Food agencies in Rome agree to increase
collaboration
Agreements aimed at strengthening collaboration between
the three Rome-based UN food agencies - FAO, the World
Food Programme (WFP) and the International
Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) - were signed
this week in support of world food security.
FAO and WFP have signed an agreement to expand their
existing cooperative activities related to the Special
Programme for Food Security. Launched by FAO in 1994,
the SPFS helps low-income
food-deficit countries boost food production in order to
cut costs and increase access to food in poor communities in
both rural and urban areas.
An agreement signed by FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf
and the President of IFAD, Mr Fawzi Al-Sultan, also
underlined the need to boost food production and increase
access to food in low-income food-deficit countries in the
context of the SPFS. The two agencies agreed to cooperate
more closely in the field and to use existing joint
operations as a basis for developing further collaborative
activities.
Go to Press
release
24 March 1999
Freshwater fisheries under threat in
most regions of the world
Freshwater fish production is being threatened by
environmental degradation in most regions of the world, FAO
has warned: "Industrialization, urbanization, deforestation,
mining and agricultural land and water use often cause
degradation of aquatic environments, which is the greatest
threat to inland fish production." Environmental degradation
affecting freshwater areas is reported to be increasing in
Africa, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean,
Europe, the Commonwealth of Independent States and the
Baltic States.
In 1997, reported freshwater fish yields accounted for
approximately 6 percent of the total global fish production
of 122 million tonnes. Yet, despite its importance as a
major source of food and protein, particularly in poor
countries, freshwater fish production is often
underreported, and many policy makers are unaware of its
importance for food supplies and income generation. As a
result, most inland fish producers suffer from the lack or
inadequacy of rights and institutional support. According to
FAO, inland fisheries should be better integrated into water
and land management. The Organization also recommends
actions that can be taken at community, farm and state and
national levels.
Go to Press
release
Go to Fisheries
Department
24 March 1999
Network to promote rabbit breeding in
Mediterranean countries has first meeting
A network established to promote rabbit breeding in
Mediterranean countries will have its inaugural meeting at
FAO headquarters on 18 and 19 March. The "International
Observatory on Rabbit Breeding in Mediterranean countries"
has been set up to promote rabbit breeding for food
security, income-generation purposes, diversification of
livestock and better use of feed resources.
The network has been established with the assistance of
FAO, as well as the support of specialized organizations
including the Italian rabbit-breeding society ANCI
(Associazione Nazionale Coniglicoltori Italiani) and the
Italian Ministry for Rural Politics. Some 14 Mediterranean
countries will be represented at the meeting, half of which
are from the Arab world, including Algeria, Egypt, Jordan,
Lebanon, Morocco and Tunisia.
Go to Press
release
More
on the meeting
17 March 1999
Latest EMPRES Transboundary Animal
Disease Bulletin now out
FAO's Emergency Prevention System for Transboundary
Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases (EMPRES) have published
the eighth number of their Transboundary Animal Disease
Bulletin. The bulletin can be read on the EMPRES
web site or downloaded
in pdf.
The latest bulletin includes news items on:
- Tropical New World Screwworm in the United
Kingdom
- African Swine Fever (ASF) in West Africa
- A workshop on genetic resistance to ASF
- Foot-and-Mouth Disease in Malawi
as well as many other topical issues in this field.
EMPRES also run an electronic
discussion group that aims to facilitate interaction and
improved communication among subscribers involved in
transboundary animal diseases and emergency prevention
systems.
EMPRES
homepage
16 March 1999
Ministerial Meeting endorses action
plans to reduce overfishing and overcapacity
The Ministerial Meeting on the Implementation of the Code
of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries closed 11 March with
the endorsement of new voluntary International Plans for the
Management of Fishing Capacity, for the Conservation and
Management of Sharks and for Reducing Incidental Catch of
Seabirds in Long-line Fisheries, recently adopted by the
FAO
Committee on Fisheries.
Ministers and Senior Representatives from some 120
countries attending the two-day meeting at FAO headquarters
expressed their concern about "overfishing of the world's
major marine fishery resources, destructive and wasteful
fishing practices and excess capacity." The countries also
declared that they would develop a "global plan of action to
deal effectively with all forms of illegal, unregulated and
unreported fishing including fishing vessels flying 'flags
of convenience'".
Go to Press
release
Ministerial
Meeting on the Implementation of the Code of Conduct for
Responsible Fisheries
12 March 1999
"Deteriorating" food situation
reported in Somalia
Adverse weather and civil strife are the cause of serious
food shortages in some countries in sub-Saharan Africa,
according to the latest Foodcrops and Shortages report, the
first of 1999. "Serious concern mounts over deteriorating
food situation in Somalia", according to the report. A sixth
poor "Deyr" crop in succession and renewed fighting in many
areas of the country have combined to increase the number of
people in search of food and water. Other countries in the
region reported to be suffering food difficulties are
Tanzania,
Kenya, Liberia
and Sierra
Leone, Democratic Republic of Congo and the Republic of
Congo, as well as Guinea Bissau. Good prospects for crops
are expected in most of the southern part of the
continent.
Elsewhere, food shortfalls are reported in much of
Central
America and the Caribbean, still suffering from the
effects of hurricanes Mitch and Georges. In Asia, food
security in Afghanistan and Korea DPR remains fragile, and
malnutrition continues to be a problem in Iraq, despite some
improvement in the overall food situation following the
implementation of the oil-for-food deal. A recovery in rice
production is expected in Indonesia, where a combination of
El Niño drought and the financial crisis last year
seriously compromised food security.
Go to Foodcrops
and Shortages No. 1, February 1999
12 March 1999
Mission to Lao People's Democratic
Republic finds monsoon rice harvest above average
An FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission to Lao
People's Democratic Republic has found that rice harvests in
1998/99 have been healthy so far, despite reports of an
unfavourable food outlook. Although localized drought was
reported during and after transplanting, the 1998 monsoon
rice crop is 7 percent above average. Total paddy output for
1998/99 is estimated at some 1.8 million tonnes, 22 percent
above the average for the past five years and one percent up
from last year. The Special Report issued by the Mission on
4 March says that, "on current production estimates, rice
import requirements in 1999 will be minimal, estimated at
around 3 000 tonnes, all to be met commercially". However,
the report warns that many rural households have
insufficient access to food, despite increased national
production. "This situation is exacerbated by relatively
high world commodity prices, a rapidly depreciating currency
and a sizeable fiscal deficit."
Go to the Special
Report
11 March 1999
Ministers meet to discuss forestry,
fisheries and agriculture in small island developing
states
FAO hosts three ministerial meetings in the week 8 to 12
March. Forestry, the implementation of the Code of Conduct
for Responsible Fisheries and Agriculture in Small Island
Developing States are the topics for discussion.
The Ministerial Meeting on Sustainability Issues in
Forestry, the National and International Challenges,
convened 8 and 9 March, provides a forum for global decision
on strategic and policy issues related to forestry. Some of
the items under discussion include: the need for
international instruments to support sustainable forest
develoment; global action to address forest fires; and the
proposed FAO Strategic Framework for the years 2000 to
2015.
Ministerial
Meeting on Sustainability Issues in Forestry, the National
and International Challenges
The Ministerial Meeting on the Implementation of the Code
of Conduct for Responsible Fisheries is scheduled for 10 and
11 March. Topics under consideration include management of
fishing capacity as well as the potential role of
eco-labelling of fish and fishery production in support of
responsible fisheries.
Ministerial
Meeting on the Implementation of the Code of Conduct for
Responsible Fisheries
Sustainable production, intensification and
diversification of agriculture, forestry and fisheries in
small island developing states (SIDS) is the focus of the
special meeting slated for 12 March. The international
conference aims to develop a mission-specific plan of action
consisting of programmes and projects for the sustainable
agricultural development of SIDS, recognizing the specific
constraints facing these small island nations.
Special
Ministerial Conference on Agriculture in Small Island
Developing States
9 March 1999
Desert Locust Bulletin 245
released
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The latest bulletin reports a generally calm desert
locust situation in February despite two small outbreaks in
northeastern Sudan and southeastern Libya. Continuing
control operations were credited with containing these
unrelated incidents. According to the bulletin, "The Libyan
outbreak does not threaten neighbouring countries or
regions."
Elsewhere, unusually dry conditions have prevented any
significant developments in breeding areas along the Red Sea
coasts. However, good rains have started to fall in the
spring breeding areas of western Pakistan where low numbers
of adults are present and may start to breed.
Desert Locust Bulletin 245 reports on the general locust
situation during February 1999 and provides a forecast until
mid-April 1999.
Go to the Latest
Desert Locust Situation and Forecast
9 March 1999
Risk of Rift Valley Fever back
down in the Horn of Africa
The World Health Organization (WHO) and FAO have made a
joint statement saying that the risk of infection by the
Rift Valley fever virus is back down to minimal or
negligible levels in countries in the Horn of Africa, after
a devastating epidemic that lasted from October 1997 to
March 1998. The countries concerned are Tanzania, Kenya,
Somalia and Ethiopia. The improved situation is the result
of favorable climatic conditions and the immunity developed
by a large proportion of the livestock during the recent
epidemic. The joint statement said of livestock exports from
the countries in the Horn of Africa, "the present extremely
low risk of Rift Valley fever infection in livestock is
comparable to the risk in former years that permitted the
safe export of livestock."
FAO/WHO
joint statement
FAO
supports budding small livestock and meat export industry in
Tanzania
Pastoralists in eastern
Africa hard hit by Rift Valley fever and other
diseases
9 March 1999
Special Alert for Angola -
intensified fighting drives farmers from their fields
Since the last GIEWS Special Alert for Angola in December
1998, the food outlook in the southwest African country has
become "increasingly bleak", according to an Alert issued on
18 February. Intensified fighting since the end of the year,
particularly in the central highlands and the northern
provinces has forced more and more people to flee their
homes and fields, aggravating what the Alert calls "an
already precarious food situation in several parts of the
country". Food prices have risen sharply in many areas and
difficulties in distributing relief assistance are leading
to growing levels of malnutrition. Because of the fighting,
"the 1999 crop is expected to be sharply below the output in
recent years", according to the Alert, which closes
stressing the "urgent need for the international community
to do everything possible to ensure that adequate
humanitarian assistance is provided to the affected Angolan
population".
Go to the full Special
Alert
9 March 1999
Mission to Cambodia finds rice
harvests better than expected
An FAO/WFP Crop and Food Supply Assessment Mission to
Cambodia has found that fears of reduced rice harvests have
proved largely unfounded. According to the Special Report,
posted 17 February 1999, despite drought and scattered pest
infestations, the wet (main) season paddy production for
1998/99 is estimated at 2.88 million tonnes, 8 percent up
from last year. Taking into account the drop of about 14
percent in the dry season paddy harvest, total rice
production for 1998/99 is estimated at 3.52 million tonnes -
3 percent up from last year. The Mission forecasts a small
surplus of nearly 30 000 tonnes of rice, but warns that
despite this, "vulnerable segments of the population will
face varying degrees of food shortage in 1999" and urges the
Government to "be cautious with regard to decisions on rice
export in 1999."
Go to the full Special
Report
3 March 1999
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