Several regions in the country are said to be experiencing challenges with food security, which has led families to resort to eating wild fruits and roots. The government of Belgium recently donated 17 million Euros to two districts (Gaza and Manica) to help solve the problem. The government hopes to use the investment mainly on food security but also on water supply, infrastructure and sanitation. (Business Day)
The UN recently reported that it needs $200m urgently to respond to the growing humanitarian crisis being experienced in the soon-to-be independent Southern Sudan. About half a million people are now ‘on the move’ in the region, including at least 300,000 who have returned ahead of the independence, and about 200,000 who have fled violence. It is reported that the South’s Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) is fighting a minimum of seven rebel militias, and tribal clashes constantly erupt over the country’s resources. (Trust.org)
The Ethiopian government this week reported that it expects the World Bank to decide whether they will be receiving an additional funding for its Nile Basin irrigation project. The Bank had previously provided $100m to this project in 2008. An official from the World Bank states that countries like Ethiopia are no longer looking at food security, poverty, and climate change separately, but that climate-smart agriculture and irrigation practices are key to solving food security issues and increasing crop yields. (Bloomberg)
The South African minister of International Relations and Cooperation states that the onus rests on South Africa to deliver a climate change outcome at the summit, which would take place at the end of the year. The summit is regarded as one of the largest UN meetings on climate change, and is expected to draw heads of state from more than 100 countries. The South African government is said to be holding ‘open-ended’ informal consultations in Bonn (Germany) with all parties and stakeholders to get their views and expectations on the outcome of the Durban conference. (Bernama)
Half of the 15 Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) member states have already ratified the Protocol on Gender and Development. The objective of the protocol is to provide for the empowerment of women, to eliminate discrimination and to achieve gender equality. The first protocol was signed in 2008, where most SADC leaders signed except Botswana and Mauritius who continue to refuse to sign as they have reservation or doubt that they might not be able to meet the targets. (Southern Times)
A recent IFAD (International Fund for Agricultural Development) report says world food production must be increased by 70% within the next 30 years in order to feed a projected nine billion people worldwide. As most communities in Africa are rural communities where a huge portion of its income and employments are derived from the agricultural sector, there is a need for stakeholders in the sector to pay closer attention to the subsistence farmers, treating them as businesses that can have an impact on each country’s economy.
