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ProjectEmergency Assistance for Capacity Development in the Current Desert Locust Outbreak Areas Control in Eritrea - TCP/ERI/3801 2022
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No results found.The Eritrean economy is heavily dependent on the agriculture sector, which contributes around 16 9 percent of the total gross domestic product However, the sector is seriously threatened by invasions of Desert Locust ( the most important pest in the country, and one that impoverishes farmers and threatens food security and livelihoods Locust infestation also has a negative impact on forestry and the ecosystem Despite DL control efforts, the situation has rapidly deteriorated Weather conditions across the Horn of Africa in January 2020 were unusually conducive to the spread and breeding of the pest after the arrival of Cyclone Pawan in early December 2019 These conditions allowed breeding until June 2020 and the formation of large numbers of swarms The Desert Locust is considered the most destructive migratory pest in the world, as it is highly mobile and feeds on green vegetation, including crops, pasture and fodder The pest is capable of stripping an area’s vegetation, and can cause large scale agricultural and environmental damage Even a very small 1 km 2 swarm can eat the same amount of food in one day as about 35 000 people A typical swarm can be made up of 150 million locusts per square kilometre and is carried on the wind for distances of up to 150 km in one day A single large swarm in Kenya was recently recorded with an area of 60 km by 40 km a swarm of that size can consume the equivalent amount of kilocalories in one day as millions of people Outbreaks of DL can thus be especially devastating in areas where food security is poor and where every gram of food produced counts towards alleviating hunger. -
Brochure, flyer, fact-sheetMore fuel for the food/feed debate 2022
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No results found.Livestock contribute to food security by supplying essential macro- and micro-nutrients, providing manure and draught power, and generating income. But they also consume food edible by humans and graze on pastures that could be used for crop production. Livestock, especially ruminants, are often seen as poor converters of feed into food products. This paper analyses global livestock feed rations and feed conversion ratios, with specific insight on the diversity in production systems and feed materials. Results estimate that livestock consume 6 billion tonnes of feed (dry matter) annually – including one third of global cereal production – of which 86% is made of materials that are currently not eaten by humans. In addition, soybean cakes, which production can be considered as main driver or land-use, represent 4% of the global livestock feed intake. Producing 1 kg of boneless meat requires an average of 2.8 kg human-edible feed in ruminant systems and 3.2 kg in monogastric systems. While livestock is estimated to use 2.5 billion ha of land, modest improvements in feed use efficiency can reduce further expansion. -
Book (stand-alone)Food policies and their implications on overweight and obesity trends in selected countries in the Near East and North Africa region
Regional Program Working Paper No. 30
2020Also available in:
No results found.Regional and global trends in body weight show that the Near East and North Africa (NENA) region countries, especially the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) member countries, have the highest average body mass index and highest rates of overweight and obesity in the world. There exist several explanations that expound the high rates of overweight and obesity in most NENA countries, including the nutrition transition, urbanization, changes in lifestyle, and consequent reduction of physical activities. This study examines the implication of food policies, mainly trade and government food subsidies, on evolving nutritional transitions and associated body weight outcomes. We examine the evolution of trade (food) policies, food systems, and body weight outcomes across selected countries in the NENA region – Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq. In particular, we investigate the implications of important trade (food) policies in shaping diets and food systems as well as their implications on public health outcomes, mainly the rising levels of overweight and obesity in the NENA region. We provide a simple conceptual framework through which trade policies (tariff rates) and domestic government food policies (subsidies) may affect food systems and nutritional outcomes. An important and innovative feature of this study is that it compiles several macro- and micro-level datasets that allow both macro and micro-level analyses of the evolution of trade (food) policies and associated obesity trends. This approach helps to at least partly overcome the data scarcity that complicates rigorous policy research in the NENA region. Overweight and obesity rates have almost doubled between 1975 and 2016, with varying rates and trends across regions. For instance, whereas body weight in the NENA region was comparable with that found in high-income countries in the early years, after the 1990s regional overweight and obesity rates became much higher than those in high-income countries. Specifically, while most high-income countries are experiencing a relative slowing of increases in overweight rates, the trend for the NENA region continues to increase at higher rates. The evolution of overweight rates for the GCC countries are even more concerning. These trends are likely to contribute to the already high burden of non-communicable diseases in the NENA region. Contrary to the conventional view that overweight and obesity rates are urban problems, our findings show that rural body weight has been rising over the past few decades, sometimes at higher rates than in urban areas.
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