A Director in Edo State Ministry of Agriculture, Mr. Wellington Omoragbon, has said the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has trained 50 farmers from rice clusters.
He told News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Benin City the training was in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development and Competitive African Rice Initiative (CARI)’
Omoragbon said farmers from Illushi, Anegbete and Agenegbode local governments participated in the training aimed at building their capacity in field management of seeds and padding production.
“It is a new initiative designed to sustain rice development and production in sub-Saharan Africa.
“It is designed to empower small scale rice farmers and support them with improved seeds and agro-chemicals at 80 per cent subsidy.
“The farmers will get assistance in the marketing of yields,” he said.
According to him, there are similar programmes in Ekiti, Abia, Anambra, Jigawa and Nasarawa states.
Tag: FAO
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FAO trains 50 rice farmers in Edo
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Five million in Nigeria’s northeast need food – FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has warned that Boko Haram insurgency and rising inflation have left more than five million people in northeast Nigeria facing acute food insecurity.
The United Nations agriculture agency has appealed for $25 million through May 2017 to support irrigated vegetable production and micro-gardening in the dry season, as well as rebuild livestock systems, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.
In a situation update, FAO said the urgently needed funds would tackle food insecurity among returnees, internally displaced persons (IDPs) and host communities.
In addition, the agency is seeking funds now to provide critical agricultural inputs to farmers in time for the 2017 main rainy season.
“We must act now to rapidly restore food security and combat severe hunger and malnutrition,” FAO said in the update.
It noted that inflationary pressures in the national economy have pushed the prices of staple food crops extremely high across the three northeastern states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe.
According to it, prices of food crops are expected to rise further, requiring “immediate intervention.”
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FAO: declining food prices may affect farmers
Declining prices can thwart international efforts to eradicate hunger and poverty unless steps are taken to guarantee decent incomes and livelihoods for small-scale producers, Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Director-General José Graziano da-Silva has said.
Globally, food prices are believed to be back to their long-term downward trend in real terms, as supply growth outpaces demand.
This follows the price surges experienced during the 2008 to 20 12 and a prolonged period of volatility in food markets, Graziano da Silva told Agriculture and Trade Ministers and other government officials and experts, attending a high-level meeting on agricultural commodity prices at FAO’s headquarters in Rome.
“As policy makers, you are confronted by the challenge of keeping nutritious food affordable for the poor, while ensuring good incentives for producers, including family farmers,” he added.
“Low food prices reduce the incomes of farmers, especially poor family farmers who produce staple food in the developing countries. This cut in the flow of cash into rural communities also reduces the incentives for new investments in production, infrastructure and services,” the FAO Director-General said.
He underscored the need to consider the current decline in agricultural commodity prices in the context of the international community’s efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Sustainable Development Goals.
In a video address to the meeting, World Trade Organisation (WTO) Director-General Roberto Azevêdo said that “under the right circumstances” trade provides people with opportunities to join global markets and helps to create incentives for producers to invest and innovate.
The “historic decision” struck in Nairobi in December 2015 by WTO members to eliminate agricultural export subsidies, according to Azevêdo will “help level the playing field in agriculture markets, to the benefit of farmers and exporters in developing and least-developed countries.”
For his part, Graziano da Silva pointed to the potential of trade in contributing to global food security and better nutrition, specifically underlining its potential role as an “adaptation tool” to climate change. Countries that are projected to experience decreasing yields and production due to climate change, will have to resort to the global markets to feed their populations.
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FAO seeks $10m for 385,000 farmers in Northeast
About $10 million is needed to provide emergency agricultural support to farmers who are internally displaced in the Northeast, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said.
It said urgent action was needed to provide farming and livelihood support to 385,000 farmers in parts of the Northeast where food insecurity is rampant.
According to FAO, the resumption of agricultural activities in those areas is of utmost priority to ensure that people can produce enough food for themselves.
“These populations need assistance to boost their livelihoods, which are mainly crop farming, artisanal fisheries and aquaculture and livestock production. For the last four years, this has not been possible due to the conflict, Bukar Tijani, FAO assistant director-general and regional representative for Africa, said..
Over three million people are affected by acute food insecurity in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states.
FAO has launched a full-scale corporate response to the crisis. In the meantime, the organisation is preparing its response for the main agricultural season, for which even more resources are required.
“This year, significant territory previously controlled by Boko Haram has been rendered accessible to humanitarian assistance, so we have a critical opportunity to tackle the alarming levels of food insecurity in northeast Nigeria,” said Tim Vaessen, FAO’s Emergency and Response Manager in Nigeria.
“With funds received to date, FAO has reached over 123,000 people to improve their food security by enabling them to grow their own food during the ongoing rain-fed season. While this assistance is crucial, it reaches just a fraction of those in need of support, and now FAO is seeking funds to support irrigated crop production, livestock restocking and animal health treatment, including disease control and supplementary feed, in the newly liberated areas,” he added.
Three consecutive planting seasons have been lost due to the fighting in Northeast. Moreover, large influxes of people escaping repeated Boko Haram attacks have put extreme pressure on already poor and vulnerable host communities and their fragile agricultural and pastoral livelihoods, exacerbating the already precarious food and nutrition security situation.
Failure to rebuild the rural economy will translate into lack of employment opportunities with possible harmful consequences including youth radicalisation and enrolment into armed groups, resulting in continued civil unrest, FAO warned. In contrast, restarting food production in the newly accessible areas will have the additional benefits of encouraging displaced populations to return to their homes, while contributing to their improved health and nutrition.
FAO has provided agricultural kits to vulnerable internally-displaced people with access to land and host families. The kits included improved varieties of millet or sorghum and cowpea seeds – a locally adapted and highly nutritious pulse – and fertilisers, enabling beneficiaries to grow their own food during the ongoing rain-fed season. The harvest is expected to start by the end of September and will allow beneficiaries to cover their food needs for up to 10 months.
It is targeting additional 85,000 people to prepare them for the next irrigated season.
“Growing their own healthy and nutritious food reduces the need for future external food assistance. Families who have access to land and are ready to farm can harvest in six to eight weeks,” Vaessen said.
FAO’s activities in Nigeria are constrained by lack of funding. To-date, FAO has received just $4.9 million, of which almost 20 per cent came from FAO’s own Special Fund for Emergency and Rehabilitation Activities.
FAO’s programme in the northeast is funded by Japan, Belgium, the European Commission (ECHO) and the United Nations Central Emergency Fund (CERF).
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FAO, SON partner on food security in Africa
The Food and Agriculture Organis-ation of the United Nations (FAO) in partnership with the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) are calling for the development of sustainable agriculture and food security in Nigeria and Africa at large.
Justifying the need for the partnership, FAO said based on the continued increase of human population in Africa said by 2030, Africa will need to feed about 1.5 billion people and by 2050, close to 2 billion, hence agriculture needs to be more recognised for inclusive economic growth and food security in Africa.
The representative of FAO in Nigeria, Dr. Louise Setsehwaelo made this call during her keynote Lecture at the Africa Standardisation Day seminar organised by the African Organisation for Standardardisation (ARSO), in Abuja, stating that Africa’s economic growth needs to be inclusive.
She said, “African countries still need to do a lot more, both individually and collectively. We have what it takes to move forward, we have the human capacity and other factors needed to drive the economy.
“Agriculture needs to be recognised for inclusive economic growth food security in Africa. Based on the continued increase of human population in Africa, by 2030, Africa will therefore need to feed about 1.5 billion people and close to 2 billion people by 2050.”
Also speaking, Director General, SON, Joseph Odumodu affirmed that Africa is the only continent that cannot feed itself fully. “We import some of our food to feed ourselves. It is not debatable if agriculture is important in Nigeria or Africa, agriculture provides food, employment and of course it contributes a lot to our GDP in Nigeria.
“We need a lot more collaborations with extension workers, people in agriculture. We need to adopt what we call good agricultural practice standards in Nigeria, to ensure that we create a better balance between what we do and the outcomes that we have currently in Nigeria and make agriculture very sustainable,” Odumodu explained.
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FAO urges implementation of irrigation policy
The Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) has appealed to the Federal Government to endorse and implement the National Irrigation Policy and Strategy when completed.
Its Representative in Nigeria, Dr Louise Setshwaelo, made the plea at a stakeholder validation workshop on the draft National Irrigation Policy and Strategy in Abuja.
She said the policy would help the small holder farmers if adopted and its strategy urgently implemented by all the tiers of government, the private sector as well as other development partners.
She said: “When we started this process, we had a draft document that was developed in 2006; eight years ago before we started this process and that draft document have not gone through the formal approval processes.
“My plea to government is that, as partners, we will like to see as soon as it is finalised, endorsed by government and implementation initiated.
“It will specifically help the small holder farmers if a policy such as this one and its strategy is urgently approved and implementation facilitated by both federal and state government and the private sector and all other partners such as FAO and the World Bank.”
Setshwaelo said the globally agreed Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security was taken into consideration.
She explained that the workshop was aimed at adding value to the synthesised draft policy document, urging stakeholders to contribute to help finalise the policy.
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Food price index dips, says FAO
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Food Price Index has continued to decline in March, dropping 1.5 per cent from February and 18.7 per cent (40 points) below its level last year .
A sharp fall in the price index for sugar, which reached its lowest level since February 2009, together with dipping prices for vegetable oils, cereals and meat, more than offset a rise in dairy prices, and contributed to the lower index, which in March averaged 173.8 points.
The index has been on a downward path since April, 2014.
The FAO Food Price Index is a trade-weighted index that tracks prices of five major food commodity groups on international markets. It aggregates price sub-indices of cereals, meat, dairy products, vegetable oils and sugar. Abundant supplies and rising dollar pushes down international prices of most food commodities.
The FAO Sugar Price Index averaged 187.9 points in March, down a sharp 9.2 percent from February. This was mainly due to improved crop prospects but also the continued weakening of the Brazilian currency against the U.S dollar, which is supportive to exports.
The FAO Cereal Price Index averaged 169.8 points in March, down 1.1 percent from February and as much as 18.7 per cent below its level a year earlier. The downward trend this year has been mainly due to large export supplies and mounting inventories, in particular for wheat and maize.
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FAO unveils new crop to end hunger in West Africa
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has stepped up efforts to end hunger and poverty in West Africa, following the introduction of a new crop meant to contribute to National and Global food security.
The crop, known as Quinoa, is described as a highly nutritious food crop that can survive in various growing conditions. It also has a high potential to contribute to regional and global food security due to its nutritional characteristics and agronomical versatility.
According to the FAO, Quinoa is the only food plant that offers all essential amino acids, trace elements and vitamins in a healthy balance and also gluten free.
Similarly, the crop can be an important alternative, especially to populations that have no access to adequate sources of protein. FAO characterised Quinoa as one of humanity’s most promising crop relative to the fact it is the answer to the myriad of problems of human nutrition.
At a regional training of trainers’ workshop in Dodowa in the Greater Accra Region, , FAO Regional Representative for Africa, Dr Lamourdia Thiombiano, said the benefits of the Quinoa crop have been established with some evidence, demonstrating its potential for hunger and poverty reduction at national, regional and global levels.
Thiombiano indicated that the demand for the crop had risen as a result of its nutritious nature, resulting in a mad rush for its cultivation in over 70 countries.
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FAO provides $495m for national food safety policy
The Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has provided $495 million to support the implementation of the National Food Safety policy.
Its Representative in Nigeria, Ms Louise Setshwaelo who spoke on Strengthening Nigeria National Food Control System and Safety at a workshop in Abuja said the aim was to reduce incidences of food borne illnesses and strengthen consumer confidence and greater contribution of food trade to economic development.
She said: “It is within this framework that FAO and the government have decided to support the implementation of the National Food Policy on Food Safety.
“Through the project being launched today, a total of $495 million has been provided by FAO to support the efforts of government.”
She said the national food control system was an area where improvement was needed to ensure the safety of food throughout the value chain.
Ms Setshwaelo underscored the need for an updated regulatory framework in place to facilitate enforcement of food safety, hygiene and quality standards.
She said FAO had been working with relevant institutions to improve on food quality as a means to improve public health and promote economic development.
Mrs Setshwaelo said food security was at the centre of FAO’s mandate, adding that access to adequate safe and nutritious food was a fundamental human right.
The Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Health, Mr Linus Awute, said there was no other greater frontier to enforce food safety than a patriotic commitment and will of both leaders and followers.
He said it was wrong to blame the government at the centre when things go wrong, noting that it was a collective responsibility to make the nation great.
Awute said though food safety was an international phenomena, the ministry was taking it as a matter of public health.
Awute recalled that in 2007, a total of 90,000 cases of food poisoning was recorded across 56 tertiary health institutions about 200,000 cases of dyrgorr.
He said: “Food control system is therefore necessary to protect consumer.”
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FAO sees fisheries, aquaculture grow GDP
The fisheries and aquaculture sector contribute significantly to Africa’s overall economy, a new study by Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) has said.
In a report, the value added by the fisheries sector as a whole – which includes inland and marine capture fisheries, post-harvest, licensing of local fleets and aquaculture – was estimated at more than $24 billion in 2011, representing 1.26 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of all African countries.
A close look at the figures highlights the key role of marine artisanal fisheries and related processing, as well as inland fisheries which provide one third of the continent’s total catches.
While aquaculture is still developing in Africa and is mostly concentrated in a few countries, it produces an estimated value of almost $3 billion yearly.
As data on licence fees paid by foreign fleets were not easily available to the national experts participating in this study, an attempt was also made to estimate the value of fisheries agreements with Distant Water Fishing Nations (DWFNs) fishing in the exclusive economic zones of African states.
Considering that 25 per cent of all marine catches around Africa are still by non-African countries, if also these catches were caught by African states in theory they could generate an additional value of $3.3 billion, which is eight times higher than the current $0.4 billion African countries earn from fisheries agreements
All in all, the sector as a whole employs 12.3 million people as full-time fishers or full-time and part-time processors, representing over two per cent of 15-64 year olds in Africa.