regional Conference for Latin America and the Caribbean ended in Buenos Aires, with the Director-General of FAO, Mr. Graziano da Silva asserting that no single government can fight hunger alone.
The fight against hunger, FAO boss noted, should not be the commitment of a single government but a decision of the entire society.
He also said the initiative against food insecurity is for every country and urged governments to embrace the initiative alongside parliaments, civil society, private and academic sectors.
As revealed to NaijaAgroNet in press statement made available by FAO, some of the issues top on the agenda during the meeting included the challenges of food and agriculture, defined priorities for FAO's regional work for the next two years.
Equally, FAO said, food security, climate change adaptation, smallholder agriculture and food safety were deliberated upon.
"The challenges the world faces today are increasingly interconnected. You cannot talk about food security without talking about climate change, or about development without talking about sustainability or social inclusion; not to mention food prices. Nor can we think that we can respond to the challenges we are facing as individuals", said Graziano da Silva. 
NaijaAgroNet recalled that the conference witnessed renewal of commitments by governments for Latin America and the Caribbean without Hunger in 2025.
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Monday, April 2, 2012

Sahel region in dire need of action to avert humanitarian disaster - Group


In order to avert the impending food crisis in the Sahel region of Africa, a campaign, "Professional Football Against Hunger" hits hundreds of European football stadium with the main message that action is needed to avert a humanitarian disaster in the region as soon as possible.
Professional Football Against Hunger as revealed to NaijaAgroNet in a press statement made available by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is being promoted by the Association of European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL), the European Commission and FAO.
NaijaAgroNet gathered that the campaign, Match Day Against Hunger was launched in 2008, which its third edition this year and the biggest-ever match started on March 30 to spread the call for urgent action.
Commenting on the issue, The European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva affirmed that football is the perfect vehicle for highlighting the plight of the people in the Sahel region.
"To respond properly to this emergency, governments, donors and aid agencies need to be united. Together, we can save lives," said Kristalina Georgieva.
"At the same time, we need to build resilience in local communities to stop jumping from crisis to crisis, and to prevent droughts from leading inevitably to famine," said José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of FAO. "We must act now to help people help themselves."
FAO Goodwill Ambassador and Spanish football star Raúl González Blanco said, "We need public support for food crises like this one. No one knows like footballers how crucial it is to have the stadium on your side to win the match."
"We are all diminished when somebody, in any part of the globe, dies from hunger," said Roberto Carlos, a Brazilian star player.
Spanish international and campaign's ambassador from the Spanish professional football league, Roberto Soldado also said, "Together we can prevent this crisis from turning into a full scale catastrophe." 
NaijaAgroNet further gathered that other football ambassadors of the campaign include Felix Magath, a former footballer and active coach in the German Bundesliga; Herbert Prohaska, appointed by the Österreichische Fußball Bundesliga - Austria; Steffen Freund, DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH, Germany; Vidar Riseth, Norsk Toppfotball, Norway; Jerzy Dudek, Polish Professional Football League and Alexey Medvedev, Football National League of the Russian Federation.
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