FOA set to launch Status of Women in Agrifood System - NaijaAgroNet

 ... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has advanced plans to launch a new report entitled the Status of Women in Agrifood Systems, reports NaijaAgroNet.

FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol gave this at an event, co-hosted by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the World Food Programme (WFP), in commemoration of the 2023 International Women's Day in Rome.

FAO warns that food insecurity is set to rise again

NaijaAgroNet:

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations has warned that food insecurity may be on the rise again over the course of 2018 farming season, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The number of food-insecure people in the South African subregion is likely to rise over the course of 2018, partly reversing last year's sharp decline, the GIEWS alert warned.

According to the latest Special Alert issued by FAO's Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) and made available to NaijaAgroNet, FAO noted that in 2016, crop production declined due to El Niño drove up significantly the number of food-insecure people in the subregion.

In Malawi, for instance, FAO said, an estimated 6.7 million people and in Zimbabwe just over 4 million people were food insecure.  

“But the significant rebound in the subregion's cereal production to a record level in 2017 led food insecure numbers to fall by up to 90 percent, according to official estimates,” FAO said.

Maize production in 2017 increased 43 percent above the recent average and the subregion produced more than required for domestic consumption for the first time in five years, even excluding South Africa, a traditional net exporter. As a result, most countries were able to build up inventories. The higher stock levels should be able to partly cushion the effects of the likely production decreases to come. Local maize prices, currently down on a yearly basis, also reflect favourable supply conditions. 

However, at the household level, many smallholders and rural families are still recovering from losses due to the severe El Niño- associated drought, and they are vulnerable to a downturn, GIEWS noted. This is especially the case where harvests in 2017 were poor, such as Madagascar.

It is also likely to be the case in areas where the weather trends have been unfavourable, notably parts of Lesotho, southern and central areas of Mozambique, western South Africa, southern parts of Zambia and Malawi, eastern Zimbabwe and southwestern Madagascar.

Precipitation trends also matter greatly for the Fall Armyworm, an invasive species that has now been detected in all countries of the subregion, except Lesotho and Mauritius. While recent heavy rains in some localities may have contributed to containing the pest's spread, the general dry weather may help it spread and could exacerbate the impact on yields.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Off-grid Solar set to triple in Africa - IEA

NaijaAgroNet:

The International Energy Agency (IEA) 2017 report on renewables, has shown that off-grid solar capacity in Africa is set to almost triple in the next five years, reports NaijaAgroNet.

According to the report sighted by NaijaAgroNet, it will “bring basic electricity services to almost 70 million more people in Asia and sub Saharan Africa.”

Also, the IEA found that the amount of power from solar grew by over 50 per cent, and has officially increased energy output globally at a faster rate than any other fuel. The report specifically highlights off-grid solar as a ‘dynamic’ sector set to accelerate this growth.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that Lumos, a company that offers one of the fastest growing off-grid solar services in Africa, is at the forefront of this expansion. Lumos launched its Mobile Electricity Service and the Y’ello Box in partnership with MTN in Nigeria earlier this year. The device transforms the sun’s energy into electricity and is paid for via your mobile phone.

For IEA, off-grid capacity in Africa and Asia is set to reach “over 3000 MW in 2022.” CEO of Lumos Nigeria, Yuri Tsitrinbaum, said: “This is the latest evidence that off-grid solar is providing the answer to growing energy demand in Africa. There is no other option available that can provide energy that is as affordable, reliable, and clean.”

“We are changing the way people access electricity, and this is only the beginning. Mobile phones improved millions of lives, and now we are seeing the same thing with mobile electricity.”

Lumos Mobile Electricity Service is available at MTN stores across Nigeria. By subscribing to the service, customers get one of the revolutionary Y’ello Box systems that converts solar energy into electricity for the home, paid for by phone credit and a simple text message. It’s reliable, affordable and powerful.

The IEA report further projected that over the next five years, services like Lumos will be the catalysts and drivers of innovative payment solutions that can allow low-income populations access to electricity.

Isaac Oyimah/GEE

... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology