Agricultural experts meet to fight food crisis threatening Africa

LILONGWE – Africa can feed itself if it tackles hunger strategically, an African Union official said on Tuesday at a meeting of international agriculture experts.

“The potential for development in Southern Africa is enormous. The Southern Africa Development Community region can be the storehouse of food enough for food deficit regions to turn to,” Susan Sikaneta, head of the AU’s Southern Africa Regional Office, told delegates who gathered to discuss the food crisis in the 14 member SADC region.She said the region has the ability to eradicate hunger but the lack of appropriate policies and grain reserves in the region has resulted in a food deficit in some countries, while others have a surplus.Delegates are to discuss the feasibility of establishing grain reserves at regional levels to strengthen national and regional capacities in managing food aid by governments.According to the United Nations World Food Program, almost two million people in Lesotho, Malawi and Swaziland will need food aid in the first half of 2005.In 2002, 14 million people across the region faced hunger after poor rains that left crops decimated.Sikaneta said efforts by the AU and its partners have been making progress in increasing agricultural production through irrigation farming, among other measures.”We know for sure that our region is not poor,” she said.”The region is potentially rich.The good news is that we have realised that survival lies in agriculture, and, with the strong will existing at various levels to increase agriculture production, we have every reason to feel confident that the region will sooner than later start experiencing good harvests, with surplus for sale.”The head of the European Union delegation, Wiepke van der Goot, said several questions have been raised about the establishment of strategic grain reserves at both national and regional levels.Van der Goot said one of the positive side effects of regional reserves could be the promotion of regional trade.The Lilongwe meeting is a follow up to the 2004 Sirte declaration by African states calling on heads of states and government to ensure food security and eliminate hunger and poverty at both household and national levels by 2015.-Nampa-APThe Southern Africa Development Community region can be the storehouse of food enough for food deficit regions to turn to,” Susan Sikaneta, head of the AU’s Southern Africa Regional Office, told delegates who gathered to discuss the food crisis in the 14 member SADC region.She said the region has the ability to eradicate hunger but the lack of appropriate policies and grain reserves in the region has resulted in a food deficit in some countries, while others have a surplus.Delegates are to discuss the feasibility of establishing grain reserves at regional levels to strengthen national and regional capacities in managing food aid by governments.According to the United Nations World Food Program, almost two million people in Lesotho, Malawi and Swaziland will need food aid in the first half of 2005.In 2002, 14 million people across the region faced hunger after poor rains that left crops decimated.Sikaneta said efforts by the AU and its partners have been making progress in increasing agricultural production through irrigation farming, among other measures.”We know for sure that our region is not poor,” she said.”The region is potentially rich.The good news is that we have realised that survival lies in agriculture, and, with the strong will existing at various levels to increase agriculture production, we have every reason to feel confident that the region will sooner than later start experiencing good harvests, with surplus for sale.”The head of the European Union delegation, Wiepke van der Goot, said several questions have been raised about the establishment of strategic grain reserves at both national and regional levels.Van der Goot said one of the positive side effects of regional reserves could be the promotion of regional trade.The Lilongwe meeting is a follow up to the 2004 Sirte declaration by African states calling on heads of states and government to ensure food security and eliminate hunger and poverty at both household and national levels by 2015. -Nampa-AP