Nelly Bassily | January 20, 2014
1-International Year of Family Farming
Smallholder farmers grow 70 per cent of the world’s food, yet 50 per cent of the world’s hungry are small-scale farmers, according to the International Federation of Organic Agriculture Movements (IFOAM).
The year 2014 has been dubbed by the United Nations the “International Year of Family Farming” and the UN hopes to emphasize strengthening family farms.
IFOAM is calling for increased awareness about the poverty of many smallholder farmers, and how organic agriculture can help lift them out of poverty. The UN supports organic agriculture as a sustainable method to achieve food security in sub-Saharan Africa.
To read the full article, go to: http://allafrica.com/stories/201401140222.html
2-South Sudan: Deteriorating humanitarian situation increases food insecurity
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is warning the international community that the worsening humanitarian situation in South Sudan threatens food security.
The gains made by South Sudan in the two years since independence are in jeopardy, says FAO, and the organization is increasingly concerned about getting seeds, livestock vaccines, fishing gear and other agricultural inputs to farmers who need them.
The United Nations’ Crisis Response Plan, along with FAO, is seeking $61 million US for crucial food assistance and livelihood activities to support rural and urban families disrupted by conflict and displacement in South Sudan.
To read the full article, go to: http://www.sociolingo.com/violence-in-south-sudan-could-increase-hunger-and-food-insecurity-61-million-needed-to-protect-and-rebuild-food-security-and-livelihoods-of-south-sudanese/
3-Kenya: Government invests in aquaculture
The Kenyan government has invested $2.2 million Kenya shillings [$25,500 US] to construct 940 fish ponds in 47 counties across the country.
According to officials, the ponds will be established at secondary schools, and the funding will go toward liners, fingerlings and feed. Selected students will be trained in modern fish farming skills.
In 2009, the Kenyan government launched the Economic Stimulus Program to boost investment in aquaculture. The objectives of the program are to invest in long-term solutions to the challenges of food security, while creating jobs and economic opportunities for rural Kenyans. Four small-scale fish processing plants have been constructed in four Kenyan counties.
To read the full article, go to: http://www.africanfarming.net/livestock/aquaculture/kenyan-government-invests-us-2-2mn-in-construction
4-EAC guidelines on preventing avian flu
The East African Community, or EAC, along with Kenya’s Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries, has issued guidelines on how to prevent the spread of avian flu, also known as H5N1 avian influenza.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, or FAO, warned recently about the re-emergence of the disease in the northern hemisphere as the winter season approaches.
Health experts say the disease is spread in a number of ways, but mainly through infected birds and contaminated feed, equipment, cages and shoes. FAO and the Kenyan ministry want EAC member states to distribute information on early detection and on how to prevent an outbreak of the disease.
To read the full story, go to: http://www.africanfarming.net/livestock/poultry/eac-issues-guidelines-to-prevent-avian-flu