African officials and experts have begun a three-day conference in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, to discuss increasing food security on the continent. With the participation of more than 3 delegates, including senior officials and scientists from 1.000 African countries, the African Union (AU) and the United Nations, this event is part of a series of European efforts. Africa and the United Nations to secure food supplies on the continent, which has always been a "hot spot" for food security.
Illustration. (Source: AFP/VNA)
Dangers are always present
The inability to be self-sufficient in supply makes food security in Africa always in a very fragile state. The continent is prone to crisis in the face of external influences, including supply chain disruptions due to the Ukraine conflict. Meanwhile, there is a reality in Africa, despite having a lot of potential in terms of resources and human resources, many African countries are always close to starvation, because of conflicts, poor agricultural infrastructure. and severe impacts of climate change.
According to the Director-General of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), South Sudan has the potential to become the breadbasket of East Africa, but the climate crisis, economic crisis and unrest are affecting it. seriously affect agricultural productivity, livestock and food supply in this country. Statistics show that only 4% of the agricultural land in South Sudan is cultivated, while 80% of the country's youth live in rural areas.
Meanwhile, the humanitarian emergency in many countries is caused by a combination of conflict, climate change and rising food and fuel prices. The President of Nigeria recently had to declare a state of emergency in response to high inflation that threatens food security in Africa's most populous country.
Nigeria is grappling with a range of challenges in the agricultural sector, including conflict between farmers and herders, the impact of climate change, limited access to modern farming techniques, and the risk of Increase in insects and pests significantly affects food production and causes food prices to rise. The government plans to use some of the money saved after the end of the fuel subsidy program to improve the agricultural sector in the short term.
In Sudan, supply chain disruptions, migration and infrastructure damage caused by fighting between the Sudanese military and paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are responsible for increasing hunger. . The estimated number of people facing severe food insecurity in Sudan is growing faster than forecast, to 20,3 million, or 42% of the population of the East African country.
The food crisis is exacerbated when food supplies and prices are precarious. According to a recent announcement by the FAO, the global food price index turned up in July after two years of lows, amid a rise in vegetable oil prices due to tensions related to grain exports from Ukraine and concerns about global food production.
Skepticism over Ukraine's grain exports following Russia's withdrawal from the Black Sea Grain Initiative and dry weather in North America pushed wheat and rice prices to their highest levels in nearly 12 years, after India India banned rice exports. Rising rice prices, especially with regard to food security, affect a large part of the world's population, including the poorest in Africa.
The "key" to solve the problem
Africa is still a net food importer, despite its vast arable land and an abundant young workforce. Exploiting and exploiting the available potential with the help of technology can help Africa become self-sufficient in food production. This is also an issue of concern and discussion at the recent United Nations Food Systems Summit, which focused on transforming agricultural systems.
Experts highlight the importance of promoting technology, supporting farmers, establishing partnerships and adapting to climate change to accelerate the transformation of agro-product systems. Some solutions are mentioned such as youth food cultivation, special subsidies for farmers to grow a variety of crops and increase exchange, combined with the support of advanced science and technology. This can be considered as the "key" to solve the problem of food security.
The Kenya Conference on the Use of Satellites to Enhance Food Security is the 7th international conference organized by the Center for Resource Mapping for Development (RCMRD). Speaking at the opening of the conference, the AU Commission's senior science official, Dr Mahaman Bachir Saley, said satellite images could help governments in Africa to effectively monitor species. food crops in the field. According to him, real-time monitoring can help countries plan through the ability of farmers to correctly predict the harvest.
This is also the view of Ms. Husna Mbarak, Head of Governance and Natural Resources Group 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 the conference in Kenya, Uganda's Minister of Land, Housing and Urban Development, Judith Nabakooba, said that Africa needs to exploit the latest space science achievements to ensure food security.
According to the head of the plant protection and food safety agency in the Kenya Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development Collins Marangu, earth observation devices such as satellites could help Africa better predict weather. to guide farmers to improve production and crop yield. In addition, satellite images can also be used to effectively monitor the "health" of the soil to reduce the need for pesticides.
Facing 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 agricultural system cross a number of sectors. These include agriculture, climate, biodiversity, trade and nutrition.
According to UN organizations, investing in agricultural development and facilitating the implementation of policies will help improve food security in the long term, as well as create more jobs in rural areas.
Food agencies of the United Nations and African countries are working to find solutions to optimize resources, strengthen cooperation and coordination at the global, regional and national levels to help Africa. solve the problem of food security. Cooperation on transforming agricultural systems, bringing technology into monitoring cropping systems are important factors in finding solutions to food security problems in the Black Continent.
According to Nhan Dan newspaper
