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Tag: Food Security

  • BREAKING: FG declares state of emergency on food security

    BREAKING: FG declares state of emergency on food security

    The Federal Government has declared all matters pertaining to food and water availability and affordability, as essential livelihood items, to be included within the purview of the National Security Council.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports this is as the federal government declared a state of emergency on food security in the country.

    Mr Dele Alake, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Special Duties, Communications and Strategy disclosed this during a media briefing on Thursday.

    The text of the media briefing reads below:

    Gentlemen of the press, i welcome you once again to this press conference to update the public on President Bola Tinubu-led administration’s immediate response to the current food inflation in the country.

    As a hands-on- leader who follows developments across the country everyday, Mr. President is not unmindful of the rising cost of food and how it affects the citizens.

    While availability is not a problem, affordability has been a major issue to many Nigerians in all parts of the country.

    This has led a significant drop in demand thereby undermining the viability of the entire agriculture and food value chain.

    Accordingly, in line with this administration’s position on ensuring that the most vulnerable are supported, Mr. President has declared, with immediate effect the following actions:

    • That a state of emergency on food security be announced immediately, and

    • That all matters pertaining to food & water availability and affordability, as essential livelihood items, be included within the purview of the National Security Council.

    As a direct and immediate response to this crisis, a number of initiatives will be deployed in the coming weeks to reverse this inflationary trend and guarantee future uninterrupted supplies of affordable foods to ordinary Nigerians.

    As with most emergencies, there are immediate, medium- and long-term interventions and solutions in the immediate term, we intend to deploy some savings from the fuel subsidy removal into the Agricultural sector focusing on revamping the agricultural sector.

    In an earlier meeting with Agriculture Stakeholders (today), we drafted a memorandum of partnership between the government and the individual stakeholder representatives that encompasses the decisions taken and actions proposed from our engagements.

    The immediate intervention strategies are as follows:

    1. We will immediately release fertilizers and grains to farmers and households to mitigate the effects of the subsidy removal.

    2. There must be an urgent synergy between the Ministry of Agriculture and the Ministry of Water Resources to ensure adequate irrigation of farmlands and to guarantee that food is produced all-year round. As a country, Mr. President has made it clear that we can no be comfortable with seasonal farming. We can no longer afford to have farming down times.

    3. We shall create and support a National Commodity Board that will review and continuously assess food prices as well as maintain a strategic food reserve that will be used as a price stabilisation mechanism for critical grains and other food items.

    Through this board, government will moderate spikes and dips in food prices.

    To achieve this, we have the following stakeholders on board to support the intervention effort of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu:

    The National Commodity Exchange (NCX), Seed Companies, National Seed Council and Research institutes, NIRSAL Microfinance Bank, Food Processing/ Agric Processing associations, private sector holders & Prime Anchors, small holder farmers, crop associations and Fertilizer producers, blenders and suppliers associations to mention a few.

    4. We will engage our security architecture to protect the farms and the farmers so that farmers can return to the farmlands without fear of attacks.

    5. The Central Bank will continue to play a major role of funding the agricultural value chain.

    6. Activation of land banks. There is currently 500,000 hectares of already mapped land that will be used to increase availability of arable land for farming which will immediately impact food output. – Mechanization and land clearing- The government will also collaborate with mechanization companies to clear more forests & make them available for farming

    7. River basins- there are currently 11 rivers basins that will ensure planting of crops during the dry season with irrigation schemes that will guarantee continuous farming production all year round, to stem the seasonal glut and scarcity that we usually experience.

    8. We will deploy concessionary capital/funding to the sector especially towards fertilizer, processing, mechanization, seeds, chemicals, equipment, feed, labour, etc. The concessionary funds will ensure food is always available and affordable thereby having a direct impact on Nigeria’s Human Capital Index (HCI). This administration is focused on ensuring the HCI numbers, which currently ranks as the 3rd lowest in the world, are improved for increased productivity.

    9. Transportation and Storage: The cost of transporting Agricultural products has been a major challenge (due to permits, toll gates, and other associated costs). When the costs of moving farm produce is significantly impacted- it will immediately be passed to the consumers, which will affect the price of food- the government will explore other means of transportation including rail and water transport, to reduce freight costs and in turn impact the food prices. As for storage, existing warehouses and tanks will be revamped to cut waste & ensure efficient preservation of food items.

    10. We will Increase revenue from food and agricultural exports. As we ensure there is sufficient, affordable food for the populace, we will concurrently work on stimulating the export capacity of the Agric sector…

    11. Trade Facilitation: Transportation, storage and export will be improved by working with the Nigerian Customs, who have assured us that the bottlenecks experienced in exporting and importing food items as well as intra-city transportation through tolling will be removed.

    These are some of the immediate interventions this government will put in place to tackle this crisis. Principally, one of the major positive outcomes of these interventions will be a massive boost in employment and job creation.

    Indeed, agriculture already accounts for about 35.21 percent of employment in Nigeria (as at 2021), the target is to double this percentage to about 70% in the long term.

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s mandate to create jobs for our teeming youth population will be achieved with between 5 to 10 million more jobs created within the value chain, working with the current 500,000 hectares of arable land and the several hundreds of thousands more farmlands to be developed in the medium term.

    In closing, this administration understands that food and water are the bedrock of survival and therefore is calling on all Nigerians to partner us in ensuring the success of this strategic intervention.

    This administration is working assiduously to ensure that Nigerians do not struggle with their essential needs.

    President Bola Ahmed Tinubu wishes to use this medium to continue to assure Nigerians that this administration will not relent in its efforts until all strategic interventions are deployed efficiently and effectively and until every household is positively impacted.

    Our president is the president of all Nigerians and the father of the nation. The renewed hope mandate remains alive, and no one, absolutely no one, will be left behind. I thank you all.

  • UN allocates $20m to ramp up food security in Nigeria

    UN allocates $20m to ramp up food security in Nigeria

    The United Nations (UN) has allocated $20 million dollars to urgently ramp up the response to the alarming food security and nutrition crisis in the north-east of Nigeria.

    UN Deputy Spokesperson Farhan Haq disclosed this at a news conference on Tuesday at UN headquarters in New York.

    “With nine million dollars from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) and $11 million from the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund, we will support the Government-led response efforts across Borno, Adamawa and Yobe states.

    “Assistance includes […] ready-to-eat food, access to clean water, health care and agriculture support,’’ he said.

    According to humanitarian partners, almost 700,000 children under five are likely to suffer from life-threatening severe acute malnutrition this year in this region and more than half a million people may face emergency levels of food insecurity during the lean season from June to August.

    Haq said that the emergency funding would help jumpstart the response, but humanitarian partners need more to prevent widespread hunger and malnutrition.

    “The $1.3 billion humanitarian response plan for Nigeria is only 26 per cent funded,’’ he said.

    Updating journalists on Sudan, the deputy spokesperson said the humanitarian community continued to deliver live saving support to the people.

    He said that Tuesday, the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) had facilitated the movement of at least 388 trucks carrying life-saving assistance to various parts of the country.

    Haq quoting the World Food Programme (WFP) says that the agency has reached more than one million people with emergency food assistance in the six weeks since it resumed operations in Sudan.

    “This includes reaching more than 375,000 people in North, South, East and Central Darfur.

    “People continue to seek refuge from the fighting in Sudan in neighbouring countries. The UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) says that more than 500,000 people have now fled across Sudan’s borders to escape the violence.

    “You may have seen that, yesterday, donors announced more than 1.5 billion dollars in support of the humanitarian response in Sudan.

    “In the region, during the high-level pledging event co-hosted by the UN, together with the Governments of Egypt, Germany, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, the African Union and the European Union,’’ he said.

  • Food Security: UN allocates $20m to scale up response in N/E

    Food Security: UN allocates $20m to scale up response in N/E

    The United Nations (UN) has allocated $20 million to ramp up humanitarian response to problem of food security and nutrition crisis in North East.

    A statement on Tuesday by Ann Weru, the Head of Public Information United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), Nigeria, said the fund was from the Central Response Fund (CERF) and the Nigeria Humanitarian Fund (NHF).

    “In support of Government efforts, some $9 million in CERF funding and a complementary $11 million NHF allocation will go towards a coordinated multisectoral response aimed at preventing a deterioration to famine or famine-like conditions.

    “Almost 700,000 children under five are likely to suffer from life-threatening severe acute malnutrition (SAM) in Borno, Adamawa and Yobe (BAY) states in 2023.

    “This is more than double the number of SAM cases in 2022 and four times the number of cases in 2021.”

    The statement added that about half a million people in the affected states were expected to face emergency levels food insecurity from June to August, which is the peak of “lean season”.

    It further said that the lean season coincided with the rainy season known for incidence of diarrhea and other outbreaks that could aggravate the precarious situation of malnourished children.

    “Extremely high rates of acute malnutrition and deaths are predicted unless there is a rapid and significant scale up of humanitarian assistance.

    “Government, donors and the international community must make urgent funding available to protect the lives and future of vulnerable children in North-east Nigeria,” the statement quoted Mr Matthias Schmale, the Humanitarian Coordinator for Nigeria, as saying.

    It explained that bulk of the CERF allocation would go to the World Food Programme for the provision of food security interventions, including food and voucher assistance for 95,000 extremely food-insecure people in three garrison towns of Borno.

    “Some $2 million will go to the UN Children’s Fund for the prevention and treatment of acute malnutrition, including providing ready-to-eat therapeutic food and Tom Brown solutions, a nutrient-rich locally produced supplementary food.

    “And $1million will go to the Food and Agriculture Organization for seeds, tools and other agricultural livelihood support to boost local production of nutritious foods to build resilience.

    “Most of the NHF funding, $11 million, will go towards improving access to clean water and sanitation hygiene, and nutrition, including reactivating, sustaining and scaling up the bed capacity at stabilization centres and scaling up outpatient therapeutic feeding programmes.

    “The rest of the funding will go to healthcare, including the integrated management of childhood illnesses and complicated SAM cases, and to protection services with focus on gender-based violence, child protection and mine action.

    “The NHF aims to allocate 50 per cent of funding to eligible national partners on the frontlines,” the statement added.

  • What we are doing to achieve food security in Nigeria – Buhari tells UN Summit

    What we are doing to achieve food security in Nigeria – Buhari tells UN Summit

    President Muhammadu Buhari has explained what the Federal Government is doing to attain food security in Nigeria.

    He spoke on Thursday while participating in the Food Systems Summit, as part of the High-Level meetings of the 76th Session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, the United States.

    The President disclosed that Nigeria had developed a “food system focused development agenda that prioritises healthy diets and affordable nutrition, inclusive, efficient, resilient, and sustainable, which will contribute to rebuilding our economy, creating jobs, and spurring growth across sectors while sustaining our ecosystems.”

    He said the plan was the outcome of a wide-range stakeholder engagement geared towards a better understanding of their food systems, experiences, and needs.

    “Following the recommendations from the dialogues and our plan to lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty within a decade, Nigeria is committed to investing in food security and nutrition knowledge dissemination, skills development, and information management systems to enhance agricultural productivity, building sustainable, responsive, and inclusive food systems, enhancing the productivity of smallholder farmers, and empowering women and youths for greater access to food production,” President Buhari was quoted as saying in a statement by his media adviser, Femi Adesina.

    According to him, the government intends to achieve this while strengthening climate mitigation strategies and conflict early warning systems that will reduce the stress and shock to the nation’s food systems.

    The President commended the initiative of the Secretary-General of the United Nations for convening the Summit.

    He described it as “a bold step towards achieving the 2030 global development agenda at a time COVID-19 pandemic and its attendant consequences are threatening progress.”

    President Buhari stressed that Nigeria would work to transform its food systems and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda.

    “We hope to learn from and collaborate with member states that have grappled or are grappling with food systems concerns similar to ours. We especially support the emerging coalitions of actions and sustainable food systems,” he added.

  • FG injects N600bn to sustain food security

    FG injects N600bn to sustain food security

    The Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Alhaji Muhammad Sabo Nanono has revealed that the Federal Government has resolved to inject over N600 billion as stimulus response into the agriculture sector, targetting small scale farmers, to ensure food security and sustainability.

    The Minister stated this while on a weekend tour of Dangote Fertilizer Plant, and a crucial meeting with other Fertilizer companies in Lagos State, to galvanize their cooperation for input production. Nanono had explained that the well over N600 billion stimulus response which targets farmers nationwide will take off with an initial 2.4 million farmers in the first instance.

    He also noted that to avoid the abuse of government funds and good intentions, the support will be in kind in form of inputs and not cash as was the practice in the past.

    The Minister added that the forceful closure of all International borders, necessitated by the COVID-19 Pandemic, has made it evident that Nigeria can conveniently and sustainably feed itself.

    The Minister had commenced his tour with a courtesy call on the Executive Governor of Lagos State, His Excellency Babajide Sanwo -olu where he pledged to support the state farming communities with rural roads, solar lighting and water holes so as to encourage and empower them to increase productivity.

    He also promised to collaborate with Lagos State Government in the fishing sector in order to tap the potentials of its marine endowments and drastically reduce the importation of fish in Nigeria.

    In his response, Babajide Sanwo – olu who had received the Minister in company of his Deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat and other State officials, promised to collaborate with the Federal Government not only in the fishing sector but also to join forces in the Federal government’s effort to embark on mechanized farming.

    Sanwo -olu while recognizing agriculture as a critical component of development stated that he will complement Federal Governments effort when he completes his project, the largest rice mill in Nigeria with a capacity to mill approximately 30 million Metric Tons of rice per annum. This he said will help Nigeria focus more on exportation of rice and downward review of prices at the retail market.

    The Governor said that Lagos State is presumably the largest retail market for agricultural products as well as the largest enabler in the industry with Dangote Fertilizer Plant cited in its domain. In another engagement over dinner, the Minister and Permanent Secretary in the Ministry, Dr. Abdulkadir Mu’azu, had interacted with Agro -Input Dealers in Lagos to discuss quality, affordability and availability of fertilizer in the country.

    The big player, Dangote Group and other fertilizer blending companies, Premium Agro Limited, Elephant Group and Kewalram Group stated that raw materials for fertilizer blending, most especially Ammonium phosphate, is the major challenge they face. However, the cherry news is that Dangote Group is considering the exploration of local source for the raw materials which they are hopeful and confident that once the domestic source is remedied, the problem of fertilizer shortfall will become history in the country.

    The Minister was overwhelmed with this revelation and is of the opinion that with the impressive strategies initiated by the Dangote Group, the outcome will change the narrative of agriculture, food production/ Fertilizer availability and the nation’s economy for good before the close of 2020.

  • Groups alert FG on food security implications of COVID-19

    Groups alert FG on food security implications of COVID-19

    The National Association of Nigerian Traders (NANTS) and West African Institute for Trade and Agricultural Development (WAITAD) have called for urgent need to address food security implications of post COVID-19 on Nigeria.

    The two organisations made the call on Sunday in Abuja in a joint statement signed by the Presidentof NANTS, Dr Ken Ukaoha.

    Ukaoha appealed to the government to awaken Nigerian economic managers including the President’s Economic Advisory Council for immediate consideration towards addressing post COVID-19 economic environment, particularly the future of food security.

    He expressed dissatisfaction that while given attention and funding the health sector, food security and livelihoods of the population, which was another looming disease facing the entire population, were not being contemplated for strategic planning by governments.

    “The reason is that COVID-19 has resulted in the lockdown of the country in a bid to reduce or curtail the spread.

    “But the negative impact of such lockdown on the economy with regard to job livelihoods losses as well as the overall food security implications would be manifesting much sooner,’’ he said.

    He said that the dreaded COVID-19 pandemic had gradually enveloped the global economy and the populations in fear, resulting in automatic and unwitting declaration of ‘State of Emergency’ on Health sector by several Governments globally.

    Ukaoha noted that where many deadlier diseases which have taken more lives have failed to attract respect and attention, COVID-19 has gained more prominence with heavy budgetary allocations accorded to assuage its ravaging popularity.

    “NANTS and WAITAD further note that COVID-19 has caused a serious depletion in the revenue of many countries, especially countries like Nigeria that are largely dependent on oil revenue for sustenance.

    “The disease has literarily widely exposed the unsustainability of Nigeria’s unfortunate reliance on oil and the mirage of reclining on the vagaries and impulses of international oil market economy.

    “We are strongly concerned that at the moment, producers, transporters, traders and other production value chain actors are asked to stay at home, thereby implicating a stagnated economy courtesy of COVID-19 induced policies and regulations.

    “We note that the above situation has occasioned the recent hike in price of food commodities in the markets across the country where few goods are chased by several mouths, and sadly with limited cash at hand.

    “The situation leaves traders off the hook of culpability of accomplice in the conspiracy of high price of food commodities, especially considering the complexity, high transportation costs and risks associated with moving commodities from one state to another which are exacerbated by boundary closures for fear of ‘Corona’,’’ he said.

    Ukaoha, while notifying the government on an imminent gross food insecurity, said the awakening note had become imperative and
    given that the food sector in Nigeria has of late been undergoing a siege.

    He listed the three siege which had affected the food sector as the Boko Haram insurgency, herdsmen/farmers crises, and banditry and
    kidnapping.

    He said the Boko Haram insurgency had displaced over 80 per cent of farmers from the North East zone while the herdsmen/farmers crises had turned farmers from the North Central and once ‘food basket of the nation’ to Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).

    According to him, banditry and kidnapping made inhabitants of North West to abandon their farms in honour of the dreaded killers.

    “The gains made by the commendable policy approach by government in closing the land border against food commodities smuggled into the country, and which rightly culminated in reduction of rice and poultry import bills, among others, are speedily being eroded by the pandemic.

    “NANTS and WAITAD insist that the parliamentarians at all levels must devise ways of convening virtual meetings and deliberations via ICT tools.

    “By so doing, exhibit the character of true representation of their constituencies beyond the rhetoric of handouts and palliatives and move towards strategic thinking that leads to economic recovery and sustainability of food on the table of their electorate.

  • $1.1bn ‘Green lmperative’ Loan ‘ll Create Jobs, Guarantee Food Security, Others – Finance Minister

    The Minister of Finance, Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, Thursday, stated that the $ 1 billion loan facility under the ‘Green Imperative’, which is one of the products of the diversification initiatives of the Federal Government will create massive jobs, food security, food self-sufficiency in all the 774 Local Government Areas of the nation.

    Ahmed stated this in a statement signed by the Special Adviser to the Minister of Finance on Media and Communications, Paul Ella Abechi, during official launch of the project by the Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.

    Meanwhile, expressing optimism about the positive results the loan will yield under the ‘Green Imperative’ initiative in the agric sector, she said there is no doubt that the project will transform economic landscape of the country.

    She maintained that nothing will deter President Muhammadu Buhari from continuing with the diversification drive that is already yielding positive results within three years, especially through the agricultural sector.

    She also commended the Vice President’s commitment towards securing the loan from Brazil following his personally held meetings with Team of Experts from Brazil and his strong support for the project which has made the launching of it a reality including the resilience demonstrated by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbe, who had personally led Nigerian delegations to Brazil to initiate and develop the project with the Brazilian ’think tank’ and relevant stakeholders.

    According to her the ‘Green lmperative’ was designed to promote agricultural mechanization, create employment opportunities for the energetic youth and help achieve food self-sufficiency and added that more details about the project will be explained by the Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development.

    She said: “The project we are launching today will be implemented with a total loan package of US$1.1billion majorly from the Brazilian Government which will be disbursed in four tranches over a period of two years.

    “l have no doubt that this project will help to ensure food self – sufficiency, create more employment opportunities for our teeming population and also help transform the economic landscape of Nigeria.

    “It is pertinent to state here that greater percentage of the loan will be provided in kind through the supply of agricultural machineries and implements in form of Completely Knocked Down (CKD) parts.

    “This arrangement is expected to reduce fiduciary risks and create more employment opportunities for our teeming youth and those that will be involved in assembling the machineries and implements.

    “Another important benefit of the project is that its implementation will be purely private sector led in all its operations including the assembling of the machineries/ implements, operation of the service centres and the agro-processing centres.

    “The project will be implemented in all the 774 Local Government Areas of the country in phases. Let me use this opportunity to sensitize the Nigerian private sector, youth and women to get ready for business. The selection of the participants in this project will be done on merit as our concern is nothing but the success of the project. We will ensure that participation is devoid of politics and any form of nepotism.”

    The Minister also commended the Brazilian government’s support and commitment to the project.

    “Let me at this point thank the Government and people of Brazil for their support and commitment to this project. Nigeria and Brazil have similar climatic and soil conditions that make Brazilian agricultural implements easily adaptable in Nigeria. I understand that a tractor manufactured in Brazil in 1946 is still in use till today.

    “This is the kind of technology that we will need in this country. I do hope such rugged tractors are what you will deploy for this project. I will like to express my appreciation to other partners like the Deutche Bank and Islamic Corporation for the Insurance of Investment and Export Credit (ICIEC) for their support in this project”, she stated.

  • Killings in Zamfara will affect Nigeria’s food security – FG

    The federal government says the persistent attacks on residents of Zamfara by bandits will affect food security in the country.

    The Minister of Interior, Abdulrahman Dambazau, said this on Wednesday in Gusau during an on-the-spot assessment of the activities of the bandits in the state.

    “Since those affected by the killings are largely the agrarian rural dwellers, the activities of the bandits will have a serious impact on agriculture and food security,” said Mr Dambazau.

    “This is a final warning, the bandits must stop these acts forthwith because the Federal Government has devised more stringent ways to deal with them.

    “I want to assure them that they cannot withstand the consequences.’’

    He said stakeholders in the security sector in the state would meet to fine tune the new measures that would be used in tackling the threat posed by the bandits.

    The minister, however, advised the hoodlums to immediately surrender and embrace peace.

    He expressed Nigeria’s president, Muhammadu Buhari’s condolences to the people of the state over the attacks.

    “This administration will continue to go to any length to protect the lives and properties of the citizens because any single innocent life lost has a devastating effect on the nation and is unacceptable,’’ he said.

    Responding, Sanusi Rikiji, who is the acting governor and speaker of the House of Assembly, lamented that the security situation in the state was getting out of hand and required the concerted efforts of all stakeholders.

    “This crisis started as a farmers /herdsmen conflict but has now escalated to the killing of the innocent, rustling and kidnapping,’’ he said.

    The acting governor, who commended the joint efforts of the security agencies at all the flashpoints, noted that the hoodlums had devised fresh tactics to evade confrontation with security personnel.

  • Gulf of Guinea strategic to food security – NIMASA DG

    The Director General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA) Dr. Dakuku Peterside has stressed the importance of the Gulf of Guinea to food security to the West and Central African sub-region stating that the region must be properly secured to avert illegal activities that may hamper food supply in the African region.

    The Director General stated this at the seminar on the State of Food Security Assured by the Seas of West and Central Africa and The Perspectives on The Blue Economy in Member States of the Gulf of Guinea Commission (GGC) organised by NIMASA in conjunction with the GGC in Lagos.

    Dr. Dakuku who was represented at the event by the Agency’s Executive Director Finance and Administration Mr Bashir Jamoh said that the Gulf of Guinea which is a major shipping route must be properly guarded if the countries of the region are to properly harness the blue economy for economic growth.

    According to him, “the Gulf of Guinea, aside being a major shipping route, is also home for many aquatic species and so the countries of the region must do everything to safeguard the region from illegal fishing, piracy and other activities that may affect the food chain”

    Speaking further, the NIMASA DG said that NIMASA knows the importance of the region to the African continent and that is the major reason the Agency has continuously championed collaborations amongst member states in order to develop the continent’s blue economy through sustainable shipping.

    He said that this seminar will also assist participating countries to better understand the blue economy and how to properly harness the inherent potentials of the African maritime sector.

    Also speaking at the event, the Executive Secretary of the Gulf of Guinea Commission, Ambassador Florentina Adenike Ukonga commended the leadership of NIMASA for the role the Agency is playing in ensuring safety of lives and property in the region.

    She said the Commission decided to have a seminar on the blue economy to promote sustainable shipping in the region.

    It would be recalled that the Gulf of Guinea Commission was established by the treaty signed in Libreville, Gabon on July 3, 2001 by Nigeria, Angola, Gabon as well as Sao Tome and Principe. The seminar was the second in the series organised by the Commission to enlighten member states on the advantages of sustainable shipping.

  • Lack of modern farming techniques threatens Africa’s food security – FAO

    The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned that lack of modern
    farming techniques threatens Africa’s food security.

    Josef Kienzle, FAO’s Leader of the Mechanisation task team, said that unless the governments adopt new technologies
    of farming, the continent will continue relying on food aid.

    “There is need for a paradigm shift on intensive crop production since the current methods applied cannot meet
    the challenges of the new millennium,” Kienzle said during the second conservation agriculture conference in Nairobi.

    The FAO official said the use of rudimentary hand tools and little access to mechanization and inputs such as
    quality seeds and fertiliser is further complicating agricultural productivity in the continent that has
    a high population growth rate.

    He said the governments must also consider allocating funds towards the improvement of degraded fertile land,
    depleted groundwater, pest upsurges, eroded biodiversity, air, water and soil pollution and sustainable
    intensification to help increase production.

    He noted that the more the annual crop yields continue declining, the more the continent will have of
    undernourished people.

    He recommended the application of tools that offers minimum mechanical soil disturbance, promotes permanent
    organic soil cover and diversification of soil crop species grown in sequence.

    The FAO official called for the formation of smallholder associations that can be formalized and later
    institutionalised and linked with other institutions to help promote information sharing.

    “There is need to integrate sustainable mechanization in collaboration with the private sector to enhance
    productivity and profitability,” he added.

    Kienzle said that the majority of smallholders in Africa are women due to the fact that rural-urban migration
    has forced youths out of the farms to look for other means of making a living.

    “There is need to incorporate the youths by re-positioning farming as a lucrative business enterprise for them
    to venture into and supplement production,” he added.

    Barack Okoba, FAO Climate Smart Agriculture Officer, revealed that FAO offices in Kenya has developed a messaging
    system where farmers are sent electronic messages to their mobile phones.

    “They receive messages on weather patterns and market information to help them make right decisions,” he added.

    He further noted that coaching and mentorship programs have been set up through producer business groups to
    help attract people into the business.