Family planning: Lagos mothers choose options themselves - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

The Lagos mothers have disclosed that the choice of preferred family options were chosen by themselves without any coercion, reports NaijaAgroNet.

Most of the mothers who spoke recently to NaijaAgroNet during the 2018 World Population Day commemoration with the theme: Family Planning is a Human Right, and supported by Pathfinder International.

Some of those who spoke to NaijaAgroNet  included Mrs. Mojusola Oluwasegun, a staff nurse, Mrs. Akerele Deborah, and Mrs. Florence Famakinwa, alluded to the fact they willingly chose their plans of choice after careful counselling and affirmation that it’s a human rights to them.

The family planning methods available to Nigerians especially spouses include some 5 main types, namely the barrier methods, hormonal methods, Intra  Uterine Devices (IUDs) and natural methods.

As at the time of filing this report, NaijaAgroNet gathered that an estimated 6.428,000 women are using a modern method of contraception.

For Mrs. Mojusola Oluwasegun, 30: She likes family planning, so also her husband, just as she insisted on choosing it herself, obviously in fulfillment of her human rights.

“I like it and my husband also. I use implant. I choose it myself. I prefer implant,” she declared.

She also noted that the first time she used was allegedly told her system will change, but she started using it after her second child, even though she intended to use it after first child.

A staff Nurse, names withheld, who spoke to NaijaAgroNet at the Primary Healthcare Centre (PHC), Mascara in Alapere, Ikosi, Agoyi-Ketu, Lagos, affirmed that they encourage married women to choose a plan after due counselling.

“We allow mothers to choose a plan,” she declared, adding that however, when there are complaints are mainly on menses following too much and some weight loss, or adding of weight.

She described most of the complaints, especially on the weight as “psychologically issues”, while those who have excess bleeding issues are placed on medication.

Also speaking to NaijaAgroNet at PHC Ogudu, a teacher, Mrs. Akerele Deborah, started family planning in 2004 following a visit to a PHC after fourth child. As said by her, she informed her husband, noting that she had earlier did one family planning for 10 years and the last one was five years.

“There was no complain from my spouse. It’s a great benefit and I really thank the matron that introduced me to family planning,” Akerele said.

Pointing out that the first family planning ever, was condom, which somehow failed her, saying that despite using condom, to got pregnant.

“Luckily both of us were at home, otherwise it should have been a problem of infidelity,” she said.

Akerele emphasized that family planning has helped her family in spacing out, stressing that fiscal ability matters.

“If you want to give your children space of 2 to 3 years; it’s not easy,” she said, but advised women to adopt family planning because of themselves.

Equally, Mrs. Florence Famakinwa, 34, told NaijaAgroNet at same PHC, that she started family planning since 2012, but when she wanted to have a second baby, “I stopped and after second child. I decided to start IUD and my husband supported me very well.”

She noted that no side effect since she started this one, no issues, adding that the benefit of child spacing is very important and cannot be over-emphasized.

NaijaAgroNet recollects that the World Population Day was established on July 11 by the then-Governing Council of the United Nations Development Programme since 1989.

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Climate change: Africa witnesses hottest temperature ever - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

The Africa has witnessed the hottest temperature ever, as the climate change seems to catch up with the most-black continent, reports NaijaAgroNet.

According to the Earth Day Network, Africa witnessed the hottest temperature ever reliably measured on Earth when Ouargla, Algeria hit 124.3 degrees.

NaijaAgroNet gathered that while no single temperature can be attributed to global warming, collectively these heat records are consistent with the kind of extremes we expect to see in a warming world.

That was why Earth Day Network said, its doubling-down on commitment to help cut carbon emissions and demand that our leaders support binding global climate change agreements now before it’s too late.

“Everything we do, from planting trees to cleaning up plastic pollution to protecting endangered animal habitats; aims to keep our climate stable and stave off the impacts of climate change,” they said.

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Promote healthy diets says expert - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

Agronomists and Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, Mr. Graziano da Silva, has appealed to Portuguese-speaking countries under the auspices of Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP), reports NaijaAgroNet.

Da Silva also urged them to address the rising rates of obesity, which he described as “alarming” in develop and developing countries alike.

In 2017, he explained, almost two billion adults were overweight in the world, of whom around 700 million are obese.

"Excessive consumption of processed foods rich in salt and sugars is the main factor behind the increase in obesity,” he said. “Countries must face this situation by encouraging healthy diets through public policies that allow consumers to know the benefits and harms of what they are eating," he said.

Tackling the problem requires redoubling efforts in nutrition education, especially for mothers and children, and improving the information available to consumers through the regulation of food labeling and advertising, he added

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Global warming is no joke, says Earth Day Network, seeks charity support - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

Experts at the Earth Day Network have said that definitely, global warming is not cool as they called for support with new charity T-shirt, reports NaijaAgroNet.

They also said that supports tend to feel good when using the T-shirt, but warned that global warming is no joke.

The proceeds, NaijaAgroNet gathered would be in support for the network’s climate change campaign.

“All proceeds will go to support our climate change campaign,” they said, revealing that the T-shirt is now available in organize 100 per cent cotton.

“Four consecutive years — 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 — saw record heat for planet Earth. Will 2018 break records again? Wear the shirt that asks that question and stand with Earth Day Network as we work to keep our planet green and cool,” they urged.

Also, they pointed out that from normally chilly Ireland, Scotland and Canada to the scorching Middle East to Southern California, hot weather records are being broken this July, just as Denver hit 105.

“In Quebec, at least 54 people died from extreme heat conditions,” the Earth Day team declared.

Even as the Arctic Ocean coast in northern Siberia temperatures saw temperatures soaring to 90 degrees. That’s 40 degrees above normal.

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Humans consume 151.2m tonnes of fish - NaijAgroNet:

NaijAgroNet:

Human beings across the world consumed a total of 151.2 million tonnes of fish as food, says the State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018, reports NaijaAgroNet.

This is coming as 27 per cent of all landings were recorded as spoilage due to thrown away after landing and prior to consumption, from the total global fish produced as at 2016 recorded 171 million tonnes.

NaijaAgroNet gathered from the report, showed that the share of that from marine capture fisheries was 79.3 million tonnes, while freshwater capture stood at 11.6 million tonnes whereas, from aquaculture was 80 million tonnes.

The first-sale value of all fisheries and aquaculture production in 2016, NaijaAgroNet gathered, was $362 billion and attracted from aquaculture the sum of $232 billion.

The number of people employed in fisheries and aquaculture, NaijaAgroNet reports was 59.6 million in the period under review, while the percentage of those who are women: 14 per cent.

The region with the most fishers and fish farmers during this review was Asia which recorded 85 per cent of the total, even as the number of fishing vessels on the planet was 4.6 million.

The largest fleet by region was from Asia and recorded 3.3 million vessels, or 75% of the global fleet, just as value of fish production exports was $143 billion.

Net export revenues for developing countries ($37 billion) exceeds revenues from their exports of meat, tobacco, rice and sugar combined, while world's largest fish producer and exporter was China, while the world's largest consumer market of fish and fish products are the European Union, followed by the United States;  and leaving Japan at third place.

The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2018 highlighted how important fishing and fish farming are for people's livelihoods, including millions of families belonging to some of the world's poorest communities.

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'Support family farming, rural women with public policies' - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

The Director-General, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations, Mr. Graziano da Silva, has highlighted the crucial importance of supporting family farming through public policies and intersectoral programmes, reports NaijaAgroNet.

He additionally noted the need to empower rural women across developing countries, especially in the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) in order to achieve sustainable development.

FAO’s Director-General also warned that the strategy of increasing food production at any price has not been enough to eradicate hunger nor to avoid the global epidemic of obesity and overweight, and that it has had an enormous environmental cost due to the intensive use of chemicals and natural resources.

"Soil, forests, water, air quality and biodiversity continue to deteriorate. We must promote a transformative change in the way we produce and consume food. We have to put forward sustainable food systems that offer healthy and nutritious food, and also preserve the environment,” he said.

He also encouraged the adaptation of agricultural and food systems to the impact of climate change, especially s floods and droughts will become more frequent, as is already the case in Cape Verde.

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FAO reiterates support to eradicate hunger, malnutrition - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has reiterated support to eradicate hunger and malnutrition, especially in Portuguese-speaking countries, reports NaijaAgroNet.

FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva disclosed this in Cape Verde, Monday, as part of efforts at consolidating the National Councils of Food and Nutritional Security function.

He pointed out to the Community of Portuguese Language Countries (CPLP) that in the implementation of their Regional Strategy for Food Security and Nutrition to eradicate hunger and will ensure adequate food in the lusophone countries.

He stressed that FAO will continue to support the work of the National Food and Nutritional Security Councils (CONSAN), that have been set up in seven of the bloc’s nine member states (Brazil, Cape Verde, Mozambique, Sao Tome and Principe, Timor-Leste, Guinea-Bisau and, as of last week, Portugal)) and said he hoped that both Angola and Equatorial Guinea would follow their example.

"National Councils are fundamental to promote better governance of the Regional Strategy and an inclusive dialogue between the various governmental and non-governmental actors," said Graziano da Silva, addressing the Second Meeting of the Food and Nutrition Security Council of the CPLP taking place this week in Cape Verde.

"Today, more than ever, it is essential to listen to and consider the opinions of international organizations, civil society, the private sector, parliamentarians, research institutes and the academic world," he added.  Graziano da Silva reiterated that only by working together, the international community will be able to overcome the challenges for sustainable development and ensure that no one is left behind in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

Ulisses Correia e Silva, Prime Minister of Cape Verde, emphasized the importance of raising the status of CONSAN as an advisory body to CPLP Heads of State and Government, suggesting that is regular meetings always be held on the sidelines of CPLP summits.

The Santa Maria Declaration adopted today by CONSAN-CPLP recognized Graziano da Silva’s work and leadership as FAO Director-General and his efforts to make it a more efficient and effective organization in support of member states for the implementation of the 2030 Agenda.

The community of Portuguese-speaking countries includes Angola, Brazil, Cape Verde, Guinea-Bissau, Mozambique, Equatorial Guinea, Portugal, Sao Tome and Principe and Timor Leste.

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Pix: FAO Director-General José Graziano da Silva

Countries step up to tackle antimicrobial resistance - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

Various countries of the world have taken significant steps in tackling Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR), but serious gaps remain and require urgent action, reports NaijaAgroNet.

The report released by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) and the World Health Organization (WHO), as well as sighted by NaijaAgroNet, the chart progress was visible in 154 countries and reveals  wide discrepancies. 

According to the report, some, including many European countries, have been working on  AMR policies in human and animal sectors for more than 4 decades. Others have only recently started to take action to contain this growing threat. Progress in developing and implementing plans is greater in high-income than low-income countries but all countries have scope for improvement. No country  reports sustained capacity at scale in all areas.

The report looks at surveillance, education, monitoring and regulating consumption and use of antimicrobials in human health, animal health and production, as well as plants and the environment - as recommended in the Global Action Plan published in 2015.

Promising findings include 105 countries with a surveillance system in place for reporting drug-resistant infections in human health and 68 countries with a system for tracking consumption of antimicrobials.  In addition, 123 countries reported that they have policies to regulate the sale of antimicrobials, including the requirement of a prescription for human use - a key measure to tackle overuse and misuse of antimicrobials. 

But implementation of these policies varies  and unregulated medicines are still available in places such as street markets, with no limits on how they are used. Medicines are very often sold over the counter and no prescription is requested. This puts human and animal health at risk, potentially contributing to the development of antimicrobial resistance.

The report highlights areas, particularly in the animal and food sectors, where there is an urgent need for more investment and action. For example, only 64 countries report that they follow FAO-OIE-WHO recommendations to limit the use of critically important antimicrobials for growth promotion in animal production. Of these, 39 are high-income countries, with the majority in WHO's European Region. By contrast, only 3 countries from WHO's African Region and 7 countries from the WHO Region of the Americas have taken this important step to reduce the emergence of antimicrobial resistance.

A total of 67 countries report at least having legislation in place to control all aspects of production, licensing and distribution of antimicrobials for use in animals. But 56 either said that they had  no national policy or legislation regarding the quality, safety and efficacy of antimicrobial products used in animal and plant health, and their distribution, sale or use, or that they were unable to report whether they have these policies in place.

There is also a substantial lack of action and data in  the environment and plant sectors. Although 78 countries have regulations in place to prevent environmental contamination generally, only 10 of them report having comprehensive systems to ensure regulatory compliance for all waste management, including regulations that limit the discharge of antimicrobial residues into the environment. This is insufficient to protect the environment from the hazards of antimicrobial production.

"This report shows growing global momentum to combat antimicrobial resistance," says Dr Ranieri Guerra, Assistant Director-General for Antimicrobial Resistance at WHO. "We call on governments to make sustained commitments across all sectors  -  human and animal health, plant health and the environment - otherwise we risk losing the use of these precious medicines."

"Supporting low- and middle-income countries to follow guidance of responsible and prudent use of antimicrobials in animals is an urgent priority," says Dr Matthew Stone, Deputy Director General of the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).  "Implementation of dedicated OIE international standards, appropriate national legislation and strengthening of veterinary services are essential steps to help all animal health stakeholders contribute to controlling the threat posed by antimicrobial resistance."

 "FAO welcomes that many countries are taking concrete steps towards the responsible use of antimicrobials in agriculture," says Maria Helena Semedo, FAO Deputy Director-General. "However, countries need to do more to reduce the unregulated and excessive use of antimicrobials in agriculture.  We particularly urge countries to phase out the use of antimicrobials for growth promotion in animal production - terrestrial and aquatic."

From this survey and other sources, the Tripartite (FAO, OIE and WHO) is aware that 100 countries now have national action plans for AMR in place and a further 51 countries have plans under development, but more needs to be done to ensure that they are implemented. Only 53 countries report that they have a multisectoral working group that is fully functional, although a further 77 have established such a group. 

Only 10 countries report that the funding for all actions in the plan is identified and many middle- and low-income countries may need long-term development assistance to implement their plans effectively and sustainably. Positively, among the top ten chicken-, pork- and cattle-producing countries that responded to the AMR survey, 9 out of 10 have at minimum developed a national action plan; the majority of these have plans in operation with a monitoring arrangement.  

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IFAD names Guoqi Wu, Associate VP for Corporate Services - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet: The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has named Guoqi Wu as the new Associate Vice-President of the Corporate Services Department, reports NaijaAgroNet. In his new role, Wu will provide strategies that support IFAD’s goals and organizational leadership with regards to human resources, administrative services, safety and security, and information technology resources. “It is an exciting time to be joining IFAD as the organization expands and decentralizes its operations to reach and better serve more rural people with its programmes and projects,” Wu said. “I am looking forward to leading the corporate services function and creating an even greater focus on attracting, developing, and retaining top-class talents.” IFAD is a specialized agency of the United Nations dedicated to eradicating rural poverty in developing countries. Seventy-five per cent of the world's poorest people - 1.4 billion women, children and men - live in rural areas and depend on agriculture and related activities for their livelihoods. Wu has more than 20 years of experience working with international financial institutions to promote global development cooperation. Previously he was in the position of Alternate Director of China at the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank and the New Development Bank, actively engaging on general and sector strategies, operational policies, business plans and budget, investment projects, as well as on membership expansion and partnership agreements. In addition, Wu also served as Alternate Executive Director of China at the Asian Development Bank. Prior to that, he worked for the Chinese Ministry of Finance in different positions, including Chief of the G20/BRICS Division responsible for macroeconomic policy coordination under the respective Finance Ministers' Meeting mechanisms. Wu holds a PhD in Economics from the Research Institute for Fiscal Science, Ministry of Finance, China, and a Master of Science in Development Finance  from the University of Manchester, United Kingdom. Isaac Oyimah/GEE ... Linking agrobiz, sustainable environs, people & technology

Family planning: Lagos mothers laud exercise, we’re healthier - NaijaAgroNet

NaijaAgroNet:

It was a commendation galore for the Lagos State government on its efforts for an improved family planning service delivery and adoption among resident mothers, reports NaijaAgroNet.

This commendation is coming at the heels of 2018 World Population Day which focused its anniversary on the “Family Planning is a Human Right”.

Most of the Lagos mothers who spoke to NaijaAgroNet at a field trip to some Primary HealthCare centres in Lagos by Pathfinders International, said they see the issue of family planning as their own human rights, hence they were encouraged to go all out with additional support of their spouses towards making life better and healthier.

For a teacher, Mrs. Oluwaseyi Oluwapadia, who has been using family planning since December 2012, noted she has evidently seen the benefit on herself and her children.

“My last baby was in about September 11 and will be 7 by this year September,” she declared.

Also, she affirmed support and consent of her husband, pointing out that work permission is the only hindrance to keeping up to date with medical visits as at when due.

“My husband gave his consent and has been very supportive,” she asserted, stressing that one of the immediate benefit for her is that family planning has helped her to keep fit and look like sweet sixteen.

Another mother, Mrs. Karim Bilikis, 32, told NaijaAgroNet that family planning is very good and has enabled her to have peace in the home front.

“It allows you to have peace at home, and take care of children up to university level,” she said.

As said by her, women or mothers precisely have some work and she would like to have time to improve on her education, noted that she is on two months family planning, which she had started using it after her first child.

“There is no side-effects unless you miss your medical appointment,” she responded, when asked if there is any side effect to family planning.

Family planning for her offers users an opportunity to have happy family, help your husband. Mrs. Karim revealed that she has plan to have just three children, stressing that she see family planning as a human right.

“Women have very important work to do including the breastfeeding and catering for all the children,” Mrs Karim said.

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