News brief
- Concerns as swine flu continues to spread
- 'Megadrought' in store for West Africa
- Food production must double - WFP
- Banned pesticide still in use
- Joint effort to combat wheat rust
- Piracy disrupts emergency food distribution
- Bioenergy can benefit the rural poor
- Humanitarian system needs urgent reforms
Concerns as swine flu continues to spread
Despite relaxation of restrictions in Mexico as case numbers of swine flu - or H1N1 - start to fall, officials report that it is too early to tell whether the outbreak has peaked. Person-to-person transmission has been confirmed in at least six countries and the first case of human-to-animal transmission has been reported in Canada with the detection of the A/H1N1 virus in pigs. FAO has warned national authorities and farmers to be vigilant and to investigate any occurrence of influenza-type symptoms in domestic animals.
Like the intensive poultry farms in Asia that allowed bird flu to flourish, it is possible that intensive farming systems in North America may be involved. Although FAO experts warn that the precise evolution of the virus may never be known, they have sent a team to Mexico to make further investigations. Meanwhile, health teams continue to treat those affected and remain vigilant for further cases whilst they wait to see if the virus dies down or mutates to become more virulent.
'Megadrought' in store for West Africa
credit: World Bank
Analysis of sediment from Lake Bosumtwi in Ghana has revealed that "megadroughts" lasting centuries occur relatively frequently, the last one ending 250 years ago. Scientists have warned that while man-made climate change could worsen a megadrought, making it harder to adapt, they are likely to occur anyway. While the cause is still unknown, Tim Shanahan from the University of Texas told the BBC, "If the region were to shift into one of these droughts it would be very difficult for people to adapt; and we need to develop an adaptation policy." According to Michael Schlesinger, director of the Climate Research Group at the University of Illinois, desalination may be the only way to deal with the severity of water stress when a drought of this scale occurs.
Food production must double - WFP
In order to prevent rising food prices devastating the poorest billion people and to solve world hunger, innovative approaches are needed to double food production by 2030, warned Josette Sheeran, Executive Director of the UN World Food Programme. Talking to the Independent newspaper, Sheeran called for a "food assistance plan of self-reliance," including improvements in infrastructure and better access to markets for farmers so that countries may produce a surplus. Despite global food prices having dropped since 2008, a further one hundred million people have been pushed into food poverty, and the global economic crisis has aggravated the situation by affecting the incomes of the poor. "Food security is non-negotiable," Sheenan stressed, "We must provide more food and we must ensure that people have access to it."
Banned pesticide still in use
The Malaysian government's ban of the pesticide Endosulphan appears to have been largely flouted in the paddy fields of the country's Kedah region by farmers combating golden apple snail. The region, which produces half of the country's rice, has seen farmers experiencing diminishing soil fertility, and skin rashes after applying the chemical. However, Endosulfan residues in food have also been linked to breast cancer, Parkinson's disease, birth defects and, in Africa and India, residues are claimed to have caused the deaths of hundreds of people. The Pesticide Action Network (PAN) has called on the government to enforce the ban in order to prevent smuggling of banned agro-chemicals and to provide more information to farmers about sustainable agricultural practices.
Joint effort to combat wheat rust
credit: IRIN
Experts who have been working to fight Ug99, a strain of Black Stem Rust that threatens food security and the livelihoods of millions of farmers, have met at a workshop in Syria. Representatives, who were from Eritrea, Ethiopia, Egypt, Iran, Pakistan, Sudan, Syria, Turkey and Yemen, and from FAO, ICARDA and CIMMYT, came together to develop a common strategy to monitor wheat rust and share information. New rust-resistant wheat varieties have been developed recently, with the best to be distributed soon to farmers, according to ICARDA. Ug99, first identified in East Africa, has now spread to Yemen and Iran with rust experts warning that it is only a matter of time before it moves into Central and South Asia, the Near East and the Balkans. Ug99 spores are spread by the wind and it has been estimated that over 80 per cent of wheat cultivated globally is susceptible.
Piracy disrupts emergency food distribution
As WFP-chartered ships face the escalating challenge of piracy in Somali waters, the UN agency has warned that millions in east and central Africa would suffer if food aid is delayed. Mombasa is the main entry point for WFP food aid in the region, receiving more than 500,000 tons in 2008. However, Mombasa's security has been called into question after a US-owned cargo ship was recently attacked after unloading part of its cargo in Port Sudan. As a response to further risk of piracy, WFP has announced that storage capacity in Berbera port, in Somaliland, is likely to be expanded.
In a separate incident, Somali pirates recently released a Lebanese-owned cargo ship after learning it was bound for India to pick up food aid for Somalia, said a Somali clan elder. However, according to a pirate who claimed to be involved in the capture, the ship was released only after US$100,000 had been paid by two Somali businessmen. WFP is currently supporting 3.5 million Somalis, about half of the country's population. The continuation of severe drought will make an even greater number food insecure.
Bioenergy can benefit the rural poor
credit: WRENmedia
Bioenergy, when produced on a small scale in local communities, can benefit rural livelihoods, according to a recent report published by FAO and DFID. The survey looked at 15 different small-scale bioenergy projects in 12 countries, including jatropha electrification in Mali and animal waste biogas in Vietnam. Some of the benefits cited in the report included the creation of energy from waste products or useful by-products such as fertiliser from biogas production, and the use of intercropping in order to simultaneously produce food and fuel. In all cases the community's access to energy improved. While most of the debate surrounding bioenergy has concerned the impact on food security, FAO bioenergy expert Oliver Dubois said that more than 80 per cent involved other sources, which are predominantly used for cooking and heating in poor countries, such as wood. Furthermore, food security was not jeopardised in any of the projects because the bioenergy was produced from non-food crops or grown on unused land.
Humanitarian system needs urgent reforms
More than 375 million people, could be affected by climate-related disasters by 2015, overwhelming the current capacity to respond to emergencies, warns Oxfam. According to their report, the "humanitarian challenge of the 21st century" comprises an increasing total of climatic events and the number of people vulnerable to them, too many governments failing to prevent or respond to them, and an international humanitarian system which is "not fit for purpose." Jeremy Hobbs, Executive Director of Oxfam International, said that, "The humanitarian system works as if it's a global card game dealing out aid randomly, not based on people's needs." Oxfam is calling for an overhaul of the system, enabling aid agencies and governments to improve the way they respond to, prepare for and prevent disasters. The report ends by saying, "Whether or not there is sufficient will to do this will be one of the defining features of our age - and will dictate whether millions live or die."
Iraq's water woes
credit: IRIN
Iraq is facing a water crisis, government officials have warned. With low levels of precipitation, widespread desertification and high levels of salinity, agricultural production is increasingly at risk. Iraqi marshlands are also under threat due to a lack of water, prompting the Iraqi government, in collaboration with a number of UN agencies, to launch a US$47 million scheme to save the marshlands, the largest wetland ecosystem in the Middle East upon which many of Iraqi's rural poor depend.
Severely affected by widespread desertification, due to diversion of the Tigris and Euphrates by Saddam Hussein in retaliation for a Shia uprising, the new scheme will see dykes and canals removed to allow water to flow back into the wetlands. However, a lack of rainfall, which has seen water levels in the twin rivers reduced by almost half since 2003, is another major threat to rehabilitated marshland areas. Unable to find enough water or fodder for their animals, and with papyrus, reeds, fish and birds also affected, many people have been displaced as the livelihoods have literally dried up.
Agriculture sector under threat in Yemen
The October 2008 floods in south-eastern Yemen led to criticism that delays in recovery efforts and distribution of food aid were putting lives at risk. Now an official has warned that if the agricultural sector in the affected area is not revived fast enough, farmers will seek work elsewhere. Talking to IRIN, the humanitarian news service of the UN, Omar Muhaiwer, director of the Agriculture and Irrigation Office in Hadramaut Valley explained: "Agricultural infrastructure was severely damaged [in the floods] and many of our farmers are jobless now. We fear that this will lead to migration from agriculture to other sectors, which will create a serious problem." The flooding not only washed away crops, soil, beehives, and livestock, but several coastal villages were also affected when fishing boats were destroyed.
Race to prevent chocolate shortage
credit: WRENmedia
Scientists are pinning their hopes on resistant cacao trees to contend with the cacao swollen shoot virus (CSSV) that is threatening to cut this year's cocoa crop and destroy livelihoods. West Africa produces 70 per cent of the world's cocoa, and in Ivory Coast CSSV could mean the loss of a third of the crop. CSSV originated in native African trees and is spread by mealy bugs, which have flourished in a monoculture created by the planting of ever more trees in response to increasing demand for chocolate. Until now the only defence has been to cut down the infected trees. However, researchers at the West African Cacao Research Institute in Ghana have found some trees to be partially resistant and are therefore trying to breed resistant strains. Meanwhile, scientists at the US Department of Agriculture are mapping cacao tree genes for CSSV resistance so that a "testing kit" can be created that will test the experimental crossbreeds for resistance to speed up the process of discovering a resistant cacao tree.
Cyclone Jade adds to Madagascar's misery
Madagascar has suffered three cyclones since the beginning of the year, with the last, Cyclone Jade, affecting over 60,000 people. Jade struck just weeks after Andry Rajoelina, the former mayor of the capital city, Antananarivo, forced out elected President Marc Ravalomanana with military backing. As a result, Madagascar has been suspended from the African Union and Southern African Development Community, while the US and Norway have frozen all non-humanitarian aid. Aid agencies have warned that the political crisis is overshadowing the humanitarian disaster, calling for greater international engagement. However, despite an emergency appeal for US$36 million, international donors have been slow to respond, and aid agencies have raised concern that a lack of funding is jeopardising the humanitarian response. According to a statement by Christian Action Research and Education (CARE), "Madagascar is facing an evolving humanitarian crisis of proportions unprecedented in its history." The south of Madagascar is also currently facing a severe drought and chronic water shortages after three consecutive years of poor rain, leading to poor harvests and deepening vulnerability.
Regional cooperation needed to save marine environment
credit: IRIN
Regional cooperation and the implementation of community-based activities to protect coral reefs and prevent illegal fishing are underway in the Indo-Pacific "Coral Triangle". The Coral Triangle or "Amazon of the Seas" is home to over half of the world's coral reefs, more than 3,000 fish species and supports the livelihoods of roughly 120 million people. The Coral Triangle Initiative (CTI), comprising senior governmental officials from the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Timor-Leste, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands, are expected to formally adopt an official Plan of Action to protect the marine environment and combat threats such as overfishing, illegal fishing and climate change at the World Ocean Conference in May 2009. The implementation of strategies, such as village-protected marine areas, are hoped to be one way of improving regional management.
Diagnosing crop diseases with mobile phones
A pilot project in two districts of Uganda is testing the use of mobile phones to identify and treat crop diseases. The Grameen Foundation has trained community knowledge workers (CKWs) to collect and disseminate information with their phones. By sending a message, containing a picture and location of the diseased crop, CKWs are able to access expert advice from the Grameen Foundation in order to diagnose and treat the disease, which they then pass on to farmers. The information can also include tips on improving soil quality and yields. Currently, smallscale farmers lack location-specific information, such as soil type, the best crops, disease and pest threats and crop value, preventing them from maximising the potential from their farms. As location-specific information becomes more widely available, the hope is that crop yields will increase, while early warning systems will allow farmers to take preventative measures against pests and diseases.
Forestry could provide ten million jobs worldwide
credit: WRENmedia
Sustainable forestry management has been hailed by FAO as an industry that could create up to ten million new "green jobs", reducing poverty and improving the environment. With unemployment figures rising due to the global financial crisis, Jan Heino, Assistant Director-General of FAO's Forestry Department, has called for increased investment in forestry. Depending on the local circumstances of a country and resources available, jobs could be provided in forest management, aforestation and reforestation, agro- and farm-forestry and improved fire management, as well as construction and management of recreation and tourism facilities. The United States and the Republic of Korea have already included forestry in their economic stimulus plans. The development of a green economy and improved forest management could also help in the fight against climate change, by increasing levels of forest cover.
May 2009
