US warns over food crisis in Sudan

The United State of America (USA) has warned of severe food crisis in Sudan, reports VOANews.

This warning came in the wake of series of denials of access to the United Nations and its aid partners, to the affected part of Sudan.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the United State Ambassador, Susan Rice gave the warning in her letter to the President of the UN Security Council that without new and substantial aids to South Kordofan, people will eventually witness a famine.

In her letter, the Blue Nile state is also one of the states that need aids before March in order to fight the impending food crisis, revealing that nothing has happened despite efforts to urge Sudan's government to grant access to the affected areas. Read more

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NERC urges FG to boost mechanized farming

The Area Controller, South and Project Director of Nigerian Export Promotion Council (NEPC), Mr. Rotimi Mathew Agbogun has tasked the Federal Government to boost its agricultural development programmes in an effort to increase the country's export, reports Sun.

The call was made during the organized training for NEPC staffs and aqua-culture farmers from the Institute of Galilee in Israel. The training programme was jointly organized by NEPC and Israeli agricultural experts.

According to Mr. Agbogun, more can be achieved through proper export development and strategy. The country must not import everything.

Moving from the traditional old way of farming into modern agriculture, he said will ensure food security and on the other hand will also increase export opportunities in agriculture value chains.

“The problem of technology may be there but we will certainly, one day, become like the super countries,” said Agbogun. Read more.

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Lagos introduces Agric-YES

In a quest for human capital development through re-engineering of the nation's vocational system, the Lagos State government has introduced Agric-Youth Empowerment Scheme Programme (Agric-YES), Leadership.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that Agric-YES is one of the initiatives geared at improving food production and supply in the state; in the areas of aquaculture, poultry, piggery, and fishery to name a few.

A beneficiary of Agro-YES, Miss Olanrewaju Oloko, a Biochemistry graduate of the Lagos State University (LASU) said she enrolled for Agric-YES programme after her degree in 2008 in an effort to contribute towards food production in Lagos State as there is increase in the rate of unemployment.

“Food is a special need in human life. It is a weapon in term of war. So, I desire to do whatever that can help me contribute to the development process in my immediate community and beyond. This is in line with the vision of the Agric-YES-to ensuring food security in the state,” she said.

Another degree holder who also benefitted from Agric-YES, Mr. Salami Bolaji said he now earns a minimum of N100,000 per month for engaging in agriculture.

NaijaAgroNet recalls that the goal of the Agric-YES scheme is to train 1,000 youths in mechanised farming in the next five years. Already, two sets of 200 youths have been trained. Read more

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Fuel Subsidy Removal: CSO laments cost of living in Nigeria

Coalition of Civil Society Organisation have lamented that the recent New Year gift of president Goodluck Jonathan has further impoverished Nigerians as cost of sustainable living has gone up with several margins.

As said by them, historically when prices go up in the country, they rarely come down, therefore they fear the removal of fuel subsidy by the government would further impoverish Nigerians, especially the artisans who depend on their daily income to make a living.

The civil society group also said that the removal has forced an increment which has doubled across the country including the cost of transportation, food, health care, and cost of running businesses in addition to the cost of generating electricity through the generating sets, whereas most salaries is now worth at least 35 per cent less as goods and services have tippled on average.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that although the minimum wage remain N18,000, the government at all levels have not implemented this wholesomely, even as the Civil Society Group argued that government could save money to embark on capital projects if it cuts waste in governance and tackle corruption head-on, especially in the public service system.

The group pointed out that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is currently prosecuting former Speaker of House of Representatives, Mr. Dimeji Bankole, former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel, his counterpart from Oyo State, ex-police offer, Adebayo Alao-Akala among others for over N200 billion, should be intensified to encourage ordinary Nigerians to make sacrifices.

They further said that in the 2012 budget, approximated N1 billion has been voted for‘feeding’ in the presidency, which translates to estimated 3m per day, while the same budget allocated N1.7 trillion wage bill and N675 million to generate power in the Aso Villa and VP’s residence respectively.

Meanwhile, following the early hours national broadcast by President Goodluck Jonathan, the fuel pump price was reduced from N141 to N97 per liter, the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has directed its members and sympathizers to stay at home.

This is coming as the Central Bank Governor, Sanusi Lamido Sanusi has said on Channels TV that Nigeria loses N100 billion daily, throughout the weeklong strike, which today is on its sixth day.

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Climate trends already impacting Sahel, West Africa - UNEP, 3 others

The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), International Organization for Migration (IOM), Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, United Nations University (OCHA-UNU) and the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control (PICDC) in the Sahel have raised an alarm that changes in climate trends are already impacting in Sahel and West Africa.

They also calls for major investments in climate change adaptation to reduce the risk of conflict and forced migration.

The Sahel is the ecoclimatic and biogeographic zone of transition between the Sahara desert in the North and the Sudanian Savannas in the south. It stretches across the North African continent between the Atlantic Ocean and the Red Sea. 

According to Wikipedia Online, a free online encyclopedia, the Sahel covers parts of the territory from the west to east; Senegal, southern Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, southern Algeria, Niger, northern Nigeria, Chad, Sudan including Darfur and the southern part of Sudan, as well as the northern Ethiopia and Eritrea.

While the West Africa is the westernmost region of the African continent, which has been geopolitically definite by the United Nations (UN) to include 16 countries and an area of approximately 5 million square kilometers.

The report, entitled Livelihood Security: Climate Change, Migration and Conflict in the Sahel, uses an innovative mapping process to identify 19 "climate hotspots" where climatic changes have been the most severe and which warrant focused adaptation planning and other follow-up activities.

A joint press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet endorsed by the UNEP spokesperson and Head, Media, Mr. Nick Nuttall, the Communications Advisor, Ms Julie Marks, CILSS Press Office represented by Harouna Kindo, Alice Fiser of UN University Head of Communication and Simone Dürr, Z_GIS Press and Communications , showed that the new evidence of changing climate trends in the Sahel and West Africa and their potentially profound implications for food security and regional stability were released recently at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Durban, adding to the pressure on governments to stay on a course to reach a new international climate agreement.
 

The joint study, they said has analyzed regional trends in temperature, rainfall, droughts and flooding over the past 40 years and their implications for the availability of natural resources, livelihoods, migration and conflict in 17 West African countries from the Atlantic coast to Chad.
 

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the analysis detects significant changes in regional climatic conditions, including an overall rise in mean seasonal temperature from 1970 to 2006 of approximately 1°C, with a greater increase of between 1.5°C to 2°C observed in far eastern Chad and northern Mali and Mauritania.
 

The study shows that the frequency of floods and the area covered by flooding have increased in parts of the region over the past 24 years, citing an instance with large areas of southern Burkina Faso, western Niger and northern Nigeria where it was reported to have experienced up to 10 floods during this period.

Therefore, the study called for major investments in climate change adaptation to reduce the risk of conflict and forced migration before it becomes too late.

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Fortified Ponmo, cheap reprieve to poor Nigerians – Umar Bindir

The Director General of National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), Dr. Umar Bindir has said that fortified Ponmo could be a reprieve to poor Nigerians.

He made this observation at a consumers’ forum organized by Bio-Organics Nutrients System, urging Nigerian scientists to move their researches from the shelves to action by adapting their conclusions to address some of the needs of Nigerians, reports NigComSat Connect.

According to him, this has become imperative at this time when criticism by experts of the rising cases of diabetes cardiovascular ailments and other non-communicable diseases due to life style related causes.

Bindir noted that the edible part of cow skin which is nutritious, could be very helpful in combing inadequate dieting especially for the poor.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the Agricultural Scientist pointed out that fortified Ponmo is a cheap way of bringing reprieve to a huge proportion of Nigerians who are deprived of adequate and quality feeding.

He also expressed delight over the prospect over Ponmo as it’s fortified with micronutrients and vitamins which will make it nutritious against popular belief that it does not have any nutritional value which he says is possible.

As said by him, unknown to most Nigerians, fortified Ponmo contains protein like beef meats and would give majority of Nigerians a sense of satisfaction, serving as a meat of choice as it is cheaper compared to other available meat.

Sharing his views on the issue, Dr. Kenneth Acholonu, the chief executive officer, Bio-Organics Nutrients Systems, revealed that Bio-Organics has demonstrated some key critical attribute that could significantly impact on food security through animal protein security.

Acholonu urged regulatory agencies to make sure that standard of production of micronutrients are enforced, and that competent personnel must be employed and trained regularly in order to maintain a standard operating procedures.

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Total elimination of hunger, my priority – new FAO DG

On assumption of office at the Food and Agriculture Organizations (FOA) of the United Nations, the new Director General, José Graziano da Silva said his top priority is to see total elimination of hunger and undernourishment in the world.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that he made this observation at his inaugural press conference, Mr. José Graziano da Silva said that a three and a half year term in office is no time to lose, stressing that FAO would start with scaling up support for a number of low-income, food deficit countries and especially nations facing prolonged crises.

"Ending hunger requires the commitment of everyone, neither FAO nor any other agency or government will win this war alone," da Silva said, adding that he want to work in the most transparent and democratic way with member countries and other United Nations agencies.

Further, he said hunger eradication is the first of five strategic priorities intend to pursue by FAO with other strategic priorities to be a move towards more sustainable systems of food production and consumption; achieving greater fairness in the global management of food; completing FAO's reform and decentralization; and expanding South-South cooperation and other partnerships.

"We need to rebuild trust between the Secretariat and Member States to move forward, and I plan to do so by promoting a transparent and constructive relationship with Member States and FAO Governing Bodies," da Silva said.

He also made known his conviction that the organization could make a significant and growing contribution to food security and sustainable food production and consumption in the world.

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