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Showing posts with label key. Show all posts
Showing posts with label key. Show all posts

Thursday, February 23, 2023

Nutrition: Key actions needed for African transformation - NaijaAgroNet

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Some key actions needed for the African continent, and globally, to transform agrifood systems and deliver better nutrition, have been outlined by the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), QU Dongyu, reports NaijaAgronet.
Nutrition: Key actions needed for African transformation - NaijaAgroNet
Speaking at a high-level meeting of African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, Mr. Dongyu explained that a series of key actions should be put in place to address Africa’s nutrition challenges.

Saturday, May 19, 2018

Spousal communication key to family planning success

As communication is key to a successful marriage, so it is with family planning uptake among couples.

Conversely, lack of communication has often been linked to misunderstanding in relationships. Family planning, otherwise known as contraception, refers to the diverse methods and techniques whereby couples can determine the number of children they want to have and when.

Evidence has shown that many factors hinder rapid uptake of family planning by couples, due to lack of communication in the home.

Some of them include: myths and misconceptions on initiating use of traditional and modern methods of contraceptives.

Many couples are in relationships where it is commonly believed that the man being the head of the family dictates the tune with regards to taking key decisions in the home. For instance, if the man does not approve of any family planning method, the wife would have an uphill task convincing him on thinking otherwise.

Based on such differences, some women in marriage/relationships have gone behind their spouses and adopted family planning method without their knowledge, have often created mistrust which regularly leads to conflicts in homes. In one of such experiences which occurred in Lagos State recently, a man, names withheld, suddenly found out that his wife had adopted an implant, which is a hormone-based and highly effective contraceptive device.

The typical implant is a small flexible tube measuring about 40mm in length and is inserted under the skin (typically in the upper arm) by a health care professional. It prevents pregnancy by releasing hormones that prevent ovaries from releasing eggs and thickens cervical mucous. 

After putting pressure on the woman, she confessed to him, explaining that she wanted to space their children to enable her regain her health and then continue with her job. Besides considering the dangers of too frequent pregnancies, the woman also considered the burden of combining another pregnancy with her job, which she envisaged would be quite unbearable for her and might even make her lose her job that is so difficult to get these days.

Unfortunately, in all the woman’s explanations, her husband refused to see reasons with her just because he was not involved from the beginning when the decision was taken by his wife to have a family planning and during the process when the woman was counselled on the method to use.

Though the man in anger demanded that the healthcare provider that administered the implant on her should remove it, to the consternation of his wife, this misunderstanding could have been avoided if the couple had a collective decision on the issue which could only be achieved through effective communication.

This experience plays out in most Nigerian homes, often resulting in conflicts, separation and in extreme cases, divorce. However, it can be effectively addressed through constant engagement and communication among couples. This is because, embracing family planning methods and using them correctly after proper counselling  is more important than the conflict. Rather, it should be a measure to unite couples.

Experts say family planning gives individuals and couples the opportunity to have the number of their desired children, the spacing and timing of their births and this can be achieved through the use of contraceptive methods.

A Family Planning expert, Dr. Ejike Orji, believes that dialogue is very important when a spouse in a relationship plans to adopt family planning. According to him, any woman going ahead to do things that her husband do not like would not get his support and this may result into unnecessary conflict, whereas, the aim of using family planning was bonding in families.

It is obvious that a wide range of family planning options are available nowadays with their potential benefits. It, therefore, behooves on the woman who is initiating the subject of family planning to her husband to find a way to open conversation on the issue.

For instance, such a woman should find out what her husband thinks and says about it; and how he might relate with her on this issue. In conclusion, it is clear that a woman discussing family planning with her husband, would bring the partner to the same level on which she is, and this measure could pave way for the couple to be on the same page.


While on the same page, the woman should remember to consult a trained healthcare provider who can help her make the best choice tailored towards meeting her own unique needs.

*Courtesy: Media for Health Advocacy

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Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Good nutrition, key to breaking cycle of poverty in Nigeria - SBNN

NaijaAgroNet:
Eradicating malnutrition could increase wages by between 5 and 50 per cent and is a sure way of breaking an inter-generational cycle of poverty in Nigeria, according to Scale Up Nutrition Business Network Nigeria (SBNN), a civil society group, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Speaking in Lagos at a one day symposium organised by Media Centre Against Child Malnutrition (MeCAM), Ms Ify Ibiso of SUN Business Network added that good nutrition can prevent "child deaths by more than one third per year, improve school attainment by at least one year, reduce poverty as well-nourished children are 33% more likely to escape poverty as adults and empower women to be 10% more likely to run their own business."

She noted that at least 33% of Nigerian children under 5y are stunted, 18% wasted, 2% overweight, while only a paltry 17% of the under-fives are exclusively breastfed.

Ms Ibiso called for improved media awareness and reporting of nutrition,  adding that her organisation is always ready to partner with journalists to not only give proper perspective to the topic but also ensure that nutrition is given adequate attention by all relevant stakeholders. 

She added: "The media is an important ally in any public health situation and in this case focusing on nutrition. It serves the role of Influencers and Investigators and is a source of correct information as well as an advocate for correct health behaviours; but before the media can take on their roles, they need to understand nutrition, the issues surrounding it, and policy and practices, in order to convey the right information.

"The SUN Business Network is willing and ready to partner with the media to improve the nutrition of the Nigerian populace especially for children."

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Tuesday, March 7, 2017

‘Indigenous peoples key to wildlife protection, rural livelihoods’

The Director, Forestry Policy and Resources Division at the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), Eva Muller, has said that indigenous people as key to wildlife protection and rural livelihoods, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Muller was quoted in FAO's quarterly forestry publication Unasylva, made available to NaijaAgroNet in commemoration of World Wildlife Day, as saying that actively involving indigenous peoples and local communities in wildlife conservation is key to maintaining biodiversity and ensuring sustainable rural livelihoods.

The director also said that the urgent challenges that the world faces in maintaining biodiversity worldwide requires that indigenous peoples are empowered to act at the national level with assistance from the international community.

Stressing that the cultures of indigenous peoples and local communities involve the stewardship of wildlife, just as they simply cannot imagine their life divorced from nature and their interest in the sustainable use of resources is strong.

"Empowerment of these groups combined with their knowledge and long-term planning skills is essential to ensure the survival of future generations - of both humans and wildlife" Muller said.
The relationship between humans and wildlife, Muller highlighted in the publication, citing several case studies from various countries to illustrate how indigenous peoples can optimize the benefits for their livelihoods while also safeguarding wildlife, provided they are given the rights to make their own decisions in the territories they inhabit.

In the northern part of Mount Kenya, for instance, the Il Lakipiak Maasai ("People of Wildlife") own and operate the only community-owned rhino sanctuary in the country. These indigenous peoples have managed to alleviate the human - wildlife conflicts that arise in the area due to the intrusion of wild animals searching for water, prey and pasture during drought. They achieved this by reducing bush-cutting to ensure more fodder for wildlife on their lands. Through this conservation strategy, indigenous peoples have demonstrated that they can coexist harmoniously with wildlife while supporting their own pastoral lives and cultures.
Isaac Oyimah/GEE
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Monday, February 20, 2017

Why helping women is key to international aid, development

I am near the town of Ziniaré, about a two-hour drive from Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso. A hundred people are gathered under a huge baobab tree to welcome me before my visit to an agricultural project run by the Léger Foundation. Food insecurity affects about half of the country’s population.

After a short speech, I am taken to a small goat farm. Standing beside the fence, Iboudo Assèta tells me a story I will never forget.

Iboudo is a widow and the mother of six children. She is living with HIV and was identified by the project as a person who might have to leave her community to go to the city in order to provide for her family. Thanks to the work of our partners, she was able to access training, a business start-up kit and AIDS treatment.

Iboudo quickly decided to start up a farm with three animals provided by the project. With the support of a local training centre, she managed to expand her herd. She is now able to provide for her whole family with her new income. Her children are healthy, have enough to eat and go to school. One of her greatest sources of pride is having installed solar panels, which help them to do their homework in the evening.

Iboudo was not asking for help. On the contrary, she kept telling me how proud she is of her independence. Proud to be able to provide for her family. Proud to have escaped levirate, a custom that forces widows to marry their deceased husband’s brother.

A model of success for the women of her community, she passes on her know-how and expertise. Every day, she talks about how a person’s life can change simply by having access to the right resources.

This woman’s story affected me deeply because she shows the important role of women as agents of change in their communities. Iboudo and her story are part of a powerful evidence base that will underpin Canada’s new international assistance policy. This is a policy that will tackle gender inequalities. A policy that will address the significant obstacles faced by women and girls all around the world. A policy that will recognize the active role that women and girls can and must play in society for everyone’s benefit.

Our broad-cased consultations and the important evidence support this vision of development. According to the State of World Population 2016, a report by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), a 10-year-old girl’s life trajectory will be the true test of whether the 2030 Agenda (the 17 Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations) is a success or a failure. And that trajectory is littered with pitfalls. 

For example, we still see serious gaps in access to sexual and reproductive health services. Every year, out of desperation, an estimated 22 million women and girls endanger their lives by undergoing unsafe abortions. The same is true for access to education. Because girls are disproportionately affected by gender-based violence or early and forced marriage, 62 million teenage girls in the world do not go to school or are frequently absent. That is double the number of boys.

To make a real difference, Canada must invest strategically. We have to consider women and girls at the beginning of every process. Are they being consulted? Are they involved in decisions? Do they play a role in implementing our programs and leading in solutions? In administrative terms, the empowerment of women is not a checkbox at the bottom of a form. It is the careful application of gender analysis to every project we fund.

Like Iboudo, the 400 participants in the Léger Foundation’s project form the “first brigade of pioneers” in the fight for food security. When they are given the resources to achieve their full potential, these strong, independent, engaged women are the most powerful agents of change, development and peace. They are the pillars on which we rely to address poverty and inequality, to adapt to climate change and to enhance peace and security in the world.

In this International Development Week, I would like to thank all Canadians and our partners who are working hard to build a fairer, more inclusive, more sustainable world.

Despite the magnitude of the challenges we are facing, let’s remember, like Iboudo, that significant change is brought about by the sum of all the little victories.


*Contributed by the Honourable Marie-Claude Bibeau, Canadian Minister of International Development and La Francophonie
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Wednesday, August 3, 2016

World Breastfeeding Week 2016: Exclusive breastfeeding, key to fight child malnutrition – UNICEF, MeCAM

The United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and Media Coalition Against child Malnutrition (MeCAM) have declared that exclusive breastfeeding is key to fight against child malnutrition, reports NaijaAgroNet.
Also, NaijaAgroNet gathered that they stressed that exclusively breastfeeding is more resilient in fighting malnutrition, especially in children.

Speaking ahead of the 2016 World Breastfeeding Week, which commenced August 1 through August 7, the organisations agreed that it is encouraging to always engage members of the media on issues concerning child malnutrition and more specifically on exclusive breastfeeding in order to drum support for the campaign.

The Communication Specialist at UNICEF Nigeria, Mr. Geoffrey Njoku, speaking on the week, charged MeCAM members to be alive to their responsibilities of stimulating support for yet another year and season of World Breastfeed Week.

UNICEF, he said, looks forward to members of MeCAM engaging through the media across its membership and country at large.

This, he said, could come in form of news reports, programmes, features, special reports, editorials, opinion pieces and commentaries.

In a related development, the National Coordinator, MeCAM Nigeria, Mr. Remmy Nweke, assured that the media advocacy group, especially at this era of Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) would offer its best on the breastfeeding campaign 2016 so as to give it a boost.
Nweke quoted the World Health Organisation (WHO) as saying that170 countries would be commemorating the Innocenti Declaration signed in August 1990 by government policymakers, WHO, UNICEF and other organizations to protect, promote and support breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding, WHO noted, is the best way to provide infants with the nutrients they need.
Also, WHO recommended exclusive breastfeeding starting within one hour after birth until a baby is six months old.
“Nutritious complementary foods should then be added while continuing to breastfeed for up to two years or beyond,” WHO officials pointed out.
Nweke further quoted WHO experts as saying that the World Breastfeeding Week is celebrated every year in over 170 countries to inspire breastfeeding and improve the health of babies across the world.
Noteworthy, Nweke said, is that in September 2015, the world's leaders committed to 17 goals aimed at ending poverty, protecting the planet and ensuring prosperity.
“Together, they​ form the​ ​Sustainable Development​ Goals. We all have a part to play in achieving these goals​ by 2030​,” he declared.

The World Breastfeeding Week 2016 theme is about how breastfeeding is a key element in getting us to think about how to value our wellbeing from the start of life, how to respect each other and care for the world we share. 


Isaac Oyimah/GEE
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Tuesday, July 5, 2016

Experts list key dominant food trade in sub-Saharan

Experts at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and Food and Agriculture Orgaanisation (FAO) have projected some key dominant food trade to be expected in the next nine years, reports NaijaAgroNet.

This was contained in the latest Agricultural Outlook by the two organistion, saying that the bulk of all commodity exports will continue to originate in just a few countries, noting that imports, however, will be far less concentrated among countries, although China is projected to remain a critical market for some commodities, in particular soybeans. 

The duo of OECD and FAO emphasised the importance of well-functioning markets in enabling food to flow from surplus to deficit regions and improving food security.

At the Outlook's launch in Rome, OECD Secretary General Angel Gurría said: "Although we are now witnessing a period of lower agricultural prices, we need to remain alert as changes in markets can take place rapidly.”

He also said that the key priority for governments in the current context is to implement policies that will increase agricultural productivity in a coherent and sustainable way. Getting our agricultural policies right is critical to end hunger and undernourishment in the decades to come.


"Significant production growth is needed to meet the expanding demand for food, feed and raw products for industrial uses, and all of these have to be done in a sustainable way," said FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva. 

"We are optimistic that most of that future demand for agricultural commodities will be mainly met through productivity gains rather than expansion of crop area or livestock herds," Gurria said.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE
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