Europe beefs up support to global food security
ROME, 4 June 2010: The European Union (EU) has added 13,2 million euro to its funding of FAO’s efforts to boost agricultural production in developing countries worst hit by high food prices.
This brings the total amount of the EU “Food Facility” funds channeled through FAO to an unprecedented 228 million euro (knapt 1,7 milliarder DKR).
– It is unacceptable that one out of six persons on this planet is undernourished, said José Maria Sumpsi, FAO’s Assistant Director-General of the Technical Cooperation Department ahead of G-8 and G-20 meetings later this month, where development aid to agriculture will be discussed, stressing the urgent need to invest more in small farmers in poor countries.
At the same time, Sumpsi expressed his gratitude to the EU for 13,2 million in additional fun-ding for support to farmers who suffered the most from the 2007-08 food price crisis.
He noted that in developing coun-tries, despite a decline from their peaks, food prices remained stub-bornly high, negatively affecting vulnerable populations’ access to food.
In 2009, the EU joined FAO in its efforts to turn the tide of growing hunger with massive support for global food security through its ‘Food Facility’.
Bangladesh and Niger
In Bangladesh, 7,5 million euro will be used to improve the food security of over 80.000 farmers, livestock holders and fishermen. They will receive training as well as production inputs, such as agricultural machinery, seeds and fertilizer, irrigation equipment and support, small and large ruminants, poultry, animal feed, and fishing equipment.
3 million euro will double the size of FAO’s EU-funded efforts in Niger, hit hard by the drought that ravaged harvests in the Sahel region. First priority is to reduce malnutrition of 72.000 farmer families, or some 500.000 people, by increasing their agricultural production.
Hoping to eradicate (udrydde) rinderpest next year
In addition, 2,7 million euro will go to FAO’s Global Rinderpest (kvægpest) Eradication Programme.
This is an extension of the EU’s longstanding help to kill off one of the most devastating animal diseases known to man, rinderpest, responsible for famines over the course of hundreds of years in Asia, Africa and Europe.
FAO is confident that field operations can come to a close by October 2010 and that the disease can be officially declared eradicated in mid 2011.
Kilde: www.fao.org
