The European Union (EU) has committed 12
million euros in support of FAO's efforts to tackle rising hunger, reports
NaijaAgroNet.
Yemen, NaijaAgroNet gathered has over 14
million people who are food insecure in strife-torn country.
The EU funds, according to the UN Food and
Agriculture organization (FAO) will be used to provide a better understanding
of the magnitude of the current situation and avert a deepening crisis, while
providing immediate agricultural support to more than 150 000 people to help
them rapidly improve food production and nutrition.
In Yemen, agriculture plays a critical role in
food security. This is especially true for those living in rural areas of the
country, where insecurity and isolation mean food and other forms of
humanitarian assistance are intermittent. Agricultural assistance can provide
critical relief and is crucial for tackling the disturbingly high levels of
malnutrition.
"This is one of the world's worst
humanitarian crises. People's access to food is rapidly worsening and urgent
action is needed," said Salah Hajj Hassan, FAO Representative in
Yemen.
"The EU's contribution will greatly
strengthen our ability to collect critical data on food security so that swift
action can be taken to avert a further deterioration in the situation. It will
also boost efforts to build the resilience of farmers and herders, especially
women, by helping them to increase the value of their agricultural
production," he added.
The project will support income-generating
activities, such as backyard poultry rearing, dairy production, and beekeeping.
Beneficiaries will also have opportunities to boost their incomes by learning
how to improve their farming techniques, and about food processing, packaging
and marketing.
Farming communities will also learn about
proper and efficient irrigation systems to mitigate against the risks of water
scarcity, drought and climate changes. The installation of solar pumps will
ensure the provision of power to supply water for farming households suffering
acute fuel shortages.
Support to the early warning system will
include enhancing the collection, analysis and management of nutrition and food
security data, and translating alerts into swift response to any emerging
crisis.
Isaac Oyimah/GEE
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