Austria reiterates support for African farmers

Anthony Nwakaegho/NaijaAgroNet

Austrian State Secretary for Foreign Affairs, Reinhold Lopatka has reiterated the support of the Austrian Development Cooperation’s (ADC) to fight against hunger in Africa.

Lopatka, in a public statement made available to NaijaAgroNet  pointed out that ADC supports African farmers to improve food security and provided Semien Gondar in north Ethiopia is worth more than 14 million euros about N3, 062,599,677.83 aimed at improving the living conditions of more than 500,000 small farmers in the area.

He explained that food shortages in the region have been caused by population growth, depleted soils, and overgrazed areas, while ADC came to assist in teaching farmers to adapt cultivation methods including the use of more resistant crop varieties and improved animal husbandry.

Through improved storage methods, he said farmers can also more easily store surplus crops through which later crop failures or droughts can be more easily overcome, and the additional income allows them to better finance the schooling of their children.

NaijaAgroNet noted from the release that despite the positive news, that one in eight people worldwide has too little available food, and while the number of hungry had decreased in most regions, it had increased in sub-Saharan Africa, North Africa, and West Asia.

“Through sustainable resource management, Austria is trying to combat this development as effectively as possible,” he said.

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