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Showing posts with label commissioner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label commissioner. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 1, 2015

Earth observation applications critical for African regional integration


 NaijaAgroNet
The Commissioner, Rural Economy and Agriculture, African Union Commission, (AUC), Tumusiime Rhoda Peace, has said earth observation applications at continental, regional and national levels are critical for African integration, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Speaking recently at the 1st Monitoring for Environment and Security Forum which examined how earth observation data through Monitoring for Environment for Security in Africa (MESA) Project supports policy, planning and decision making at the national, regional and continental level in Africa.

With the theme “Streamlining MESA products and services towards the decision-making cycle in support of sustainable environmental management” the forum, NaijaAgroNet gathered, was organised by the African Union Commission (AUC) in association with Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) and the Government of Kenya through the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources with the support of the European Union.

Rhode stated  that  “the MESA Project contributes to the increase of information management, decision-making and planning capacity of African institutions mandated for agriculture, environment, climate, fisheries, food security and related responsibilities. This is critical for African regional integration.”

NaijaAgroNet also learnt that the Kenyan Cabinet Secretary for Environment and Natural Resources, Judi Wakhungu, said, cases of poaching and deforestation have reduced by 50 per cent this year compared to 2013.

 “Before this, my office and team members had to travel physically to protected area which took several days and incurred huge costs. Thanks to MESA projects, Kenya Wildlife Service can now get snapshots of satellite images of the protected areas on a single page,” said Wakhungu.

MESA has brought together 250 international delegates comprising decision and policy makers, planners, earth observation data users and experts from across the continent, NaijaAgroNet.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE, additional report from Capital News

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Saturday, August 8, 2015

AUC commends FAO resilience policies on humanity, resources, income


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The African Union Commission (AUC’s) Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture Ms. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime, has commended the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO’s) commitment in promoting resilience policies and strategies, NaijaAgroNET reports.

She said that such policies have the prospect of addressing the different needs and experiences of men, women, boys and girls, and equal access to and control over resources and incomes.

The Commissioner, NaijaAgroNet gathered, was speaking during the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and African Union Commission (AUC), on the implementation of the Regional Initiative on Resilience in the Sahel and the Horn of Africa.

In a statement from the FAO and copied to the Ghana News Agency (GNA), the initiative would establish effective knowledge platforms between Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) member-states, as well as strengthen the capacity of institutions to scale up proven cost-effective resilience enhancing good practices.

The Inter-governmental Authority on Development (IGAD) is a trade bloc in Africa, established in 1986, with a focus on development and environmental control, NaijaAgroNet learnt

It said in the Horn of Africa, the focus would be on supporting IGAD and member-states (Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and South Sudan), to enhance knowledge on practical means for resilience building, as well as heighten the awareness of dynamics of resilience programming.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

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 Pix: Ms. Rhoda Peace Tumusiime,

Saturday, May 2, 2015

AU, Harvest Plus sets to promote farming technologies


African Union commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Tumuslime Rhoda Peace, has said that the union would partner with lead research-based agriculture institution, Harvest Plus, to promote farming and consumption of boi-fortified crops, through the use of farming technologies, especially among poor farming and urban communities, to boost Agriculture in the African continent. NaijaAgroNet, reports.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that Tumuslime appreciated the role of the institute in lifting the rural poor communities in Africa out of poverty and stressed that in order to improve market access, the use of farming technology needs propagation at higher policy making levels so that farmers can adopt it and sellers can buy the micro nutrient-added to produce in good quantities.

Director Harvest Plus, Dr. Howarth Bouis and Harvest Plus, Head of Africa Strategic Alliances, Dr. Anna-Marie Ball NaijaAgroNet learnt, briefed the commissioner on its accomplishments in breeding and production of bio-fortified food crops and distribution bio-fortified seed varieties as well as improved cultivars, thereby empowering rural communities.

Dr. Bouis said, “The organisation also helps add value to locally produced agricultural crops in countries where the organization is working in Africa.” She added that “we have released a number of bio-fortified crops including: iron beans, iron pearl millet, vitamin A cassava, vitamin A maize, vitamin A sweet potatoes, Zinc rice and Zinc wheat.”

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the Harvard Plus has executed countless programmes in Africa, especially the rapid expansion in production and consumption of yellow cassava in Nigeria.

Harvest Plus as NaijaAgroNet learnt, is a lead research-based, agriculture technology institution that was established to respond to the problem of ‘hidden hunger’ which is caused by the lack of essential vitamins and minerals in the diet, such as vitamin A, zinc, and iron, thus reinforcing agriculture’s pivotal role in improving the quality of diet and increasing micro-nutrient consumption. 

Nsolibe Daniel/Ed, Ops.
 

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