AGRA gets make-Up, not make-over
29/11/2022: The Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa has dropped ‘Green Revolution’ from its name and announced a new five-year strategy. The Gates Foundation will continue to provide more than two-thirds of AGRA’s funding. Is there any evidence of a new approach to sustainable agriculture in Africa?
Source: Inter Press Service
Milestone against illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing
7/11/2022: A hundred States have committed to the UN Agreement on Port State Measures, a binding instrument which denies port access and use to foreign vessels engaging in illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. One in every five fish caught around the world may originate from such fishing.
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization
Open letter sets Bill Gates right about global food insecurity
10/11/2022: In recent articles about global food insecurity Bill Gates advocates agri-technology solutions that increase crop yields. In response, over 50 grassroots organisations argue instead for more equitable access to food, given that the world already produces enough to feed its population.
Source: Third World Network
UN warns of hunger crisis in South Sudan
3/11/2022: UN food agencies have warned that hunger and malnutrition are on the rise across the flood, drought, and conflict-affected areas of South Sudan. They project that 2.9 million people will be on the brink of starvation during the April-July 2023 lean season.
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization
The role of automation in global agriculture
2/11/2022: The 2022 edition of The State of Food and Agriculture, a flagship UN report, looks at how automation in our agrifood systems can contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals. Policy recommendations seek to balance the gains in productivity with the implications for marginalized and vulnerable groups.
Source: UN Food and Agriculture Organization
West Africa hit by illegal Chinese fishing
26/10/2022: Research coordinated by a group of 11 global NGOs finds that West Africa has become the global epicentre for illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing. This practice, dominated by Chinese vessels, accounts for one-fifth of the value of global fisheries catches, worth up to $23.5bn annually.
Source: Financial Transparency Coalition
Russia ends suspension of Ukraine grain deal
2/11/2022: The UN Secretary-General has warmly welcomed Russia’s decision to resume its participation in the Black Sea Grain Initiative. Senior UN officials confirm that exports from Ukraine and Russia under the deal have helped lower grain prices and stabilize markets.
Source: UN News
UN chief concerned at stalled Black Sea Grain Initiative
30/10/2022: UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed deep concern at Russia's suspension of the Black Sea Grain Initiative. The deal was demonstrably successful in bringing down prices, preventing some 100 million people from falling into extreme poverty.
Source: UN News
Famine should not exist in 2022
17/10/2022: The past four rainy seasons in Somalia have failed to materialise. The UN predicts more than 300,000 people will be in famine by December, despite global commitments to never let the 2011 famine happen again.
Source: The Conversation
World Food Day amid a global food crisis
16/10/2022: World Food Day falls this year as the global food security outlook is bleak, driven by Covid-19, extreme weather events, and the war in Ukraine. Funding for social protection is essential to respect that access to adequate food is a basic human right.
Source: Human Rights Watch