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Africa: Free Up 'Bottlenecks' Stifling Continent's Agri-Food Sector, Urges FAO Chief
UN News, 10 May 2021
The UN agriculture chief warned on Monday that severe underfunding of Africa's agri-food sector has boosted food insecurity and was hampering the future development of countries… Read more »
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Ghana: Confab On W/A Food Security, Storage Ends
Ghanaian Times, 11 May 2021
A week-long International Conference on West Africa Food Security and Storage organised by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) Commission ended in Accra… Read more »
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West Africa: Regional Food Security Key to ECOWAS Peace, Development - VP Bawumia
Ghana Presidency, 10 May 2021
The Vice President, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, has emphasized the importance of a regional food storage system for the ECOWAS subregion in order to ensure food security, peace and… Read more »
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Africa: Struggle for the Future of Food
IPS, 10 May 2021
Producers and consumers seem helpless as food all over the world comes under fast growing corporate control. Such changes have also been worsening environmental collapse, social… Read more »
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Nigeria: 'Plant Variety Protection Bill Will Improve Food Security'
This Day, 10 May 2021
The Director-General, National Agricultural Seeds Council (NASC), Dr. Philip Ojo, has stated that the Plant Variety Protection (PVP) Bill will provide intellectual property… Read more »
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Gambia: Small Holder Farmers First to Suffer in Food Crises, FAO Calls for 1m Silos for Them
The Point, 7 May 2021
The Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) in its political declaration of 4 May 2021 has described smallholder farmers as "the first line of defense in West… Read more »
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Zimbabwe: Food Security Starts With Seed Security
The Herald, 6 May 2021
Agric, Environment & Innovations Editor Read more »
'Free Up Bottlenecks Stifling Africa's Agri-Food Sector'
The UN agriculture chief has warned that severe underfunding of Africa's agri-food sector has boosted food insecurity and was hampering the future development of countries across the continent. "Let's unblock the bottlenecks that are holding back potential by increasing coordination and upskilling human capacity in African nations", urged Qu Dongyu, Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Speaking at the launch of FAO's latest report, Public Expenditure on Food and Agriculture in sub-Saharan Africa, he added that funds must also be unlocked and public finance systems streamlined, "so that the scarce resources we have do not go unspent".
Based on "rigorous analysis over the last 15 years, made possible thanks to strong collaboration with our Members in the region", the FAO chief explained that the report brings to light a gap between long-standing political commitments and the financial realities facing 13 sub-Saharan countries.
InFocus
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According to the Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Food Programme, 27,3 million people face "acute" food insecurity - some seven million of whom are suffering ... Read more »
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More than 1,4 million people are reportedly facing hunger and starvation, and potentially face acute food insecurity. According to the meteorological department, the expected ... Read more »
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The northern Mozambican province of Cabo Delgado is on the brink of a serious hunger crisis and a consequent increase in chronic child malnutrition. Food production, particularly ... Read more »
File photo: Duom Deng Biar is part of a farmers group in Twic East in Jonglei, South Sudan, where a poor harvest has led to widespread hunger. “If I feel hungry, it is okay, but the children should not,” said Duom. “We are feeling hungry. What we have cultivated, we have finished,” she said. The family tried to get a second harvest, but the lack of rain meant that the seeds dried off. “I have a lot of challenges. One son is still in school, and I have to sell our chickens, so that I can pay the school fees,” she said.
