African officials and experts have begun a three-day conference in the Kenyan capital Nairobi to discuss ways to boost food security on the continent. With more than 1,000 delegates, including senior officials and scientists from 20 African countries, the African Union (AU) and the United Nations, the event is part of efforts by Africa and the United Nations to ensure food supplies on the continent, which has always been a "hot spot" for food security.
Illustrative photo. (Source: AFP/VNA)
The risks are always present
The inability to be self-sufficient in supply makes food security in Africa extremely fragile. The continent is vulnerable to external shocks, including supply chain disruptions due to the conflict in Ukraine. Meanwhile, the reality in Africa is that despite its vast potential in natural resources and human resources, many African countries are on the brink of famine due to conflict, poor agricultural infrastructure, and the severe impacts of climate change.
South Sudan has the potential to become the breadbasket of East Africa, but the climate crisis, economic crisis and instability are severely affecting agricultural productivity, livestock production and food supply in the country, according to the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). Statistics show that only 4% of agricultural land in South Sudan is currently cultivated, while 80% of the country's youth live in rural areas.
Meanwhile, humanitarian emergencies in many countries are caused by a combination of conflict, climate change and rising food and fuel prices. Nigeria's president recently declared a state of emergency to deal with high inflation that threatens food security in Africa's most populous country.
Nigeria is grappling with a number of challenges in its agricultural sector, including conflict between farmers and livestock keepers, the impact of climate change, limited access to modern farming techniques, and the threat of increased pests and diseases that are significantly impacting food production and causing food prices to rise. The government plans to use some of the savings from ending the fuel subsidy program to improve the agricultural sector in the short term.
In Sudan, supply chain disruptions, displacement and infrastructure damage from fighting between the Sudanese army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are fueling the famine. The estimated number of people facing severe food insecurity in Sudan is rising faster than expected, to 20.3 million, or 42% of the East African country’s population.
The food crisis is exacerbated by uncertainty over food supplies and prices. The FAO’s global food price index rebounded in July after two years of lows, as vegetable oil prices rose amid tensions over grain exports from Ukraine and concerns about global food production, the agency said in a recent report.
Doubts about Ukraine’s grain exports after Russia withdrew from the Black Sea Grains Initiative and dry weather in North America have pushed wheat and rice prices to their highest in nearly 12 years, after India banned rice exports. Rising rice prices, especially food security concerns, affect a large part of the world’s population, including the poorest in Africa.
The "key" to solving the problem
Africa remains a net food importer despite its vast arable land and young, abundant workforce. Harnessing its existing potential and leveraging technology can help Africa become self-reliant in food production. This was also a matter of concern and discussion at the recent United Nations Food Systems Summit, which focused on the transformation of agricultural systems.
Experts highlighted the importance of promoting technology, supporting farmers, establishing partnerships and adapting to climate change to promote the transformation of agricultural systems. Some solutions mentioned include youth farming, special subsidies for farmers to grow multiple crops and increased exchange, combined with the support of advanced science and technology. These can be considered the "key" to solving the problem of food security.
The Kenya conference on the use of satellites to enhance food security is the seventh international conference organized by the Centre for Resource Mapping for Development (RCMRD). In his opening remarks, AU Commission Senior Scientific Officer Dr Mahaman Bachir Saley said that satellite images could help African governments effectively monitor food crops in their fields. According to him, real-time monitoring could help countries plan by accurately predicting farmers’ harvests.
This is also the view of Ms. Husna Mbarak, Head of the Governance and Natural Resources Team at the FAO Office in Kenya. According to Ms. Mbarak, Africa can achieve achievements in the agricultural sector by monitoring fields with the help of satellites. In addition, satellite images can also be used to detect and respond to crop pests.
At a conference in Kenya, Uganda's Minister of Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Judith Nabakooba, said that Africa needs to exploit the latest achievements in space science to ensure food security.
Earth observation equipment such as satellites can help Africa better forecast weather to guide farmers to improve crop production and productivity, Collins Marangu, head of plant protection and food safety at Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, said. Satellite images can also be used to effectively monitor soil “health” to reduce the need for pesticides.
Faced with the urgent need to address food security, the FAO Director-General said that the world can only achieve the Sustainable Development Goals through the transformation of agri-food systems. He stressed that FAO will continue to advocate for food and agriculture to be recognized as part of an interrelated system, as efforts to transform the global agri-food system cut across a number of sectors, including agriculture, climate, biodiversity, trade and nutrition.
According to United Nations organizations, investing in agricultural development and facilitating policy implementation will help improve food security in the long term, as well as create more jobs in rural areas.
UN food agencies and African countries are working to find solutions to optimize resources, enhance cooperation and coordination at global, regional and national levels to help Africa address food security. Cooperation on agricultural system transformation and the application of technology to crop system monitoring are important factors in finding solutions to food security problems in the Black Continent.
According to Nhan Dan newspaper
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