Tuesday, Jun~ 14, 20ll
THI SDAY, Vol. 16, No, 5895, Pa ge 41
. agnc
BusinessWORLD
O
llJam, an ImemlliiolUll Organisation, has said hunger is 00 the rise in Nigeria and other African counuies. Explaining Ih:u one out o( se\'en people go 10 bed hungry d;iily due 10 the rising (ood prices, climate insecurities, und.:rur.'CS1mI:lU in small food producc:rs, insufficient \and and resources among others, O:o:fam Country Director to Nigeria, fo.'lr. Tunde Ojei. SU"e5SodI the nc.:d 10 sucnglhen the livelihood of the imllIl·scak fllJlTl<!l'S ItS a \'criUlble means of ameliorati ng hunger in the ~uy ,
Speaking at the launching of !he Grow Cwnpaign by the
IIIlemal100:U body, Ojei mainUlincd thl1llhc campaign W'~ 10 sc ~ as a phnionn fO£ all
Hunger on the Rise, Says Oxfaw From }'em; AkjllSllyi u. ,U.
sukdJolclers 10 colkaively pr0vide solutions. by making praetical d13lljes on how (ood and other resoum:s an: produced, ronmmcd and managed. Ojd, who blamed the hunger in the country on flaws in governmc:nt policies. emphasised the need 10 man:lge m.:lIUts. b.lild Clp:iCitid and also tr.ms(orm govcrnment systems and polkies. Ue saki: "We all are ~Iake holders in rn:aling an enabling environment for sustainable
Horticulture in DRC Yields $400m for Small Growers n FAD wban hor\IClIIIWI progromme III the fiv.: main enies of the Ikmocr.lUC Republic of Congo has laken a bile OUI of d lf'OOic malnutrition levels in tuban areas and ~ a 5W'pll.I5 ""ith II marld \'alueof 0\'0' S-IOO million. The: progr.unme. staned as a I'\.:Spl105e to mass urbarI nUgr1Ilion foUowiog a five-year conflict Ul ~ c:asICnt ORC, now assiiu: \o.."nI wban gro'o'o'elS to prod~ 330 !XX) 10115 of • .:geLlbks WUluaily. 11u§ compares 10 I~8 «K) Itt 200512006, 1111 increase of 122
A
"""'"' ",u ......
o<riod 01
fh'c );e;us. Lc:s:. than 10 percenl of the: \'egetablcs produced by W POJlX1 are consumed by benefiCiaries. nil: remainder. consLilUting ~ !han 250 (0) ~ 0)( produce, 15 sokl in wbau marl;et.. and supOlllarlds. for up 10 54 a lila for ~ major \c1,'Ctables produced: \O(II;.lIOI$, S....OCI
peppeB and
"""""
Around I I j million people Ih'c in the five CIlie>; IXIOl'ClleIJ KIII~\aSa , Lub.lmbashi, ~1b;;nZ3- Ngungu . Klsangani . and Likaoi - out oi the DRC, toUl populallOO of around 68 millioo. Production lc\ds reached through ItIlpIerllentallOll of the SIO.~ million FAD wban hoIticullU!'C progJiII1Unc. financr:rl by Belgium 3fld in1p1ernenu:d by Ihe fo. linistry o( Rurul 1)eo.'C lopmCflt SIIlre laX) with wong suppon from municipal commilk:oeS . IIltJlSlatc to amullll 28.6 lilo5 of \qcubIes a )eat' per clly-d....cller. "nlis progr:unme IllS inot:ased pacaPIUld;u]y ~ of microouuicms: dirrc~n t types of grcellS.lOfnaIOes. pol3toes . c:urot5 and other \'Cgetlltiles. and as such is enormous Idp in Lhe: lii:bt against maloolrioon.especially amonIS' chilo dren and ixcast.fe.:diog "'~ incities: said FAOAgriculwru! Offx:er, Remi N()nD-Womdim. An estinwcd half of chiklrm in the: ORC an:dvoniL:ally wder-
11\
to table.
The FAO projea in the DRC
is a flagship modd of how 10 help dties grow their own nutritfllS and miao-nuaicnts to keep
pace with growing demand. The global number of wban
Jamilllh
what the GROW campaign was al i llbout,said O\'er 54.6 million Nigenans ~ hungry. ad.ilni that citbens spend 11'10 tltirdsof their income on food_ SIll! l:unen~ that tlx: food system in the counuy has bm~n down without an)'OIlC 10 mend II, adding that mitldJe men und women often I:.I.pJoit farmers by sctting low prices for agricullurul produce and fanlll:rs are onen forced 10 compete U\ global martets with fllrTTlCtl who m:eive billions or dollars in subsidies. She furtherda:ried that policy ma.i;.:n; ha\~ fai led 10 put in place S)'5temS and policies 10
protect small scale farmers . adding thai wy ha\'e failed 10 ensure that farmers have IICCCSS IO~ . credits and agriculnual sen'lCe. ~Iighlighting
the tllf'CC kc:y
areas the GROW campaign ....·o lLid work. in 10 include. pr0-
duction challenge. i.e. 1nLl\Sforming the (ood system to meeI .Ix: increasing denumd (or food; equit y challenge L.e:. ensuring tlle equal distribJtion of food to the rur:tI populace ""hkh Ihc maintained are !he .....Ofst oli!. lbe Lhird area is Ihe resilience challenge. i.e. "~1tSe in oil is tnmSflli ttcd 10 food pnlXS tlll'OUgh renilisen and lr1WpJr1. Lack of proper
poIi.:ies and systems \0
miup
ag:unst this makes a bad ,ilWl·
tion nillCh ""OISe". The CllIllpaign Manage! 00100 that 10 inmg:lle tlle chal Icnge of (ood insecurity iL counll)', tll( campaign wwk im:reasc suppon for small h0lder fnnners . latkle the food prior: crises by b.lLlding fooc reserveS. pro\'lde SlIfety ow and exp;tnd the social proca:. tion (or poor and vulnc:mbk!
""",,.
NOIing that (ood juStict ....,ouid 001 be ~ unlCS1 gtndcr discrimination is 0\'(1'--1 come and change in Iilllruda WId belieis . M.....lUIJisl main· tained thai til( campaign .....w Jc.i empower .....omen.
A MILKY AFF AIR •••
LUbumbashi. the second hu:gdl cily in the ORC, has by 50 pm.:enl in juslleIl ~ 10 I j million people, and thallks 10 tlle FAD pojccl. kx:aJ \'egetable production has kepi p3Ce_TCKby market ganlens aU around the ell)' produce IlroUOO 60 000 lOllS of vegetables .. year employing 1.800 small SCIIk nw\.;ct g:srdl:ners. FAO began its work in tile ORC 5l:uting with II baseline: ~udy 00 tlle obstllcLc:s 10 wbart and pai-wtnn 1nticu11U!'C . The study (ound the main ones w~ a lack of secu~ Icnu~ over land. linutcd access 10 "''3lef, low yields duc to poor quality seed and lack of appropriale poJUdion ~ and of dleolp credil for gIO"·ers. Other cunsuamlS included tlle limiletl rwmb::r- 01 tr.aiJEd pcn.onoel wLthm tile t. linisuy of Rur.il DI!\'dopnw:nt and tlll! lack of po5l-11arv.::st ItdtnoIogies aOO marlier fucililies that forced growct$ 10 sdJ direaly from theu- fields at lowC'l' pices. ' It helpoxllhat many of the ~. ciry d ....'e.l1ers were rural inurugnulls who alR::ady had b.hIC knowled~ of crop pro.
duclioo: said Nooo-Womdim. 1bere were also SL1.eab1c: areas of fertile land available. especialIy around l...ubu.mIXIShi. The rID! tlting FAO did was 10 pul in plocc. insti tutionaJ $lIUC:I1=S 10 tin1: FAD. goval\mCIl! and Jocal aL1l.horities with honicultuOSIS and (anners'
...."',
The UN ugency has also sup-
~~=&~ga=
infr.tstructure and flood CX\I1lIOI works , which had a side benefit of pnwiding safe and ell!OIII WllU!!' (or the communitid. Farmers hll~ ittIl their
As w.:ll liS food . the pro. JI'1lIllIllC has also helped pro. \ide employment and income for 16 !XX) £IIJaI1-sca1e marW
progr.unme and to 60 !XX) pc:opie n~ thai form the links in ~ horticultun: chain (rom fidd
(ouriii)' ~laIive,
Mrs.
Mwanijisi . "' hile elLplaiOlng
gt'O\\ll
inrortIes incrra.sc: dram:lIically.
!he
The
fo.1:lIIl1ger.
poor COOJltric:a;.
On a~·a-Jse. in Kinshasa anU
10
aw;u~~."
11OI'o·C\·er. appealed to President GoodlLJCk Jonathan to rulfil Nigeria's commitment to the Mapulo dec!arJtion. which eails for incrc:ascd public invewncnt in agricuItUJC 10 II minimum of 10 po- cent of national budgets and to raise the SCCIor gO\\'Ih by III least percenl_ Oxfam
d ....ellers is now higher than tllOlle living in rur.t.l 3I'C:aS. With Ihe fU51est I!l'Owinl! ClUes Slruated in the de\-eloping wor1d. v.:getable growing in IOWIIS. cities, suWrbs and shanI)' to\\llS is es..enti.alto improvLtIg nutrit ion and food security
nourishe;J.
£ardenets. all linU.d in
food, especially in our SOCiety where women in particular produce IOOSl of the (ood. Let's come together to invest in the produaivity of.small SClle food producers wxi also help aVer! nauonal food crisis through a concerted joint effort and
Lubumbashi (or example. annual Lncome of each f:ll'lTa" has increaso:l from IIlOUOO S500 in 2f.D.' to $2(XXI in 2010 and in Ukasi il rose frum S700 to S3 500. 1'here luwe been similar Incrc:asdi in other cities.
To ensure the safelY amI qua1ily of ptJduce for the coosumcr-, FAO muodLleed Integrated Production and Pracction Managcmall, wtUch htlp;> lCduce the need 10 rely Oll s)'l'lthctic pesticides.
\
'L-R : Fi"uflC:~ Mrllll1g~r, Fri~sI~IUJCompino \VolA/CO Nig~ria Pic, Mr, J~II~ K/~Jstru . Suits DjrutorlD~pu.IJ M rmaginr Oir~cwr, Mr. Ptttr E:sh;bllU, lIuD/~1I R,sourc, Munug~r, Mr, Robtrf Moduth·t utld lilt ComponJ's M al/urhl, lJiru.,orlCE:O, Mr, Bolo S,urskomp, al FrilslolllJCampina mutCO 1011 Wurld Milk Day, htld;'1 IAgos ...rtelmly m om, S.""'IArH, ...
Grain Demand to Rise by 70% lobal demand for major grains, such liS maize, rice . and "'hc:al. is pr0jected to incre3Se by nearly <18 per cent from 2(XX). 2025 and by 70 per cent
G bet""ecn
2000 and
2050.
:I(.'coniing 10 research presented by Mark: Rosq:rant. who deh~erul
the AS Economic
Forum Keynocc during the 20 11 Ag Innovation S""""",,
is director o( Environment anti ProdUCIion Technology at tlte intemation:d Food l'oliey Resan:h Il1Slit~ (IFPRI). Pu Cl[.Iilll. me:u consumption "'ill also incr.:.a.se in many de\'eloping regions o( the .....orld anti it will more tlllUl double in Sub-Saharan Africa from 2000-2050. leading LO a doubling of total meat COI'!sumption by 2050, the research shows. At the $Wne time. the growth in pocIuction of staple foods is expcc1Cd to drec:line: significantly in IOOSl of R05egrtLnt
the world i(business cOIItinues
as uSUllI. "Clinwe change, high and \vlatile food and energy prices. population aOO income growth. dt:u1ling diets. and i.naused urbanisation "'ill put inLCtISC pn:::ssure on land and "''aLer and challenge global food security as nel'er before:' said Rmcgrwu. "If IIgIlCUltural pro. duction and policym:Wng c0ntinues down ilS present course. the~ could be §c\'ere ronsequcnoes for many poor people in dc:\'Cloping countri.c5." U~ing 5UIe-of-the·an ero!lOmic modelling based 01\ alternative furure lCefWios for agricuillual supply and demand thai tllkc: illlo account Ihe pcxential harmful impact of climale Cf\l!I\&e. IFPRJ fW'O./«lS crop yie lds , food prices, anti child malnutrition through 2050 and beyond. EI'c:n without climate change. tlle prices of nee, ntaiu. and who!a.t are pnje.cted to uocase by 2S per oem, 48
per
per cent. respectively. by 2050, in a business-as-usual scenario. Clilllllie change Wi ll funJlCr slow productivity growth. increasing staple. food prices lind reduc ing progress on food security and chLItlhood malnuuition. ""ltbough the threatS 10 food and nutrition security an: CCIll , and 75
\'ery real , these OUlCOmes ure
by no means inevitable:' said Rosegr.ml. 1'he mynad chaI· IengeS underscore the imllOf'UlIJt:e of agricu ltural ~ . belief policies, new Iechnologies. and social invesllllCnts 10 fceding the .....orId·s buq:eOIling populalion .....hile protect -
ing critical narur..ll resources:' According to IFPRl's sophiSliCllled compuler model. developed by RIlic:gr.UlI. With USS7 bilhon of additional annuol investments in ~h 10 improve crop and livestoCk productivity. nearly 2S million less cbildn:n in developing countries would be malnour-
l>lk:d III 2050 oomparal 10 II bu:iinc:ss·IiS-usuai ..."c:naOo.
Ir projected busillC~-as· usual ill\C:>lIlYIlt.. III agncu l. turnl research are inm:~d lOong With greater spending on Imgauoo . !Urol roads. §.:Ife: drinl;.ing wale!. anJ girls' aiuc;U1Ofl. for ;& tOl:ll i.dJIlJOnal Increase of USS22 billion p.:r ) ear, tlll! number of mllioourLshtd children III tlle .:k\.'ClopIng .....Olld - currently projeclo.'1i to IlC 103 mi llion in 2050 u!oukl drop substantially to ~j million. "Spending In these areas would p:uticularly Iw:lp fannetl to IJc:Io5t Iheir yields. Impm\'C their martel 3CCC:SS. iocrease their incom.:s . and improve tllC health and ",el~· ina or tlll!ir fLl/llilies:': lidded Rosegrnnl. "Gn:.ller crop pr0.ductivity also IIlC:\Jl'i tlL3l LLQl: of !he growing dc:mand for food coold be satisfM!d fronl existmg land, IImltmg CI\\'imnmental dwnage and ensuring that progn:ss in tbe light agaLl\Sl hunger and po\'c:ny i, sustainable:'