Arab world faces food security challenges - IFPRiI

A report by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) has revealed that Arab world may be facing a serious food security challenge, reports VOA.

IFPRI attributed the reported food security challenge couple with higher rate of poverty to the vulnerability to volatile food prices, natural disasters and water scarcity.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that food security in Arab world poses a serious challenge, this due to high dependency on food imports exacerbated by global price volatility, diminished capacity for generating foreign exchange to pay for imported food and the increase in demand for food which is being driven by continued high population growth.

IFPRI also affirmed that less than 20 per cent of the population in the Arab region lives below the $2 per day poverty line. Read more

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UNDP says human index on sustainability may reduce drastically by 2050

The Human Development Index (HDI) may be lower than 8 per cent by 2050 given the prevailing environmental challenges, says the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in its 2011 sustainability report on HDI.

 This, UNDP said could be obvious looking at the baseline in an environmental challenge scenario which will capture the adverse effects of global warming on agricultural production and access to clean water by 2050.

The Human Development reports for 2011 by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) focused on sustainable, equitable progress and how environmental degradation intensifies inequalities through adverse impacts on already disadvantaged people.

The 2011 annual report made available to NaijaAgroNet affirmed the need to address sustainability - locally, nationally and globally in ways that are equitable and empowering order to promote human development.

The 2011 report also revealed that there is a potential future deterioration in environmental degradation as there are increasing points to widespread environmental degradation around the world.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the United Nations Development Programme is trying to ensure that poor people's aspirations for better lives are fully taken into consideration in moving towards greater environmental sustainability.

There are also ranges of predictions and insight of human development which also points that the extent of future changes is uncertain.

The simulations for the report also gave the impression that the Human Development Index would be 8 per cent lower than in the baseline in an environmental challenge scenario which will capture the adverse effects of global warming on agricultural production and access to clean water by 2050.

UNDP also affirmed that the environmental disaster scenario will lead to a turning point before 2050 in developing nations if nothing is done to halt or reverse the current trends.

Part of the projections of the present trend as gathered by NaijaAgroNet is that the most disadvantaged people will bear the repercussions of environmental deterioration even though they contribute little to the problem.

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FAO, WFP warn on impending extreme hunger in South Sudan if …

The United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) had warned that millions of South Sudanese if urgent action is not taken.

A report jointly prepared by FAO and WFP titled "Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission to South Sudan," which is based on a research conducted on the agricultural sector of South Sudan and made available to NaijaAgroNet gave this indications.

The report revealed that the national cereal production in 2011 is 19 per cent below that of 2010, adding that the nation also witnessed an influx of returnees in 2011 but on the other hand there is reduction in harvest.

The number of food-insecure people has risen from 3.3 million in 2011 to 4.7 million in 2012, the report stated.

Also, FAO and WFP gave an estimation that the number of people who are severely food-insecure could double if conflicts continue to cause major population displacement and food prices keep rising.

"This is a rapidly approaching crisis that the world cannot afford to ignore. The situation is dire, and we are doing everything we can to be ready, but we are running out of time," the WFP's country director in South Sudan, Mr. Chris Nikoi said.

Equally speaking, the Head of Office, FAO in South Sudan, Mr. George Okeh said there is need to enable household to first have quick access to sate, nutritious food and other basic necessities.

Okeh emphasized the need to break the cycle of increasing hunger and poverty, asserting, "We can do this by helping people to resume the farming, livestock and other activities and other activities that support their livelihoods."

In an effort to reach 2.7million vulnerable people with food assistance, WFP, the acclaimed world's largest humanitarian agency fighting hunger globally thus seeks donor support to cover the current shortfall of $160 million about N25.5 billion; noting that there will be need for further additional funding if the situation deteriorates.

Also seeking financial assistance for South Sudan is FAO, which is requesting $23 million about N3.66 billion in donor support through the United Nations consolidated Appeal Process.

Part of the actions put in place by FAO is also to provide agricultural support to revive production capacity for the next cropping season.

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UK leads stakeholders’ dialogue to reshape agro-research

Some stakeholders comprising the United Kingdom (UK) Parliamentarians and Civil Servants joined the African farmers, international donors and scientists for a policy dialogue targeted at reshaping agricultural research.

The reshaping of agricultural research as revealed in a press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet is to serve development goals and the public good.

The agenda of the dialogue is to include prioritising for plant breeding and seed selection, options for managing soil fertility, options for developing accessible markets, ways of governing, organising, funding and practising research, and the types of policies needed to transform Africa’s agriculture, comprising changes to tenure, subsidies and investment.

The event organized by International Institute for Environmental and Development (IIED), was held between February 1 and 3, 2012 in Accra, Ghana.

The Executive Director of Oxfan-Novib, Farah Karimi reportedly co-chaired the event with Olivier de Schutter, who is the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food.

Emphasizing the importance of the dialogue the Director of IIED, Dr. Michel Pimbert said it is a valuable platform for smallholder farmers to get their voices heard. 

 "We’d like to see this constructive dialogue setting an agenda for future research priorities across the region,” he said.

A major funder of agricultural research in African with a total budget of nearly US$400million about N64.396billion, the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa (AGRA), NaijaAgroNet gathered also participated in the dialogue.

The AGRA team at the dialogue followed-up on what the small-scale farmers and food producers from West Africa think agricultural research should be about. 

“Publically funded research can make a huge contribution to eradicating hunger and poverty.  But the way it is designed, managed and implemented rarely involves the people who produce, process and consume agricultural produce,” Dr Michel Pimbert, an expert in agricultural ecology and the governance of food systems and natural resources.

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UN declares end to famine in Somalia

An end has been declared over the drought in the Horn of Africa by the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO).

The drought, NaijaAgroNet gathered, affected over 13 million of people and claimed thousands of lives.

The United Nations also made a sound warning that with the recurrent droughts in that part of the continent, hunger remains a threat to life unless long-term measures are taken in restoring food security.

At the height of the food crisis, about 750,000 people are at risk of death, as was disclosed to NaijaAgroNet in a press release by FAO.

According to a new report jointly prepared by FAO-managed Food Security and Nutrition analysis Unit (FSNAU) and USAID's Famine Early Warning System Network (FEWS NET) revealed that there has been a reduction in people that need emergency humanitarian assistance in Somalia from 4 million to 2.34million, amounting to 31 per cent of the population.

The reduction in the number of victims, FAO Director-General, Jose Graniano da Silva said links to the long-awaited rains coupled with substantial agricultural inputs and response from humanitarian organisations in the last six month.

“However, the crisis is not over. It can only be resolved with a combination of rains and continued, coordinated, long-term actions that build up the resilience of local populations and link relief with development," he said.

He further said that drought could be avoided but measures could equally be put in place in order to prevent drought turning into famine, and assured FAO would boost current efforts to the affected region.

Highlighting some of the responses, the Director General confirmed FAO had distributed seeds and fertilizers to Somali farmers, and the rehabilitation of 594 kilometers of irrigation canals and treating 2.6 million livestock at risk of diseases and infections associated with drought.

After visiting villages in Somalia, he said “I had a rare opportunity to meet with Somali farmers and herders in Dollow. I witnessed the impact that we can make in their lives. And, most importantly, I saw what they can do for themselves, if they receive the right support at the right time.”

Jose Graniano da Silva further urged stakeholders to renew their commitment to fighting the drought while assuring of FAO's commitment to work within the framework of existing initiatives such as the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP).

Further, NaijaAgroNet gathered that within 2009 and 2010, the UN agency, FAO had assisted 1,500 agricultural households and 35,000 pastoralists’ households in Gedo Region to boost their resilience in order to cope with the recent famine without outside assistance.

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IFC provides N4.846B to Armenia's small scale farmers

Local micro, small and medium enterprises and agribusiness in Armenia received a loan of $30million, about N4.846billion from a member of the World Bank Group, International Finance Corporation (IFC).

This was revealed to NaijaAgroNet in a press release, IFC gives the loan to Armenia's ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank in order to support the bank's lending program in rural areas through its extensive network of branches in Armenia.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the $30m loan is the second of its kind from the World Bank Group member, as IFC once provided the bank with a loan of $20million which was used in support of about 3,000 local clients. It is also gathered that IFC with the partnership of ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank established ACBA Leasing in 2003, the first leasing company in Armenia.

The loan is also provided in order to boost job creation in the country.

Stepan Gishyan, the CEO of ACBA-Credit Agricole Bank said the new loan will further increase the banks capacity for lending to micro, small and medium enterprises including agribusiness.

"With this new loan, IFC significantly emphasizes its role as one of our largest lenders. During these challenging economic times, lending to micro and small businesses is very important for both of our institutions," affirmed Gishyan.

 The Regional Head of IFC for Caucasus, Thomas Lubeck affirmed IFC's commitment to play an important role in supporting banks in emerging markets in order to help expand their lending programmes in priority sectors like agribusiness.

"With this second loan to the leading lender to the agriculture sector in Armenia in a short time span, we aim to support development of micro and small businesses, the sector that employs a significant part of Armenian workers,” Thomas Lubeck.

A total sum of $147million has been invested in 28 projects in Armenia since Armenia's membership with IFC in 1995.

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EU adopts a four-year strategy for animal welfare

In order to improve the welfare of animals in the European Union (EU) member states, a four-year strategy starting from 2012 to 2015 has been adopted.

The Health and Consumer Policy Commissioner at EU, Mr. John Dalli, affirmed that the new strategy would give room for appropriate flexibility to allow operators to attain the necessary welfare stands by different routes.

As gathered by the NaijaAgroNet, he said, "Optimizing policy coherence and market transparency in a comprehensive animal welfare legislative framework will minimize real or perceived tensions between welfare and economics."

The commissioner also noted that the strategy is cost-effective and economical in terms of welfare.

Highlighting one of the setbacks of the union, Dalli said there is lack of enforcement of EU legislation by Member State in a number of areas which is adversely affect animals in the EU.

Hence, the new strategy was adopted in the form of a commission communication to the European Parliament, the Council and the European Economic and Social Committee.

Another means to address the issue of low enforcement is the provision of two-pronged by the strategy: a proposal for a comprehensive animal welfare law and a reinforcement of current actions.

Reinforcement and the optimization of current commission actions was also proposed couple with enhancing tools that will boost Member State's Compliances with the legal requirement and boosting the already existing international co-operation on animal welfare.

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