FAO appeals for N7.8 billion for Horn of Africa

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has urgently appealed for a sum of $50 million, about N7.882 billion in order to assist funding gap for priority agricultural and pastoral activities to be carried out in the Horn of Africa.

FAO revealed to NaijaAgroNet in a press statement that the fund is necessary to execute a 90day plan aim at giving farmers and pastoralists the chances to improve their livelihoods and build resilience to any future shocks.

Commenting on the issue, FAO's Sub-regional Coordinator for Eastern Africa, Castro Camarada said the international community needs to continue to support the most vulnerable households in Somalia and other arid and semi-arid lands in the Horn of Africa to cope with another possible dry spell.

NaijaAgroNet also gathered that some activities like crop and livestock production, and cash-for-work programmes are already ongoing and need improvement.

According to FAO, although the situation in the drought-affected areas of the Horn of Africa has improved significantly in recent months it is estimated 8.1 million people there are still in need of assistance (Ethiopia: 3.2 million; Kenya: 2.2 million; Somalia: 2.5 million; Djibouti 180 000).

Distributions of crop and vegetable seeds form part of the urgent activities planned for the region, and helping implement small-scale irrigation schemes and running cash-for-work activities in order to restore vital agricultural infrastructure.

Despite an end of famine conditions declared a month ago in Somalia, over 2.5 million are still facing food crisis; unable to fully meet essential food and non-food needs, majority of which reside in the southern regions.

NaijaAgroNet further gathered that José Graziano da Silva, FAO Director General on his visit to Somalia recently pledged that the organization will continue to increase its efforts in the region. He also stressed the importance of continued and coordinated actions to build up the resilience of local populations and link relief with development.

"We can't avoid droughts, but we can put measures in place to try to prevent them from becoming a famine" José Graziano da Silva affirmed.

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Increasing food importation, a worry for SA

South African Minister of Trade and Industry, Rob Davies expresses worry over the rate of increase in food importation, reports BusinessDay.

Speaking at a workshop, Rob Davies affirmed that the increase importation dampened the rate of expansion in the sector, leading to slower job creation over the past decade despite South Africa's own capacity to manufacture food products.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that South African's traditional export markets are facing substantial challenges.

"Exports to the traditional markets of the European Union and US have been flat in recent years. Today they are still lower than they were in 2007, before the onset of the global financial crisis," he said. 

Department of Trade and Industry of South Africa revealed that import penetration ratio raised from 9 per cent in 2005 to 13 per cent in 2010. Read more

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FAO predicts 690 million tonnes wheat production for the year

Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has forecasted that the wheat production for the year will amount to 690 million tones.

The forecasted wheat production is 10 million tonnes less than 2011 wheat production; this was revealed to NaijaAgroNet in a press statement by FAO.

It was also gathered that planting is on the increase or predicted to increase in many countries this year in response to strong prices.

Further NaijaAgroNet noted that the forecast report revealed an expectation of a return to normal yields in areas where high records were achieved last year.

The report also made known that a global forecast of cereal output for the year is too early.

In Eastern Africa, despite some improvement, the food situation of vulnerable groups remains precarious, especially in pastoral areas affected by earlier drought. The food security situation in the Sudan and South Sudan is of concern following poor harvests. 

On another note, the FAO's Food Price index published on the 19th March, 2012 revealed a 1 per cent increase over January's. There have been also increased imports as a result of weaker US Dollar and plunging freight rates have also characterized world markets since the beginning of 2012.

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Sahel region in dire need of action to avert humanitarian disaster - Group

In order to avert the impending food crisis in the Sahel region of Africa, a campaign, "Professional Football Against Hunger" hits hundreds of European football stadium with the main message that action is needed to avert a humanitarian disaster in the region as soon as possible.

Professional Football Against Hunger as revealed to NaijaAgroNet in a press statement made available by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is being promoted by the Association of European Professional Football Leagues (EPFL), the European Commission and FAO.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the campaign, Match Day Against Hunger was launched in 2008, which its third edition this year and the biggest-ever match started on March 30 to spread the call for urgent action.

Commenting on the issue, The European Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response, Kristalina Georgieva affirmed that football is the perfect vehicle for highlighting the plight of the people in the Sahel region.

"To respond properly to this emergency, governments, donors and aid agencies need to be united. Together, we can save lives," said Kristalina Georgieva.

"At the same time, we need to build resilience in local communities to stop jumping from crisis to crisis, and to prevent droughts from leading inevitably to famine," said José Graziano da Silva, Director-General of FAO. "We must act now to help people help themselves."

FAO Goodwill Ambassador and Spanish football star Raúl González Blanco said, "We need public support for food crises like this one. No one knows like footballers how crucial it is to have the stadium on your side to win the match."

"We are all diminished when somebody, in any part of the globe, dies from hunger," said Roberto Carlos, a Brazilian star player.

Spanish international and campaign's ambassador from the Spanish professional football league, Roberto Soldado also said, "Together we can prevent this crisis from turning into a full scale catastrophe." 

NaijaAgroNet further gathered that other football ambassadors of the campaign include Felix Magath, a former footballer and active coach in the German Bundesliga; Herbert Prohaska, appointed by the Österreichische Fußball Bundesliga - Austria; Steffen Freund, DFL Deutsche Fußball Liga GmbH, Germany; Vidar Riseth, Norsk Toppfotball, Norway; Jerzy Dudek, Polish Professional Football League and Alexey Medvedev, Football National League of the Russian Federation.

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‘Incentives, attractive environments lure youths into agriculture’

Dr. Namaga Ngongi, the president of Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) said enough incentives, profitable economic opportunities and attractive environments will drive youths to agriculture, reports Vanguard.

He said this while presenting a paper on ‘The Role of Young People in Africa's Agriculture Revolution’ at an international conference on “Young People, Farming & Food: the future of the Agrifood sector in Africa,” held in Accra, Ghana.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that he affirmed the conference to be of importance as well as timely that agriculture is the backbone of Sub-Saharan Africa's rural economies. 

He said lack of support to improve productivity and bring innovation into the sector greatly affected the drift of youths away from agricultural practices. Readmore

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Urban growth inevitable, but urban poverty is not - IIED Director

The director of the International Institute for Environmental and Development (IIED), Camilla Toulmin has called for adequate policy to tackle all form of gender inequality and seize the urban potential to improve lives as growth in the urban area is inevitable while poverty is not.

A recent research conducted by IIED with the support of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) revealed that urbanization provides more job opportunities for the women but this doesn’t always give a fair distribution of wealth and other advantages that come with it.

The research result, NaijaAgroNet gathered shows that residents of low-income and informal urban settlements suffer hugely from inadequate living conditions with limited access to services that disproportionate burden on women's unpaid time and results in far-reaching consequences for the well-being.

Speaking about the report, Dr. Babatunde Osotimehin, UNFPA Executive Director said that the research gave room for a new and emerging area of work which is of critical importance in order to reduce poverty and work towards gender equality.

“Responding effectively to rapid urbanization—which is occurring in many countries—requires empowering women and young people and improving their access to education, health and employment,” he said.

Speaking on the same note, a researcher from IIED, Cecilia Tacoli affirmed that gender inequalities in free time, working and living conditions, as well as exposure to violence, are some of the hidden aspects of poverty that affect women more disproportionately.

“When people talk of poverty they focus on income, but poverty has other aspects that affect men and women, old and young people in different ways,” Cecilia noted.

Further, NaijaAgroNet gathered from the report of the research that urbanization leads to lower fertility rates, but women living in poor areas may have as many children as rural women because their access to reproductive health services can be just as bad, if not worse.

The research also notes the potential for urbanization to deliver sustainable development and better quality of life for all individuals, noting that society as a whole should recognize the important role of unpaid female care work in ensuring that children, older people and those who are sick or disabled are looked after, especially where communities lack adequate services and infrastructure.

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Investment in agriculture, stop insecurity - Agric Minister

The Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Dr. Akunwunmi Adesina, has called for more investment in the agricultural sector, saying it has the capacity to stop insecurity in the country, reports ThisDay.

He said this at a one-day meeting of commissioners of Agriculture and Natural Resources of all the states and the Federal Capital Territory held in Abuja.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the minister affirmed a sum of $1.6 trillion, about N252.28 trillion have been spent on importing rice, wheat, sugar and fish.

Adesina highlighted North-East and North-West as regions with less food production and that adequate provision of food will reduce criminal acts in those regions.

“We have been talking of national security, and without food security, there cannot be national security, because national security starts with food security,” he pointed. Read more

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