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Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Tens of thousands fled Syria for food security


Due to the increasing inaccessibility of food and water in Syria, people in tens of thousands are fleeing Syria for neighboring countries.
As revealed to NaijaAgroNet in a special alert by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), there is also fuel shortages which in turn have a great effect on transportation costs.
FAO made the alert as there has been civil unrest in Syria since March 2011.
The World Food Programme (WFP) of United Nations affirmed an estimation of about 1.4 million food insecure living in areas which have now become conflicts hotspot in 2010.
WFP lists Homs, Hama, rural Damascus, Daraa and Idleb as areas which are vulnerable in 2010 and are now more vulnerable as a result of conflicts.
FAO and WFP are currently running an emergency operation providing food aid and vouchers to 100 000 people in the country.
NaijaAgroNet gathered that some 300,000 small farmers and herders in the north-eastern provinces had already suffered four consecutive seasons of drought, and they are also affected by loss of opportunities from seasonal labour migration within the country.
'Yinka Awosanya/LS
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Monday, March 19, 2012

African youths to discuss challenges, policies of agriculture



African youths would today commence a three-day conference in Accra-Ghana to discuss changes, challenges and policy implications for the development of agricultural sector on the continent.
The conference with the theme “Young People, Farming and Food,” organized by the Future Agricultures Consortium in conjunction with the Institute of Statistical and Social Economic Research (ISSER) of the University of Ghana scheduled holds in Accra, Ghana between 19th and 21st March, 2012.
NaijaAgroNet gathered that the conference would examine how young people engage with the agricultural sector in Africa as producers, entrepreneurs, employees, consumers and citizens.
Changes in the sector and what this means to young people would also top discussions, even as the conference would look at the implications for young people of alternative policy approaches to the development of the agri-food sector.
 Yinka Awosanya/LS
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Germany supports West African governments with N10 billion


The Federal Republic of Germany has given a financial support of Euro50 million, about N10.38 billion to West African nations in support of climate activities, reports GhanaWeb.
Also, NaijaAgroNet gathered that the fund would be put to use by West Africa Science Centre for Climate Change and Adapted Land Use (WASCAL), whose creation's constitution was signed by 10 West African ministers last month including Nigeria.
The ministers from Ghana, Gambia, Burkina Faso, Mali, Benin, Niger, Senegal, and Togo also signed the Cooperation of Agreement for WASCAL in Lome, Togo.
Further, NaijaAgroNet gathered that the funds were provided by German government in order to help West Africans to generate the knowledge and develop the analytical capability in the region on climate change and land resources to design resilient land use system. 
With the funds the science centre, WASCAL would offer research community in West Africa through the partnership of Germany expertise on climate change and adapted land management to strengthen the ability in the region to assess the impact of land management policies affecting the wellbeing of the targeted region. Read more
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Wednesday, March 14, 2012

FAO finalizes negotiations on land tenure, access issues


The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has finalized negotiations guidelines for responsible governance of land tenure and access rights.
The proposed set of voluntary global guidelines as revealed to NaijaAgroNet in a press release made available by FAO also covers issues of fisheries and forest resources and the guidelines are set for approval from the Committee on World Food Security (CFS).
In a reaction to the proposed guidelines, the chairman of CFS, Yaya Olaniran said the guidelines will be voluntary once approved as they have been drawn up in such a comprehensive and inclusive process.
"In fact, we're already seeing governments moving to bring their policies and practices into alignment with the guidelines," he said.
NaijaAgroNet gathered that the approval of the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security which was developed over the past three years will be at a special session in Rome by mid-May.
Equally commenting, José Graziano da Silva, FAO Director-General congratulated the participants of the negotiations as it is a milestone achievement.
"The Voluntary Guidelines will play an important part in answering the challenge of ending hunger and assuring food security of every child, woman and man in an economically, socially and environmentally sustainable way," he said.
It is also gathered that 96 countries including the European Union as an FAO member organization along with nongovernmental groups, civil society organizations, UN agencies and other international organizations, farmers associations and private sector representatives took part in several rounds of talks by an Open Ended Working Group established by CFS to negotiate the text of the guidelines. 
The last and final round of negotiations was held March 5 to 9 at FAO's Rome headquarters.
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Make earth suitable for human - Ward urges


"We have to combine our immediate commitment to meeting human needs with our longer term need to protect the earth as a place suitable for human life now and in the future" according to the Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Christiana Figueres.
Madam Executive Secretary made this quote in honour of late Barbara Mary Ward, an economist on issues of the protection of the earth, at the 2012 Barbara Ward Lecture last weekend.
She appreciated late Barbara Ward for stressing the need to simultaneously address the inner limits of human requirements and the outer limits of what the earth could sustain.
NaijaAgroNet gathered that Christiana in her speech made known that the RIO+20 conference, a medium that allows the world to take stock of past efforts is fast approaching, hence, she stressed the need to do away with "business-as-usual" in order to make the ground shake now more than ever before.
"With billions of people still in abject poverty and with environmental depletion and greenhouse emissions at an all time high, one cannot help but conclude that this was not what Barbara Ward had in mind," she said.
She also affirmed that climate change has the potential to undo many of the development gains that have been made, including in the context of the Millennium Development Goals.
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Thursday, March 1, 2012

Brazil supports 5 African countries with N371 million


The Brazilian government has promised to provide the sum of $2, 375, 000 about N371.09 million to support farming in five African countries.
These countries as revealed in a press statement made available to NaijaAgroNet are Ethiopia, Malawi, Mozambique, Niger and Senegal.
The fund according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is in accordance with the agreement signed by the government of Brazil with FAO and the World Food Programme (WFP) for a new local food purchase programme to benefit farmers and vulnerable populations in the listed African countries.
Based on the agreement, FAO said, it would receive $1.55million, about N242.2 million to look after the production side of the new project, making provisions for seeds and fertilizer, also increasing the capacity of small-scale farmers and boosting farmers' association's growth.
FAO is also to work towards mobilizing Brazilian expertise in support of local purchase initiatives as the Brazilian government is providing her expertise drawn from its the Food Purchase Programme (PAA) of Brazil.
WFP will be held responsible for purchasing and delivering the food to schools and vulnerable groups as well as receiving $800,000 about N125 million as stated in the agreement.
Purchase for Progress (P4P), NaijaAgroNet gathered is a pilot project of the World Food Programme which has already made local purchases of food and also looking for ways to buy more directly from small-scale farmers.
One of the motives for the Agreement is to strengthen local food markets and help improve food security in order to prevent future food insecurity.
The programme also seeks to supplement the diets of hungry people.
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Canada supports the West African Sahel with N6.45b


In a bid to help the victims of famine in the Sahel region of West Africa, the Canadian Government is providing the sum of $41 million, about N6.45 billion, Reports CityNews.
Bev Oda, International Cooperation Minister of Canada affirmed the impending food security and crisis in the region which calls for a great concern.
NaijaAgroNet recalls that the United Nations and other international institutions had warned of famine which could affect about 23 million across Niger, Mali, Chad, Burkina Faso and Mauritania if major global rescue efforts are not mounted.
The Minister said Canada will not relent efforts to monitor the developing situation closely.
"We must act now with help for millions of people struggling to meet their immediate basic food security and nutrition needs to avoid a more tragic situation later," Oda said. Read more
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