GCC reaffirms commitment to tackle Global Food Insecurity

NaijaAgroNet. Experts, policy makers, senior industry professionals and ministers came together at the World Food Security Summit held recently to deliberate on strategy on how to tackle global food insecurity under the aegis of Global Corporate Council (GCC), reports NaijaAgroNet. The event which held in Dubai, United Arab Emirate was centered on discussing and debating on sustainable global agriculture industry, policy reforms, international farmland acquisition strategies and domestic agriculture initiatives, among others. NaijaAgroNet reports that Ahmed Alkhaja, the Senior Vice President of GCC, while declaring the Summit openat the Dubai World Trade Centre (DWTC) venue, said that the word Food security issue remains the priority of all countries in the world. "Securing immediate and long-term food security remains an on-going priority for countries all over the world. In the Middle East, the heavy reliance on imports, population growth, increasing demand for animal proteins and limited water supply make the issue of food security particularly relevant,” he said. The three- day World Food Summit,  NaijaAgroNet gathered ontinues on Tuesday February 10, 2015 and to end on Wednesday February 11, 2015

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2.5m South Sudanese suffer Food Shortage

 NaijaAgroNet.

About 2.5 million people in South Sudan are experiencing high level of food insecurity as hostility continues in the country, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The latest outcry came from the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) which hinted NaijaAgroNet that the number of people in the country who were experiencing high level food crises when the fighting started way back in December 2013, has now doubled.

NaijaAgroNet also reports that based on this crisis, IPC says, financial support is urgently needed in the region to fight against food insecurity and market failure.

Additionally,  NaijaAgroNet gathered that 3.9 million people are now in a situation of stressful anxiety due to food insecurity coursed by the fighting.

The FAO Country Representative in South Sudan, Sue Lautze affirmed to NaijaAgroNet that families in the conflict ravaged side of the country are running out of food stock due missed crop circle.

“Missed crop cycles in conflict-ravaged parts of the country mean we’re now expecting household food stocks in the worst-affected counties to run out by March 2015 – much earlier than in a normal year,” Lautze said.

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[NaijaagroNet] GESS is a boost to farming – AFAN

NaijaAgroNet:

The Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) has been described as a boost to farming industry in Nigeria, according to the secretary of All Farmers Association of Nigeria (AFAN), Alhaji Garba Bichi, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The GESS, NaijaAgroNet also reports, is a policy introduced by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration to help farmers in growing their crops using fertilizer at a subsidize rate.

Alhaji Bichi told NaijaAgroNet in Kano, that not less than 120,000 farmers specialize in rice farming are going to receive fertilizer at a subsidize rate from the Federal Government for irrigation rice production.

Some aim of the scheme, he said, include targeting of 5 million farmers each year for 4 years that will receive GESS in their mobile phone directly totaling 20 million at the end of 4 years and to provide support directly to farmers to enable them procure agricultural inputs at affordable prices, at the right time and place.

Alhaji Bichi confirmed that the distribution will commenced Monday, February 2, 2015 and it would be in 44 Local Government Areas in 48 recovery centers in the state of Kano.

Stressing that the distribution will be at all the redemption centers in the state on receipt of short message service alert on their handsets and enjoined farmers to look out and ensure they participate fully.

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[NaijaagroNet] FAO supports AU to end hunger in Africa

 NaijaAgroNet:

The Director General for Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Mr.Graziano Silva has given his support to the African Union(AU) to put an end to hunger in Africa, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The support came during the African Union summit that was held in January, 2015 in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa, where Heads of State and Government met in respect to the Malobo pledge made in 2014.

Graziano da Silva said that his Organization’s support has been with the African Union ever since they started the journey.

"My presence at the AU summit, where the Malabo implementation strategy and road map have been presented and approved by heads of state, is crucial for FAO, we have accompanied the AU and NEPAD since the beginning of this journey, and will continue to do so until we get a hunger free Africa with the participation of key stakeholders governments, private sector, civil society, youth and women."

The FAO has been in support since the first realization plan of the post Malobo roadmap, and they also attract both public and private sectors to bring solution in putting to stop every factor that could lead to food shortage.

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[NaijaAgroNet] Kofi Annan says Africa can end global food insecurity, nutrition crisis

NaijaAgroNet:

The former Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Kofi Annan has declared that Africa has the capacity to feed the world and put an end to the global food insecurity and nutrition crises, reports NaijaAgroNet

Speaking at the just concluded World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, NaijaAgroNet reports that Annan said, Africa has the largest uncultivated arable land that needs to be put in use in order to provide more environments for both youth and adult farmers to provide the quantity of food needed.

“About 60 per cent of the world’s uncultivated land is located in the Sub-Saharan Africa,” he declared.

According to him, Africa has all it takes to boost its economy and add growth to its Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

NaijaAgroNet recalls that Kofi A. Annan was the 7th Secretary-General of the United Nations and founding chairman of the Kofi Annan Foundation and was in 2001, alongside the United Nations jointly awarded the Nobel Prize for Peace.

The World Economic Forum (WEF) is a Swissnonprofitfoundation, based in Cologny, Geneva. It describes itself as an independent international organization committed to improving the state of the world by engaging business, political, academic, and other leaders of society to shape global, regional, and industry agendas.

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