Pressure on soil threatens global food security - FAO

The Director General of Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO), Jacques Diouf, has called for a renewed global effort to ensure sufficient fertile and healthy soils usage, reports StarAfrica.

Speaking recently in Rome, Italy, Diouf at the commencement of a three-day meeting to launch a new Global Soil Partnership for Food Security and Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation, warned that pressures on the world's soil resources coupled with land degradation are threats to global food security.

He noted that Africa with 6.3 million hectares of degraded farmlands having lost their fertility and water holding capacity, hence the need for a regeneration of the soil to be able to meet the food demands in years to come.

According to Jacques, soil is an essential component of the world's production systems and ecosystems, but is also fragile and non-renewable resources though could be easily degraded to difficult and expensive to regenerate. Read more

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Efficient energy, low carbon economy top ICCEC confab

The third annual conference of the International Conference on Clean Energy and Climate Change (ICCECC) 2011, scheduled for next month in London would focus on efficient energy and low carbon economy.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the conference holding between October 27 and 30, this year, would focus on the understanding individual nature coupled with organizational behaviour, decision making and knowledge usage in accelerating transition.

The Organizing Committee revealed that based on the success of previous edition of the confab which had over 700 participants would discuss successful policy and programme strategies, shared importance research findings and built new networks and collaborations.

Other topics mapped out for discussion include renewable and green energy resources and technologies, in addition to biomass, wind and solar energy resources and technologies, just as alternative fuels, market and finance among others.

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Osun State assures farmers on good roads

The Osun State Commissioner for Agriculture and Food Security, Prince Wale Adedoyin, has assured farmers in the state of good roads, reports MenaFn.

This, he said, would enable farmers to transport their produce from the farms to the market and neighbouring communities as well as the cities.

He made the assurance during his inspection of the work done by Rural Access and Mobility Project (RAMP) at the Iwo farm settlement after listening to the farmers’ plights in getting their goods to the market.

After going round to see the level of preparedness of the government, he said the government will concentrate on major access roads but till after the rainy season.

The State Director of the Project who is also the General Manager of the Osun State Agricultural Development Corporation (OSSADEC), Mr. Adelere Oriolowo pointed out that the job done was to intervene and improve the condition of the roads leading to the farm settlement. Read more

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Ex-militants to acquire training on agricultural technology in Israel

Thirty-two members of the Niger Delta ex-militants were sent to Israel for a six months vocational programme in agricultural technology, reports WorldStage.

Mr. Kingsley kuku, special adviser to the President on Niger Delta matters said they would be trained at the Galilee Agricultural School in Israel and advised them to make judicious use of the opportunity offered by the government to enhance their capacity for the development of their region.

While speaking at a pre-departure ceremony held in Lagos, the Special Adviser also urged the ex-militants to be of good behaviour during their course of training and thereafter.

He further stressed that the acquisition programme by the youths will help the government in boosting food security since the available technology in Israel in food production is key to Nigeria's drive to achieve food sufficiency. Read more.

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ECOWAS, MIR plus host farmers' fair in Kano

The Economic Community for West African States (ECOWAS) and the Marketing Input Regionally (MIR plus) is partnering to support food sustainability in the region, with a recent sponsorship of a fair in Dawakin Kudu, Kano State to get farmers accustomed to genuine seeds and pesticides, reports MenaFn.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the fair was aimed at reaching farmers at the grassroots level and was organized on a market day.

MIR plus specialist, Yahaya Kura, said the objective of the fair was to aid the linkage between farmers and agricultural input, and an avenue for agro dealers to meet in contact with agro allied companies and suppliers.

The farmers expressed glad for the opportunity provided by the fair, especially as it was at their doorstep.

One of the participants, Safiyanu Sarkin Kasuwa confirmed buying melon seeds variety which could not be found in the market. Read more

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Rice production, my priority – Jonathan

In an effort to stop the importation of rice in the next four years, President Goodluck Jonathan, has said his government would work to make the production of rice a priority, reports AFP.

He made this disclosure at a meeting with the Head of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Mr. Kanayo Nwanze in Abuja.

Jonathan also said Nigeria has the intension to stop importation of rice before he leaves office in 2015, noting that the country has all that is needed to grow enough for domestic consumption and commercial.

While requesting for the support of IFAD to revitalise the nation's ill-funded agricultural sector, Jonathan pointed out that self-sufficiency in the production of rice is a top priority of his administration. Read more

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ALTGP supports ecology with N775m

The newly established Canadian-based Alberta Land Trust Grant Programme (ALTGP) has set aside the sum of $5million, about N775m to preserve ecologically significant lands through conservation easements, reports Alberts.

According to Kel Knight, the Minister of Alberta Sustainable Resource Development, this step was due to the growing population with its significant effects on landscape.

Knight also said there is need to have representative samples of biodiversity and landscape under protection for generations to come.

Chairman, Alberta Land Trust Alliance, Grant Pearsell, said the land trusts needed the support for quite a long time, especially following the dry up of charitable caused by the 2008 recession.

Created in 2010, ALTGP, has not been funded until now but offers registered land to registered land trust organizations upto the tune of $1 in grants for every $2 they collect to protect lands through conservation easements. Read More

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Obama promises N538.3b for worldwide food security

To combat the current food crisis the world over, Barack Obama, American President has promised the sum of $3.5billion, about N538.3b, reports Times.

This in an effort to support worldwide food security, two agricultural research programmes have also been launched by the governments of US and Swedish to help Zambia to reduce rural poverty.

Food Security Research Project (FSRP) and the Zambia Agricultural Research and Development Programme (ZARDP), the two pilot projects under the ‘Feed the Future Initiative’

Mr Storella, US Ambassador to Zambia said ‘Feed the Future Initiative’ that starts in Zambia, is the American government’s effort aimed at addressing the root causes of poverty and hunger. Read more.

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Namibia needs to adapt to climate change

Experts have forecasted extreme dry spells and exceptional heavy downpour of rain in Namibia, hence Namibia has no other option than to adapt to the change in weather conditions.

IPSNews reports that with the commencement of the heavy rainfall in early February raising 8cm higher than that of 2009, at least, 21 school children have drown with damages to roads, buildings and other infrastructure.

Notable is that 30 per cent of Namibia Gross Domestic Product is generated from agriculture and initial research revealed that the impact of the climate change could reduce its GDP by six per cent costing about $30m over the next two decades.

Speaking at the Namibia Climate Change Adaptation Youth conference, Ephraim Nekongo, chairperson of Oshana Regional Youth Forum said the consequences of the climate change will affect human health directly or indirectly. Read more

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