Exclusive: Experts found water in Mars

NaijaAgroNet:

 

Professor of Astrophysics at The University of Manchester, Mr. Tim O’Brien, has explained the possibility of finding water in the Mars, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second smallest planet in the Solar System, after Mercury and was named after the Roman god of war, the Mars is often referred to as the "Red Planet" because the iron oxide prevalent on its surface gives it a reddish appearance.

According to the Media Relations Officer, University of Manchester, Mr. Sam Wood in a press statement available to NaijaAgroNet quoted Prof. O’Brien as trying to explain why finding liquid water on Mars is such an important discovery and the essence.

Prof. O’Brien noted that this effort is truly an exciting discovery, even as scientists know there are features on the planet which suggest flowing material.

“What we were not sure about was whether this was water,” he queried.                           

However, Prof. O’Brien pointed out that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has now studied the signature of this material and they could see that it looks like briny water.

He described this as good evidence that there is water involved, but added that what is unknown yet is where the water is coming from.

“Is it seeping up to mix with salts on the surface to make the briny water? Or it this water coming from the atmosphere, as it does on Earth?” Prof. O’Brien asked with excitement.

He was optimistic that the really interesting thing is what this means for life on Mars, which goes to state that millions of years ago conditions on Mars were similar to what “we have on Earth now.”

He emphasized that the presence of liquid water increases the possibility that there could be some microbial life forms still on the planet, though in itself it is not evidence for life.

“All life as we know it needs water, now we have found water on Mars there could be life. They have found a key prerequisite for life but not life itself” O’Brien affirmed.
 
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Zero hunger, key for realization SDGs

ITRealms

 

The Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) José Graziano da Silva has told world leaders at United Nations headquarters that zero hunger is the only guaranty for  realization of the entire set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030, NaijaAgroNet reports.

Information from FAO stated that fourteen of the 17 new SDGs are related to FAO's historic mission, the Director-General noted, adding that the second goal - which is "to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture" - must be urgently pursued as rapid progress on that front is the key to the other goals, he added

"We have given ourselves an enormous task,that begins with the historic commitment of not only reducing but also eradicating poverty, hunger in a sustainable way. We can only rest when we achieve zero hunger," Silva said.

NaijaAgroNet recalledthat the SDGs follow and expand on the Millennium Development Goals, established in 2001 and ending this year, which set a hunger reduction target that was met by more than half of the countries monitored by FAO. But nearly 800 million people still suffer from chronic undernourishment.

A majority of the world's poor and hungry live in rural areas, and improving their livelihoods is the core challenge.

He also reminded world leaders that in the next 15 years an additional investment of 160 dollars, about N31,848per year per person living in extreme poverty is needed to end hunger, NaijaAgroNet learnt.

Cyriacus Nnaji/GEE

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4 African countries route support for extractive industries to fight malnutrition

NaijaAgroNet:

Four African countries have agreed to use revenues from extractive industries to fight against child malnutrition, reports NaijaAgroNet.

These countries include the Republic of Congo, Guinea, Mali and Niger today announced a new fund for the fight against malnutrition. 

This was made known in New York today to NaijaAgroNet at the launch of UNITLIFE; a new innovative financing mechanism that uses micro levies from extractive industries to increase resources for the fight again malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Under UNITLIFE, participating nations with abundant natural resources will invest a small portion of revenues derived from the sale of oil, gas and mining towards a UNICEF-hosted fund dedicated to improving child nutrition. For example, the Republic of Congo will contribute $0.10 per barrel of oil sold by its national state oil company.

“This is the first fund based on an innovative financing mechanism being launched only days after the new Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were adopted at the United Nations,” said Philippe Douste-Blazy, the architect of the initiative and an Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations and the Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Innovative Financing for Development. 

“I am delighted that a number of African governments accepted this idea because we have already proven with the air ticket levy that innovative financing works and generates results. I also want to thank UNICEF for agreeing to host the initiative,” Douste-Blazy said.

Ibrahim Boubacar Keïta, President of the Republic of Mali and one of the first supporters of the fund, said: “I am very pleased that Mali is one of the founders of this innovative financing mechanism because we want to scale-up the fight against child malnutrition in our country and in the region.”

“Chronic malnutrition in sub-Saharan Africa affects more than 1 in 3 children under the age of five, stunting their growth and threatening their cognitive capacity, thus limiting their opportunities in life,” said Yoka Brandt, UNICEF Deputy Executive Director. “New and innovative financing mechanisms can make a big difference in the fight against malnutrition.” 

Robert Filipp, President of the Innovative Finance Foundation (IFF), who spearheaded the work on the fund design, said, “This fund has real game changing potential. If all countries with oil, gas and mines joined, we would have a real chance to eliminate malnutrition.”   

Although financing commitments to nutrition have increased in recent years, around $50 billion are still needed over the next 10 years to reach the World Health Assembly target of reducing the number of children under the age of five who are stunted by 40 per cent by 2025.  

The proposed levies from extractive industries in African countries are a bold demonstration of African leadership to address the financing gap for nutrition in the continent. Under the UNITLIFE initiative, the levies are expected to initially generate between $100-$200 million a year. 

@Isaac Oyimah/GEE +Remmy Nweke (ITRealms) +Naija AgroNet  @UN
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Africa agriculture potential reaches N159trn by 2030

NaijaAgroNet

 

The Alliance for Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA) has said that the value of Africa's agriculture output is estimated at $280 billion, about N55.79trillion yet it has the potential to reach $800 billion, about N159.4 trillion by 2030, reports NaijaAgroNet.

"It (agriculture) could address a major problem in Africa by providing economic opportunities for the 200 million people between 14 and 24 years old that make Africa home of the youngest population in the world."

NaijaAgroNet gathered that a global accounting firm, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC) has, in its own assessment of the continent’s agriculture, said that Africa "represents the 'last frontier' in global food and agricultural markets".

"The continent houses almost 60 per cent of the world's uncultivated land and an abundance of natural resources." It also said due to the large percentage of uncultivated fertile land and the presence of water, sub-Saharan Africa was specifically attractive.

A report by the international accounting firm KPMG said agricultural growth in Africa has failed to reach its potential and there was need for a concerted effort at improving techniques, markets and access to credit for small farmers.

This avalanche of positive reports about Africa’s agricultural profile, Business Standard informed, is reasonthe third India-Africa Summit coming up in New Delhi next month will, afford an opportunity to deepen India's involvement in improving Africa's agriculture NaijaAgroNet learnt.

The Nigeria’s permanent secretary, ministry of agriculture, Sonny Echono said the Chinese agricultural development model suited Nigeria's Agricultural Transformation Agenda and the country was working to improve its milling capacity in rice and cassava.

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Zim Vice President appeals for cash to save vulnerables

NaijaAgroNet:

The Vice President of Zimbabwe, Emmerson Mnangagwa has appealed for cash from development agencies and the private sector to ensure that the vulnerable are not exposed to hunger and starvation, NaijaAgroNet reports.

Nontheless, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) funded Famine Early Warning System Network cautioned that, “the lean season humanitarian assistance is expected to be lower than average due to a challenging funding situation,” while the World Food Programme (WFP) said it will start distributing food at the end of September to recipients who will work on projects including building small dams, repairing roads and starting vegetable gardens.

IolNews quotes WFP information officer, Tinashe Mubaira as saying, “Because of the poor harvest this year, food security levels are deteriorating earlier during the lean season than usual. Consumption coping strategies at the moment are reduction of portion sizes and eating fewer meals. Communities in districts bordering neighbouring countries are crossing over to Mozambique and Zambia for casual labour.”

Recently, villagers in Zimbabwe began to skip meals and foraging for wild fruit as food stocks run out after a poor harvest blamed on drought and controversial land reforms.

A resident ofMusana district northwest of the capital Harare, and a mother of four, RabianChidamba, lamented that nowadays, even if the children complained of hunger, nothing could be done. She went on to say that when the children get hungry between meals they go and look for wild fruit.

“Our harvest came to 10 bags of maize instead of the 30 bags we usually get,” Chidamba decried, saying that normally, she could sell the surplus corn to raise money for her children's school fees among other necessities, but this year's harvest is not enough even to feed her own family.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that Zimbabwe was once a major producer of corn, and became a perennial importer of food in the wake of a fallin agricultural production blamed on President Robert Mugabe's land reforms, which saw the seizure of land from white commercial farmers for redistribution to landless blacks.

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FAO protects sagric-based livelihoods for peace-building, poverty alleviation

NaijaAgroNet:

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) is protecting agriculture-based livelihoods during conflict as a crucial strategy for peace-building, poverty alleviation and development in countries facing protracted crisis situation, NaijaAgroNet reports.

At a practical level FAO said,its prioritizing help for the most vulnerable families to improve their access to food, nutrition and income while creating the conditions for rehabilitation and long-term resilience of agriculture as a crucial strategy.

According to a press statement, the Director-General of the organization, José Graziano da Silva said that the millions of people who are being forced to flee from war, poverty and other hardships are a tragic reminder of the urgent need for peaceful solutions based on social justice and improved economic opportunities for all. Key to achieving this is the protection of and investment in rural livelihoods.

"Rural development and food security are central to the global response to the refugee crisis. War causes hunger and hunger too, kills and forces people from their homes.
"Supporting agricultural based livelihoods can contribute to both helping people stay on their land when they feel safe to do so and to create the conditions for the return of refugees, migrants and displaced people," Graziano da Silva said.

In Syria, NaijaAgroNet gathered, the conflict is having a devastating impact on agriculture, with food markets and supply chains dysfunctional, much of the irrigation and other infrastructure destroyed and farmers and livestock keepers left with no other option than to abandon their fields and animals. The ones who remain cannot access markets or afford seeds, fertilizers and other inputs. Meanwhile the influx of Syrian refugees is also impacting agriculture in neighbouring host countries

This involves seed assistance to enable Syrian farmers to harvest sufficient cereals to feed their families; cash-for-work programmes to create income opportunities while repairing critical on-farm infrastructure; veterinary support and vaccination campaigns in Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria to preserve livestock health and vital sources of nutrition; and distribution of backyard production kits that give displaced and host families the means to produce nutrient-rich foods, such as eggs, milk and vegetables, NaijaAgroNet learnt.

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SDG: Shakira, Angélique Kidjo, Malala add voices to Pope Francis in support of children

NaijaAgroNet:

The Grammy Award-winning singers, Shakira and Angélique Kidjo both UNICEF Goodwill Ambassadors, Friday’s celebrated adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals with powerful performances before an audience at the United Nations General Assembly that included over 130 heads of state and government, reports NaijaAgroNet.

This follows an address from His Holiness Pope Francis, with Shakira taking to the stage to sing “Imagine”, John Lennon’s iconic anthem of love and peace.

“We live in a world in which many who are born poor will die poor. It is up to us to be the first society to eradicate poverty and bring justice and equality to the most disenfranchised people on earth,” Shakira, a passionate advocate of children’s rights, told the assembled world leaders before her performance. “Our children have the right to equal opportunities; to thrive, to be happy, healthy, and safe.”

Angélique Kidjo, who has been a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador since 2002, sang a moving version of ‘Afirika’ – her hymn to the continent she calls home.

“Africa and its children have the most to gain from the Sustainable Development Goals, but they also have the most to lose if our leaders do not fully commit to this new agenda for peace and prosperity,” Kidjo said. “As an artist I want to use my voice to make sure that people around the world understand the new global goals and why they matter, so that they can hold their leaders accountable for their success or failure.”

Flanked by a group of young people from across the world, Malala Yousafzai then delivered a message of hope for today’s children before the SDGs were ratified by world leaders.

The Sustainable Development Goals represent an ambitious plan of action that aims to eliminate extreme poverty and hunger, provide quality lifelong education for all, protect the planet and promote peaceful and inclusive societies.

These new global goals offer a historic opportunity to provide children with the fair start in life they deserve, UNICEF said, cautioning that this opportunity will be wasted if the world does not focus efforts and investments on the most disadvantaged and vulnerable children.

Video and photos are available for download

here.
 

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CTA seeks on-site reporters for Barbados Agri-Food forum

NaijaAgroNet:

The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation ACP-EU (CTA) is seeking on-site reporters to participate at the four-day Caribbean and Pacific Agri-Food (CPAF) Forum in Bridgetown, Barbados, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The forum slated to hold between November 2 and 6, 2015 is being organized in collaboration with CPAF.

According to the Junior Programme Associate on Information Communication Technology for Agriculture (ICT4Ag) at CTA, Ms Nawsheen Hosenally, disclosed to NaijaAgroNet that the purpose of this forum is to bring together diverse actors from the Caribbean and Pacific, who are part of the agri-food system, to engage in collective actions that could contribute to the transformative efforts of agriculture and the rural milieu.

And in order to raise awareness on the event, engage on-site participants and reach out to a wider audience remotely, she said, CTA would like to support the participation of some young social reporters for the online coverage of the event.

“The on-site reporters will be from the ‪Caribbean region and up to 3 (three) social reporters might be selected for a short consultancy,” she said, noting that anyone from any region or country could apply to be in the online team.

Hosenally further advised that applicants could access the form here.

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