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Saturday, May 9, 2015

World cereal production may decline----FAO







Indications are that world cereal production may decline by  1.5 per cent from what it was  last year due mainly to the reduced acreage planted with maize, even though the effect will be mitigated by "exceptionally high" levels of existing stocks, according to the latest forecasts in FAO's biannual Food Report published May 7, 2015, reports NaijaAgroNet.

FAO's first forecast for global cereal production in 2015, assuming normal weather conditions for the remainder of the season, amounts to 2.509 billion tonnes, a bit down from last year's record but nearly 5 per cent above the average of the past five years.  

The report, NaijaAgroNet further gathered, stated that the modest decline in output would require running inventories down by around 3 per cent in the new season (2015/16), with faster drawdowns for coarse grains and rice than for wheat

"The world food import bill is forecast to reach a five-year low in 2015", the report say, mainly driven by a decline in international prices, low freight rates and a strong US dollar. Import volumes of the various food components of the bill were little changed or even rising. Low income countries are also expected to benefit from lower import bills. 

Several years of solid harvests and stockpiling mean most basic food commodities are in surplus. As a result, the projected drop in cereals output is not expected to impact availability of food for consumption.

Dairy production trends are poised for further steady growth of around two percent in 2015, with lower international prices buoying imports in Africa. The abolition of the European Union's milk quota system is likely to boost output and was one of the main drivers of the 6.7 percent monthly drop in the Dairy Price Index, NaijaAgroNet learnt.

Cyriacus Nnaji/ ED,OPs

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Niger Delta: 2,200 youths gain skills






Over 2,200 youths in the Niger Delta region of Nigeria have been empowered in various skills. This revelation was made recently by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Dr. Steve Oru, NaijaAgroNet
reports.
He stated that under the Goodluck Jonathan’s administration non-militant youths in the region have acquired various skills."Mr. President has been so passionate about the people in the Niger Delta region. It is on the strength of his transformation initiative that the ministry has made progress so far."

Dr. Oru said the youths were trained in oil and gas, agriculture, maritime, seafarers, engineering, information and communications technology (ICT) as well as iPad and telephone assembly, adding that the trainees were all drawn from the nine states of Abia, Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo, Imo, Ondo, and Rivers.

In an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) and monitored by NaijaAgroNet, Oru explained that the training and empowerment programmes for youths in the region was a continuous exercise.

NaijaAgroNet also gathered that the ministry's skills acquisition centres in the nine oil producing states of the Niger Delta region were near completion even though fund is a major challenge but that efforts were being made to bring all the centres on stream.

"The centre in Akwa Ibom and Delta states would concentrate on oil and gas, ICT and maritime studies.The centres in Abia and Imo will train youths in commerce, the one in Cross River is on entertainment and tourism while the Ondo skills acquisition centre will focus on agriculture.

Cyriacus Nnaji/ED,OPs

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Jonathan commends youth response to agriculture under his administration




President Goodluck Jonathan has described as unprecedented youth response to agriculture under his administration, saying that such response to agricultural initiatives is one of the successes of his government, NaijaAgroNet  reports.

NaijaAgroNet learnt this much at the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) swearing-in ceremony for the 2015 Batch 'A' ‎Stream I corps members, deployed to Lagos State, at the NYSC Orientation Camp , in Iyana-Ipaja.

Represented by Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State, Jonathan stated that his administration has put in place many beneficial interventions, which have increased the skills, self-confidence and self-sufficiency available to the youth, NaijaAgroNet gathered.

"I'm particularly delighted with the unprecedented youth response to Agriculture," he said.
"Now, across the country, in cultivation, aquaculture, processing, packaging: all along the value chain, our youth are rediscovering their potential, making adequate incomes and producing more food, with modern, exciting techniques, and equipment."

Jonathan, NaijaAgroNet also said that his government has shown committed support for the NYSC scheme which has exposed millions of youths to the cultures and traditions of Nigeria's pluralistic society and hoped that the "next government will continue to support and encourage corps members.”

Cyriacus Nnaji/ ED,OPs

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Africa launches Climate Smart-Agriculture Alliance Forum





The Africa’s first Climate Smart-Agriculture Alliance Forum, an Africa’s strategic approach for food security and nutrition in the face of climate change has been slated to hold in Addis  Ababa, Ethiopia,  NajiaAgroNet reports.

The launch of the Africa CSA Alliance Forum which will hold at Capital Hotel and Spa, NajiaAgroNet gathered, was formulated to foster harmonisation across various programmes being undertaken by African countries in climate change and agriculture. It is also a critical milestone in facilitating the sharing and learning on the various Climate Smart-Agriculture initiatives.

According to the information made available to  NajiaAgroNet, the Africa CSA Alliance Forum will specifically  agree on the general Africa-specific guiding principles and standards in domesticating the CSA definition into local/country and farming systems specific circumstances; validate the Africa CSA Vision 25x25 toolbox, an important tool for continental benchmarking and measuring CSA adoption for the “25 million targeted farming households by 2025”;  facilitate sharing across the various CSA initiatives at various levels.

It will also foster alignment in regional efforts in supporting and contributing to delivering on the “Africa CSA Vision 25x25” (based on ecosystems potential and related political economy issues).

 NajiaAgroNet also learnt that the Africa Climate-Smart Alliance Forum will be attended by: H.E Ato Sileshi Gutahun, Ethiopian State Minister for Agriculture; H.E Rhoda Peace Tumusiime – African Union Commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, H.E Yasmine Foaud – Assistant Minister for Sustainable Development and External Affairs, Ministry of Environment, Arab Republic of Egypt. H.E Andreas Gaarder - Norwegian Ambassador to Ethiopia 

Also in attendance will be representatives and participants from Governments, Regional Economic Communities, Farmers’ Organisations, Private Sector, Civil Society, specialised agencies and development partners.

Cyriacus Nnaji/ ED,OPs

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Wednesday, May 6, 2015

UN - 34 African nation’s soil endangered





The United Nations (UN) climate changes conference in Germany tagged “International Year of Soils” has come to an end with scientist and environmental advocates estimating that nearly a third of the world’s soil is degraded, with the figure closer to two-thirds in sub-Saharan Africa, NaijaAgroNet reports.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the one week-long conference reports that 34 of Africa’s 54 countries have over 20 percent in either the amount of land degraded or the amount of population affected by land degradation.

Emphasizing the importance of soil, NaijaAgroNet gathered that the experts view the soil as one of the most important resources obtainable, if not the most important. They further substantiate that it sustains all our agricultural and livestock food production, wood for fuel production, filters water so that we can drink it and fish can live in it, as well as useful for construction – therefore sustaining our homes and infrastructure. 

It further maintained as NaijaAgroNet learnt, that in Africa, the issue of land degradation (a decline in land quality caused by human activities) and soil fertility decline is deeply complex with intertwining and cyclical causes. These range from poverty, inadequate farming techniques, and poor inherent soil qualities to population pressure, to insecure land tenure and climate change, amongst other factors.
Stating also that if these are issues are not addressed, the cycle of poor land management will result in higher barriers to food security, agricultural development for smallholder farmers and wider economic growth for Africa.

According to Agriculture for Impact (A4I), an independent advocacy initiative, NaijaAgroNet gathered that the economic loss as a result of land degradation is estimated at approximately N13.5 trillion ($68 billion) per annum.

It further advocates that better land management practices could deliver approximately N279 trillion ($1.4 trillion) globally in increased crop production which is 35 times the losses.  
NaijaAgroNet also learnt that a 2008 report on the “Global Assessment of Land Degradation” by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and partners offered some shocking insights and surprises into the degree of soil degradation in some African countries. 

The African countries on the UN watch list as NaijaAgroNet gathered would be the dry land African countries around the Mediterranean and Middle East and relatively small areas in the Maghreb and the Nile delta. 

The conference NaijaAgroNet gathered, advocates that the rate of soil nutrient depletion is a factor that must be considered when ranking which countries should be on the soil watch list, as an important concern directly linked to food insecurity in developing countries due to the intensification of land use for agricultural production. 

NaijaAgroNet gathered that 650 people from 80 countries gathered in Germany for the conference that brought together scientists and environmental advocates to discuss climate change’s increasingly hottest topic - soil. 

Daniel Nsolibe /Ed,Ops.
  
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Saturday, May 2, 2015

AU, Harvest Plus sets to promote farming technologies


African Union commissioner for Rural Economy and Agriculture, Tumuslime Rhoda Peace, has said that the union would partner with lead research-based agriculture institution, Harvest Plus, to promote farming and consumption of boi-fortified crops, through the use of farming technologies, especially among poor farming and urban communities, to boost Agriculture in the African continent. NaijaAgroNet, reports.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that Tumuslime appreciated the role of the institute in lifting the rural poor communities in Africa out of poverty and stressed that in order to improve market access, the use of farming technology needs propagation at higher policy making levels so that farmers can adopt it and sellers can buy the micro nutrient-added to produce in good quantities.

Director Harvest Plus, Dr. Howarth Bouis and Harvest Plus, Head of Africa Strategic Alliances, Dr. Anna-Marie Ball NaijaAgroNet learnt, briefed the commissioner on its accomplishments in breeding and production of bio-fortified food crops and distribution bio-fortified seed varieties as well as improved cultivars, thereby empowering rural communities.

Dr. Bouis said, “The organisation also helps add value to locally produced agricultural crops in countries where the organization is working in Africa.” She added that “we have released a number of bio-fortified crops including: iron beans, iron pearl millet, vitamin A cassava, vitamin A maize, vitamin A sweet potatoes, Zinc rice and Zinc wheat.”

NaijaAgroNet gathered that the Harvard Plus has executed countless programmes in Africa, especially the rapid expansion in production and consumption of yellow cassava in Nigeria.

Harvest Plus as NaijaAgroNet learnt, is a lead research-based, agriculture technology institution that was established to respond to the problem of ‘hidden hunger’ which is caused by the lack of essential vitamins and minerals in the diet, such as vitamin A, zinc, and iron, thus reinforcing agriculture’s pivotal role in improving the quality of diet and increasing micro-nutrient consumption. 

Nsolibe Daniel/Ed, Ops.
 

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