Castro Camarada, FAO Subregional Coordinator for Eastern Africa and FAO Representative in Ethiopia to the African Union & ECA, talks about the challenges facing the Horn of Africa, FAO's work in the region and the activities that need to be scaled-up.
Building stronger pastoralist communities in the Horn of Africa - that's the aim of the 5 million Euro project, funded by the European Union and coordinated by FAO.
In response to 2011's famine in parts of southern Somalia, FAO more than doubled its support to Somali farmers, especially in the cereal producing parts in the country's south.
A forward-looking cash-based aid scheme designed and implemented by FAO is helping Somalis to buy food for themselves and their families immediately while also equipping them to better cope with future droughts. The cash-for-work project is paid some 1million Somalia over the last one year $18 dollars a week for 2 ½ months to rehabilitate degraded irrigation canals and water-storage infrastructure in southern Somalia, where six areas were declared as famine struck in 2011.
FAO has vaccinated nearly 14 million animals in the last one year, in a move to protect Somali livestock, the largest livelihood activity. FAO's livestock interventions also include helping farmers to boost fodder production, providing animal emergency treatment and strengthening animal disease surveillance.
Somalia is no longer in a state of famine, but the situation is still dire across the whole region with millions of lives at risk. This video looks at how FAO is building resilience amongst farmers and pastoralists, as part of the organization's renewed commitment to a hunger-free Horn of Africa.
Somalia is no longer in a state of famine, but the situation is still dire across the whole region with millions of lives at risk. This video looks at how FAO is building resilience amongst farmers and pastoralists, as part of the organization's renewed commitment to a hunger-free Horn of Africa.
FAO recently launched a campaign to raise public awareness about the nutritional benefits of fish across Somalia, the country with the longest coastline in Africa, but also one of the world's lowest fish consumption per capita.
In partnership with FAO and civil society, the European Union (EU) is working to address the underlying causes of hunger in the Horn of Africa. A crisis flared up this year due to a toxic mix of drought, soaring food prices, conflict and population growth. But long term solutions are required.
