Nutrition project to narrow variety of human diets

A new international project launched at the World Nutrition Rio Congress 2012, the Biodiversity for Food and Nutrition Project is to address growing global concerns over poor nutrition.

The project as revealed to NaijaAgroNet in a press statement aims to address the narrowing variety of people's diets, with nutritionally-poor processed foods dominating the world's dinner table.

Officials during the project launch asserted the renewed emphasis on sustaining the natural variety of crops and animals contributing to agri-business and the neglected nutritious traditional foods.

The project is necessary as the negative health effects of poor nutrition and the neglected traditional foods have led to a raft of global health issues.

The Director General of BioDiversity International, Emile Frison said the diversity of crops and their wild relatives, trees, animals, microbes and other species contribute to food production.

Also commenting on the new project, Braulio Dias, Executive Secretary, Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity affirmed the need to consider not only sustainably producing sufficient food, but also working towards diversified nutrition to combat the challenge of feeding the world population of around nine billion by 2050.

The Global Environment Facility (GEF), the world's largest public funder of international environmental projects, NaijaAgroNet gathered is supporting the multi-country project led by Brazil, Kenya, Sri Lanka and Turkey.

Bioversity International is coordinating the project with implementation support from the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). 

Monique Barbut, GEF Chairperson said GEF is making efforts to expand its engagement in the conservation and management of agricultural biodiversity which provides the mainstay for millions of people worldwide and food security to the world's most vulnerable populations.

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Africa's crop production lags behind - Food Laureate

Director General, FARA, Monty Jones

The Executive Director of the Forum for Agricultural Research in Africa (FARA), Monty Jones, has said that crop production in Africa is lagging behind the rest of the world with a very wide gap, AfricaScienceNews.

Jones, a World Food Prize Laureate, NaijaAgroNet learnt, also affirmed a sharp decline in global agricultural exports with unreasonable increase in African food imports.

Jones said this at the recently concluded Second Ministerial Dialogue on Increasing Agricultural Productivity in Africa, which brings together agriculture, science and technology ministers in Africa as well as experts from the continent.

Former President of Ghana, Mr. John Kufuor, who also is a World Food Prize Laureate said, there is need for policies in order to transform the sector that holds most of the population to break the logjam of poverty.

"With the right policies in place, Africa has the potential to be the breadbasket of the world, starting with Africa itself," Kufuor said. 

Participants at the dialogue also expressed their concerns over the lack of progress by African governments in meeting their commitments to allocate at a minimum of 10 per cent of their budgets to agriculture.

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Climate change makes biodiversity conversation more expensive - Studies

A piece of land affected by Climate Change

Three new studies by a group of international researchers, have attributed discussions on climate change as making biodiversity conversation more expensive.

The studies said, this has shown an increase in the cost of conserving biodiversity, clean water and clean air by more than 100 per cent, reports PhysOrg.

The studies NaijaAgroNet learnt was named 'Wake-up Call for cost-efficient biodiversity conservation and climate stabilizations' and was conducted in South Africa, Madagascar and California by Conservation International.

The lead author of the studies report, Lee Hannah, senior scientist for climate change biology at Conservation International said specific effects of climate change on species in South Africa, Madagascar and California are very different.

The costs of conserving climate change effects, Lee said will certainly increase considerably in all the regions examined.

"We can have a healthy planet and keep extra costs to a minimum by acting quickly to cut emissions and incorporate climate change into conservation plans," Lee Hannah said. 

Climate scientist and associate vice president for Environmental Defense Fund, Rebecca Shaw while commenting on the report of the study said the set of studies from around the world is a wake-up calls as people have been struggling to conserve the nature we depend on for clean air and clean water without climate change.

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Southern African states to launch climate change study centre

Southern African Science Centre for Climae Change and Adaptive Land

Five Southern African states have agreed to establish a common monitoring centre for climate change studies for the region, reports TheNewAge.

The study centre, Southern African Science Service Centre for Climate Change and Adaptive Land Management NaijaAgroNet learnt would be launched in Windhoek, Namibia by the five countries, namely South Africa, Angola, Botswana, Zambia and Namibia.

Also, NaijaAgroNet gathered that German government supported the initiative with 50 million euros, about N10.38 billion aimed at streamlining the regional scientific research about climate change trends and management of natural resources.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that a similar centre was recently launched by 10 West African states, supported and funded by Germany.

John Phiri, Zambian Science minister said, "This initiative will bring knowledge, data, information and services generated by our own scientists with support of their colleagues from Germany." 

The centre would also coordinate research and share information, with a secretariat based in Windhoek.

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USAID partners Israel for food security in 4 African countries

An Israeli agency, has signed a memorandum of understanding with the United States Agency International Development (USAID) on food security issues in four African countries, reports Globes.

The agreement, a part of Feed the Future initiative NaijaAgroNet gathered was signed by the Agency for International Development Cooperation of Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs, MASHAVE.

According to the agreement, Israel is to supply the know-how for the project while USAID will make provision for the funding of the project in the four African countries; Uganda, Ethiopia, Tanzania and Rwanda.

The Israeli agency said that priority would be given to gender issues, training and human capacity building and adaptation to climate change. 

Daniel Carmon, MASHAVE head, said "In assistance projects Israel does not usually give grants to target countries. Our relative advantage is expertise although sometimes we cover part of the cost of the expertise.”

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GEF made over 14,000 grants to civil societies

The Global Environmental Facility (GEF) over the years has made more than 14,000 small grants directly to civil society and community based-organisations, which amount to $634 million, about N95.7 billion.

The grants, according to sources at GEF, are in a bid to address global environmental issues and supporting national sustainable development initiatives.

The CEO and chairperson of the Global Environment Facility Monique Barbut, in a statement during the World Earth day, asserted the need to reflect upon how young the environmental movement.

The first Earth Day, NaijaAgroNet learnt was held forty-two years ago by citizen organizers and it brought about the first Earth Summit, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. 

"This June the environmental movement returns to Rio, bringing with it new priorities and a deeper understanding of the challenges facing our planet and how to address them," she said.

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Kenya to import 1.05m bags of maize

Kenyan Agricultural ministry has identified the need for Kenya to still import maize to boost stocks of foods to the tonnes of 1.05 million bags of maize, Reuters reports.

Though, the country expects food supplies to be stable till September as a result of improved output of key staple foods, is still necessity to import maize.

NaijaAgroNet ascertains that Kenya already planned to import 1.05 million 90-kg bags of maize from regional and international markets to supplement supplies despite bigger harvests recorded following good rains in its main growing areas.

The ministry also disclosed that national maize stocks stood at 18.61 million bags as at March 31 which is lower than 18.94 million recorded in February. 

"According to latest food security assessment conducted in these areas, most households have stocks enough to last 2 to 3 months," the ministry official said.

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