The Representative of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Sudan, Dr Babagana Ahmadu, paid a two-day working visit to Al Fashir in North Darfur State, Sudan from the 6th to the 8th of September 2020, where he had a number of meetings with senior government officials in the state.
On the first day visit, Dr Ahmadu officiated the opening of a training workshop on Food Systems and Resilience Assessment Tools within the framework of donor supported project on Food and Nutrition Security The workshop was jointly organized by FAO in collaboration with North Darfur based NGO Sahari National Organization.
Dr Ahmadu addressed the participants of the workshop affirming FAO’s cooperation with the government in building resilience and flexibility to food chains for the societies that urgently need to strengthen food systems, raise the capacities of farming communities to do more and apply appropriate technologies in reducing climate impacts. He advised all stakeholders to take the necessary precautions to face the food system challenges. He advocated for adoption of various ways and means available to ensure food safety measures so that the product that reaches the consumers’ table are safe and wholesome.
The workshop was attended by various stakeholders and senior government officials including the Director General of the Ministry of Production and Economic Resources in North Darfur Mr Alnoor Adam, HAC Coordinator in North Darfur State Mr Abbas Yousif, and Sahari National Organization Director General Mr Ibrahim Suleiman.
The development of value chain for Gum Arabic was the focus of the workshop in the view of the strategic role and value of the commodity in the international market. There is growing appreciation on the potential role of Gum Arabic in the socioeconomic life of  agro-pastoral and farming  communities in in East and North Darfur States.
The Food and Nutrition Security Resilience Program (FNS-REPRO) of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, funded by the Government of the Netherlands, is a four-year plan addressing the cause effect relationship between conflict and food insecurity in Somalia, South Sudan and the Sudan. The main premise of the program is that agricultural livelihoods are people’s best defense against hunger and malnutrition: people with resilient livelihoods are better prepared and can better cope with shocks and crises.
On his second day visit, FAO representative visited FAO office in El Fasher and had a meeting with the state FAO team during which he reiterated the importance reaching out and support to the local communities in service delivery, he called on FAO staff to double their efforts especially in these difficult periods. He also stressed that FAO members should be a model to the others in taking precautions against the covid-19.
The representative also had a number of meetings with the different UN bodies, in following up various arrangements in El Fasher to strengthen collaboration to accelerate the workflow.
Dr Babagana concluded his tour by visiting the Darfur Land Commission and discussed the developments on the land tenure issues, the future plans and challenges that could face the commission in the implementation of FAO program on Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure of Land, Forestry and Fisheries (VGTT). Moreover, the representative was briefed on the positive impact of the MoU, which was signed between FAO and the commission and the role it played in raising the awareness of the citizens.