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الجماهيرية الليبية والمُنظّمة تتفقّان على برنامج للتعاون الوثيق

20 نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني 2009، روما -- على مدى السنوات الخمس المقبلة ستَعمل الجماهيرية العربية الليبية الشعبية الإشتراكية العظمى في تعاونٍ وثيق مع منظمة الأغذية والزراعة للأمم المتحدة "FAO" من أجل تدعيم أركان الأمن الغذائي والتنمية المستدامة في البلاد

مؤتمر قمّة الجوع يُدعِّم أركان الزراعة للقضاء على الجوع

18 نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني 2009، روما -- إختتم مؤتمر "قمّة الجوع" الذي دام ثلاثة أيام أعماله اليوم في العاصمة الإيطالية بعدما ألزم المجتمع الدولي بزيادة الاستثمار في الزراعة والعمل على محو الجوع في أقرب وقتٍ ممكن.

تجديد الالتزام الدوليّ بإنهاء الجوع

16 نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني 2009، روما -- إعتمد زعماء العالم المجتمعون اليوم بمقر منظمة الأغذية والزراعة للأمم المتحدة "FAO" لحضور أعمال مؤتمر القمّة العالميّ للأمن الغذائي إعلان القمّة بالإجماع لتجديد الالتزام بالعمل على الاجتثاث المُستَدام للجوع من وجه الأرض في أقرب وقتٍ ممكن.

جامِعة برازيلية تَدعم برامج المنظمة الإنمائيّة

15 نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني 2009، روما -- من المنتظر أن يُقدِّم علماء جامعة برازيلية رائدة خبراتهم لمنظمة الأغذية والزراعة للأمم المتحدة "FAO" في تنفيذ برامج التنمية الزراعية على امتداد أمريكا اللاتينية ولدى البلدان إلافريقية، بموجب اتفاقيةٍ وقّعت اليوم بمقر المنظمة "فاو".

FAO and IDB in $1 billion agreement

On the eve of the World Summit on Food Security, FAO and the Islamic Development Bank (IDB) announced a $1 billion agreement to fund agricultural development in poor countries that belong to both organizations. It is hoped that the framework agreement, concluded today in Rome by Dr Ahmad Mohamed Ali, President of IDB, and FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf, will help leverage additional resources and bring total investment in the IDB-FAO programme to $5.0 billion by 2012.

مؤتمر القِمّة العالمي للأمن الغذائي يبدأ أعماله يوم الإثنين

13 نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني 2009، روما -- من المُرتَقب أن يُفتتح مؤتمر القِمّة العالمي للأمن الغذائي أعماله رسميّاً يوم الإثنين الموافق 16 نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني، لحشدّ زخم متجدِّد في المعركة ضدّ الجوع وسوء التغذية بعدما بلغ أعداد الجياع في العالم 1.02 مليار نسمة (مليار و20 مليوناً).

البُلدان تتصدَّى بقوّة لاتّجاه الجوع بالسياسات الصائبة

11 نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني 2009، روما -- تُخفي أرقام الجوع العالمي المتصاعِد وراءها حقيقةً ماثلة في أنّ 31 بلداً من بين 79 بلداً رُصِدت أوضاعها الغذائية من قِبل منظمة الأغذية والزراعة للأمم المتحدة "FAO"، قد سجّلت منذ أوائل التسعينات هبوطاً ذا دلالة في أعداد مَن ينقُصهم الغذاء الكافي.

البُلدان الأشدّ فقراً لم تَزل تُعاني ارتفاع أسعار الغِذاء

10 نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني 2009، روما -- حذّرت منظمة الأغذية والزراعة للأمم المتحدة "FAO" اليوم في أحدث إصدارٍ لنشرتها "توقعات المحاصيل وحالة الأغذية"، من أن أسعار المواد الغذائية لدى البُلدان الفقيرة التي تعتمد كليّاً على واردات الغذاء لم تَزل تُعانِت في ارتفاعها رغم إنتاجٍ عالميّ جيّد من الحبوب عام 2009. ويأتي توقيت التقرير خصيصاً قبيل انعقاد مؤتمر القمّة العالمي للأمن الغذائي المُرتقَب بالعاصمة الإيطالية خلال أيام.

Rice revival gives Kenyan community hope

At the height of the 2008 food price crisis, FAO, through its Initiative on Soaring Food Prices (ISFP), launched a series of one-year input supply projects to help vulnerable farmers grow more food and earn more money. In Kenya, where civil unrest, drought and high food, fuel and input prices have left poor families even more vulnerable, this assistance has given one community hope for a better future.

الاتحاد الأوروبي والمنظمة يَنهضان بأرياف باكستان

9 نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني 2009، إسلام أباد/روما -- بينما لم ينفكّ ارتفاع أسعار الغذاء يُقوِّض قدرات صغار المزارعين الباكستانيين على الاعتياش من ريع حيازاتهم الصغرى شرع الاتحاد الأوروبي، بالاشتراك مع منظمة الأغذية والزراعة للأمم المتحدة "FAO"، بجهدٍ رئيسي لقلَب اتّجاه الجوع المتُصاعد في باكستان من خلال توفير بذور وأسمدة محسّنة وتوزيعها على ما يقرب من 100000 مُزارع ومُزارعة من بين أشد الفئات تعرُّضاً لآثار الأزمة الباقية.

New study analyses aid support to the Sub-Saharan Africa agriculture sector

د. ضيوف يدعو إلى الإسراع بالقضاء على الجوع

16 اكتوبر/تشرين الأوّل 2009، روما -- ناشد جاك ضيوف المدير العام لمنظمة الأغذية والزراعة للأمم المتحدة"FAO" ، اليوم زعماء العالم التوصّل إلى "إجماعٍ واسع للقضاء على الجوع قضاء مُبرماً وسريعاً"، لدى اجتماعهم في روما خلال انعقاد مؤتمر القمة العالمي للأمن الغذائي لرؤساء الدول والحكومات المقرّر خلال 16 - 18 نوفمبر/تشرين الثاني 2009.

New study analyses aid support to the Sub-Saharan Africa agriculture sector

A new study has been published by the FAO Investment Centre that examines the situation of financial support to agricultural development in Sub-Saharan Africa. The research was undertaken in view of recent renewed commitments to increase aid to Africa within the framework of the Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP). The discussion paper, entitled: “Rapid Assessment of Aid Flows for Agricultural Development in Sub-Saharan Africa,” was originated by FAO as a contribution to the United Nations Millennium Development Goals Steering Group and its MDG-Africa Thematic Group on Agriculture and Food Security. The purpose was to assess the flow of external financing earmarked for agriculture in Sub-Saharan Africa from both official and non-official financiers. While there has been broad agreement by development partners on the need to scale-up their external assistance to agriculture from current levels, information had been lacking on the overall magnitude of current financing levels for agricultural development. The paper provides a preliminary assessment of the flow of aid to agricultural development in Sub-Saharan Africa, using data on Official Development Assistance (ODA) collected from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) databases, major bilateral and multilateral financing agencies, and two private foundations active in the agriculture sector. Its findings note that trends in ODA show a long-term decline in agricultural ODA to Sub-Saharan Africa. In recent years, however, ODA to the agriculture sector has increased and there has been more financing for agriculture than usually assumed when aid flows from private foundations are included. The paper highlights the need for: balancing short-term food security interventions with long productivity investments; better aid harmonization due to numerous donors in the sector, and the potential problem of absorptive capacity due to low disbursement rates by aid recipients. The paper was prepared by Melissa Brown with inputs from colleagues in the FAO Investment Centre and from OECD. It can be downloaded from: Rapid Assessment of Aid Flows for Agricultural Development in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Serbia takes initial steps to establish Grain Warehouse Receipts system

In June 2009, the Warehouse Receipts Law of the Republic of Serbia was approved. Grain Warehouse Receipts (GWR) systems allow local grain farmers and agribusiness entrepreneurs to access short-term credit from banks by depositing grain in certified warehouses and using it as collateral. With more short-term credit available, farmers do not need to sell their crop immediately after harvest, when prices are typically at their lowest, to buy inputs for the next year. To ensure the successful implementation of the system, the Government of Serbia has required a focused technical assistance programme to elaborate policy directions for the development of the system and to train key stakeholders. The FAO Investment Centre has been involved in providing technical assistance in the area of GWR for more than a decade under FAO’s cooperation programme with the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), which helps to establish such systems in transition countries by financing technical assistance and by providing credit lines to local banks that use the systems. As a first step to implement the new law in Serbia, the FAO Investment Centre agreed with the Serbian Ministry of Agriculture to support a study tour to Bulgaria for key Serbian stakeholders. Bulgaria is one of the countries in the region that has successfully implemented a GWR system. The tour, involving Serbian warehouse inspectors and government representatives in Bulgaria, took place from 28 September to 2 October 2009. Its purpose was to present to the participants the experience of the Bulgarian system with a special focus on the activities of the National Grain Service of Bulgaria which is the licensing and inspection body. The participants were introduced to all components of the system and the management process – licensing, inspection, indemnity fund, and operational bookkeeping of the licensed warehouses. Highlights of the tour included visiting the headquarters of the Bulgaria National Grain Service and licensed public warehouses in the Bulgarian cities of Vratza, Popovo and Varna. More information on this knowledge exchange experience is provided in the following audio interviews: 1. Krasimir Kiriakov, President of VOCA Consult, Bulgaria, FAO consultant and expert on warehouse receipt systems (mp3: 2min31sec) 2. Milan Djakov, the Director of the Indemnity Fund, Serbia (mp3: 2min 36sec)

الأزمة الاقتصادية تُنِزل الدَمار بجياع العالم

14 اكتوبر/تشرين الأوّل 2009، روما -- ألحق التصاعُد العنيف للجوع في العالم تحت وطأة الأزمة الاقتصادية الراهنة أشدّ الأضرار قاطبةً بأفقر الفقراء لدى البُلدان النامية، فيما أماط اللثام عن نظامٍ عالميّ غذائيّ هشّ لا بد من إصلاحه حسبما ذكر اليوم كِلا منظمة الأغذية والزراعة للأمم المتحدة "FAO" وبرنامج الأغذية العالمي "WFP" في تقريرٍ مشترك.

On horizon 2050 - billions needed for agriculture

Net investments of $83 billion a year must be made in agriculture in developing countries if there is to be enough food to feed 9.1 billion people in 2050, according to an FAO discussion paper published today. Agricultural investment thus needs to increase by about 50 percent, according to the paper prepared for the High Level Experts’ Forum on How to Feed the World in 2050, Rome 12-13 October 2009. Some 300 top international specialists will attend the meeting. Required investments include crops and livestock production as well as downstream support services such as cold chains, storage facilities, market facilities and first-stage processing.

Helping migrants to invest in countries of origin

Helping migrants to invest in agricultural development in their home countries is at the heart of a new agreement between FAO and the International Organization for Migration (IOM). FAO Deputy Director-General Jim Butler and IOM Deputy Director-General Ndioro Ndiaye today signed a Memorandum of Understanding to collaborate on agricultural projects which stem directly from migrant communities in Europe and other nations of the OECD (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development).

Regional Training Underway to Promote Investments in Sustainable Land Management

Because of its global importance to livelihoods and the environment – from ensuring food security to reducing carbon emissions – sustainable land management (SLM) is being paid increasing due attention by governments and their development partners. However, financing for SLM activities remains a challenge as governments struggle to improve many sectors with insufficient resources. The Global Mechanism of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (GM-UNCCD) and the FAO Investment Centre have therefore begun organizing and carrying out a series of regional training workshops on: “Designing Integrated Financing Strategies (DIFS) for the implementation of the UNCCD”. DIFS is a capacity building initiative to strengthen national competencies for resource mobilization to boost investment in SLM as a base for improving rural livelihoods and food security, and for preventing further damage to the environment. The strategy is a guiding framework to help governments improve their policy and legal advice, inter-institutional coordination and institutional efficiency, and international and national resource mobilization using a wide variety of financial mechanisms. To help launch the DIFS process, the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Center (CATIE) in Costa Rica, hosted the first Central American Workshop from 29 September to 3 October 2008 for five countries: Belize, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Guatemala and Honduras, with representatives from the Ministries of Agriculture, Environment, Finance and Planning. A second workshop with other countries in the region (Cuba, El Salvador, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama) was held in Michoacلn, Mexico from 13 to 17 October 2008 with the joint support of the Federal and Michoacلn State Governments. Based on the encouraging success of, and lessons learned from these two workshops, the 2009 Training Programme will address the needs of other regional communities such as the Mercosur, the Caribbean and the African Lusophone countries. The DIFS approach is being integrated by development partners into their SLM programmes and the workshops will be coordinated accordingly. Formal agreements have been reached already with the UN Development Programme through the Global Environment Facility-funded Project on Capacity Building and Mainstreaming of SLM for Least Developed Countries and Small Island Developing States in the Caribbean, and with the Secretariat of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries through the FAO/Portuguese Institute for Development Support South-South Cooperation project for African Lusophone countries, funded by FAO’s Technical Cooperation Programme, which the Investment Centre is managing as the Lead Technical Unit.

Investment Training - New Workshop Approach

From 8 to 12 December 2008, a pilot workshop was held on “Formulation of Investment Projects in Agriculture and Rural Development”, in Budapest, organized by the FAO Regional Office for Europe and Central Asia (REU) and the Subregional Office for Central and Eastern Europe (SEU), with the Investment Centre. Recognizing the importance of proper analysis and development of public investment projects to meet the objectives of national development plans and strategies, the workshop focused on all stages of the project cycle, helping participants to understand and improve their technical skills in investment planning, formulation, implementation and evaluation. The innovative approach integrated best practices and requirements of international financing institutions working in partnership with FAO (e.g. World Bank, European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the International Fund for Agricultural Development). Some 20 participants attended from Ministries of Agriculture in 11 countries of the region (Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Macedonia, Moldova, Serbia, Tajikistan and Ukraine). Candidates were selected for their interest in investment work and whose current duties include liaising with donor agencies, managing project formulation and design, or carrying out project implementation. Also present were FAO staff from Budapest, Rome and field offices. J. Nagy (SEU), assisted by REU/SEU staff, oversaw overall workshop coordination. R. Jehle (REU) acted as moderator and facilitator. P. Lucani and F. Vita, Centre retired experts, prepared the material and conducted the training and practical exercises. The workshop was opened by M. Kadleèيkovل, FAO Assistant Director-General/Regional Representative for Europe and Central Asia, who highlighted the importance of agricultural investment to cope with present demand and future trends in global food supply, and C. Gregorio, Chief of the Investment Centre Service for the region, who outlined the Centre’s commitment to build up capacity in REU countries for investment planning, formulation, implementation and evaluation. The five-day training sessions covered all key stages of a project cycle, from why investing in agricultural development is a priority need, to the planning framework for project identification, preparation, appraisal and implementation, and actual preparation of draft projects. Various typologies of projects and sector programmes were explored and essential analytical tools for project design were illustrated. FAO staff spoke on themes of relevance, such as irrigation planning issues and lessons learnt, the European Union rural development support programmes, REU programmes in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and the RuralInvest package developed by the Centre for formulation and evaluation of small to medium-scale investment projects. Participants indicated that replication of a similar workshop in their countries or on a regional or subregional basis, would be of great interest to their governments. Most agreed the content and topics were well balanced and only minor modifications are needed for future workshops. Participants and presenters agreed that the practical exercises and case studies were very important and more time should be devoted to these as well as more discussion on country priorities. Keen interest was also shown by the participants on financial and economic analysis methodologies and on the RuralInvest package. It is envisaged that similar workshops will be given in most, if not all FAO regions and subregions and repeated when necessary. A second investment cycle workshop is in the planning for 2009 for the Subregional Office for Central Asia in Ankara, Turkey.

Women in agriculture: the critical food producers

Women make up over half the agriculture labour force yet they are frequently subject to discrimination, poverty and hunger. A new publication launched today investigates the situation of women in the rural workforce and how some of the main challenges facing such women can be overcome. Launched on the occasion of International Rural Women’s Day on 15 October, the Gender in Agriculture Sourcebook reviews the complex issues that face more than 36 percent of the world’s working women employed in agriculture. Based on the work done by gender specialists from the World Bank, FAO, IFAD and international experts, the Sourcebook is intended both as a reference and a tool book for those working in agricultural development.

Hunger on the rise: Soaring prices add 75 million people to global hunger rolls

Rising prices have plunged an additional 75 million people below the hunger threshold, bringing the estimated number of undernourished people worldwide to 923 million in 2007, FAO said today. High food prices have reversed the previously positive trend towards achieving the Millennium Development Goal of reducing by half the proportion of people suffering from hunger worldwide by 2015, according to new figures just released by the UN agency in advance of next week’s General Assembly session on the MDGs.

Lands of opportunity

Agricultural output is expected to increase significantly in the Russian Federation and Ukraine this year, as higher food prices have led to an expansion in area planted in cereals, FAO said at a meeting here today. Yields are also up in the two countries, and the UN agency predicts bumper cereal crops in 2008.

Initiative on soaring food prices now covers 54 countries

"...The provision of seeds, fertilizers and other agricultural inputs to small farmers is intended to encourage donors, financial institutions and national governments to support the provision of inputs on a much larger scale, according to FAO experts who stress that their Initiative is intended to produce a salutary catalytic effect that will encourage development partners to contribute to similar projects, but on a larger scale. According to FAO, countries most affected, especially in Africa, will need at least a total of US$1.7 billion to start reviving agricultural systems that have been neglected for several decades. And this amount is just for immediate and short term measures during 2008-2009."...

EBRD and FAO call for bold steps to contain soaring food prices

In the context of soaring world food prices, senior government officials from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union are meeting with executives from the private agribusiness sector to seek concrete proposals to boost agricultural investments and unlock unused output potential.

Using oil export revenues to boost public investment in agriculture

Increased revenues from oil exports could provide an excellent opportunity to boost public investment in agriculture in the Near East, a region faced by food insecurity, land degradation, water scarcity, animal diseases and high food import bills, FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf said today.

CIS countries share experiences on agricultural investment project implementation

From 6 to 8 December 2007, representatives from all ten countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States convened for a workshop on “Sharing Experiences on Agricultural Investment Project Implementation in the CIS”, held near Moscow. The workshop was organized by the FAO Investment Centre. The aim was to promote communication among national and international staff working in Project Implementation Units (PIUs), donor agencies and FAO, on factors for success and major difficulties and constraints in project implementation in the CIS region. Participants came from over 20 PIUs in the ten countries. The Centre was represented by the Director, Mr Charles Riemenschneider, a Senior Adviser, Ms Eugenia Serova, and the Service Chief responsible for investment support work in CIS countries, Mr Claudio Gregorio, who briefed participants on the FAO Investment Centre’s mandate, objectives and achievements, and illustrated the emerging challenges and opportunities for its work in the CIS region. Salient features of the workshop included: The representatives from the World Bank and the International Fund for Agriculture Development (IFAD) addressed major challenges faced by international financing institutions in the region, and possible implications for strategic priorities and future project pipeline development. High-level experts from Armenia, Kazakhstan and the Russian Federation, and from the UN Development Programme in Ukraine, presented their views on previous experience with public investment projects in the region, and gave an overview of their country strategies in agriculture development. General issues on project implementation in the CIS region were a subject of intensive debate. Working groups were also convened to review experiences in five specific areas: rural development, rural finance, value chains, advisory services, and irrigation and drainage. The workshop provided feedback to the Investment Centre to draw conclusions which will contribute to the improvement of its work with governments and financing partners in the CIS region.

Financing for Agriculture meeting stresses need for increased funding for the sector

On 20 November, as part of the FAO Conference, the Investment Centre organized a “High Level Special Event on the Financing of Agriculture: Issues, Constraints and Perspectives”. Participants included over 200 delegates, of which a number made interventions emphasising the urgent need to secure increased funding from domestic and external sources for the agriculture sector, particularly in order to achieve the Millennium Development Goal 1 of halving hunger by 2015. FAO’s Director-General, Mr Jacques Diouf, delivered the welcoming address. He pointed out the lamentable decline in financing for agriculture over the last decade, even though overall Official Development Assistance had increased substantially, and recalled that insufficient investment in agriculture is one of the main constraints to increasing agricultural production. He noted the decline in allocations to agriculture by the main international financing institutions, and pointed out that although Foreign Direct Investment to developing countries had increased enormously over the last 20 years, the share to agriculture was less than 1 percent. Mr Diouf also highlighted that farmers themselves are the largest investors in the sector, with US$18.6 billion invested in 2003. Important points raised by the three keynote speakers included: Mr Rupiah Banda, Vice-President of Zambia, stressed the importance of investing in agriculture in Africa, and referred to private sector initiatives and opportunities for public-private partnerships in the agriculture sector. Mr Jerzy Plewa, Deputy Director-General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission, noted that agriculture will receive greater attention under the 10th European Development Fund, with some €3 billion for the sector, focusing on Africa. Improving aid effectiveness and donor coordination through mechanisms such as the Global Donor Platform for Rural Development was at the forefront of the European Union’s political agenda. Mr Akinwumi Adesina, Vice President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa, called for innovative financing mechanisms to be found, especially for Africa, and pointed to the renewed political commitment to revitalizing agriculture in Africa, reflected in the Maputo Declaration and support for NEPAD-CAADP. Greater awareness of the impact of rapid intensification on the environment was also needed. The meeting recognized the significant role of Ministers of Finance in allocating resources for public investment in the sector. The utilization of savings from debt relief measures have been allocated predominantly to the social sectors rather than to agriculture. Several delegates raised the issue of use of subsidies to boost agricultural production, and pointed to the positive impact that subsidies could have on the agriculture sector, as noted in many developed countries. Reference was also made to the importance of ensuring that the cost of financing to farmers themselves is reduced and to enhance accessibility and reliability of loans. The Event was chaired by Mr Einar Guofinnsson, Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries of Iceland.

Special events focus on agricultural investment and trade assistance

The Aid for Trade initiative should focus on five priority areas in agriculture if it is to help poor countries benefit from the changing global trade regime in agricultural products, according to an FAO document prepared for today's special high level event held during the Organization’s governing Conference. Today's event follows one last night on Financing for Agriculture, which was hosted by FAO Director-General Jacques Diouf. An FAO document on the same subject warned that the share of total aid to agriculture remains stagnant and “by no means reflects the importance of agricultural GDP in developing countries.”

Special FAO Conference Event to be held on Financing for Agriculture

The Director-General of FAO, Mr Jacques Diouf, will open a Special Event on Financing for Agriculture: Issues, Constraints and Perspectives, which will take place on 20 November 2007 during the 34th Session of the FAO Conference. The Special Event has been organized by the FAO Investment Centre to assist delegates to the Conference and FAO staff in increasing their awareness on opportunities and ways to reduce hunger and poverty through greater investment in agriculture and rural development. The three keynote speakers will be the Vice-President of the Republic of Zambia - the Hon. Mr Rupiah B. Banda, the Deputy Director-General for Agriculture and Rural Development of the European Commission - Mr Jerzy B. Plewa, and the Vice-President of the Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa - Mr Akinwumi Adesina. The Minister for Agriculture and Fisheries of the Republic of Iceland - the Hon. Mr Einar K. Guofinnsson, will chair the Event. The discussions will review the current investment climate within the context of international commitments to increasing development aid through the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), the Poverty Reduction Strategy process and the Heavily Indebted Poor Country (HIPC) initiative. Different types of external financing resources will be explored as well as factors affecting domestic resource mobilization and allocation, and constraints to channelling funds for investment by farmers themselves. Absorptive capacity constraints and the role that aid can play will be addressed as well as the need for innovative financing mechanisms for agriculture. The background information paper: “Financing of Agriculture: Issues, Constraints and Perspectives” is available online in Arabic, Chinese, English, French and Spanish. The Arabic link is: ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/meeting/012/k0677a.pdf The Chinese link is: ftp://ftp.fao.org/docrep/fao/meeting/012/k0677c.pdf

FAO Mobilizes US$31.4 million Funding for Irrigation and Drainage Schemes in Myanmar

Technical Cooperation Department, Rome - FAO’s prompt response in preparing a project blueprint for the construction of irrigation schemes in the drier regions of Myanmar has mobilized US$31.4 million worth of funding from both the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) and the Government of Myanmar. Thanks to the Technical Cooperation Programme (TCP) Facility, FAO was able to quickly mobilize the funds necessary to produce a project formulation report. Insufficient rainfall in the central dry zone Myanmar’s agriculture sector accounts for around 40 percent of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP), and employs over 50 percent of the total national work force. 75 percent of the national population, or some 36 million, live in rural areas - most of whom are directly or indirectly dependent upon agriculture for their livelihoods. Rainfall patterns in Myanmar are seasonal. Annual rainfall is concentrated in the monsoon period – about 4 to 5 months, followed by long dry spells of dry season. The heavy monsoon rainfall allows for a single season rain-fed paddy crop in most parts of the country but in the central dry zones supplemental irrigation is essential, even in the so-called “wet season”. Development of irrigation and drainage facilities has always been a high priority for the government of Myanmar but the central dry zone required special attention. Rapid project formulation required The Government of Myanmar requested a loan from the OFID to finance the completion of two irrigation and drainage schemes in support of a “Water Sector Improvement Project” in the dry regions. The project objective was to complete the construction of irrigation and drainage canal distribution networks, and associated water control structures with a view to promote high agricultural output and increase income and living standards of the small-scale farmers. OFID funding for this project was dependent on the prompt development of a project formulation report, which had to be carried out in a space of six weeks. “OPEC needed the TCP Facility to formulate the project promptly”, said Mr Xueming Liu, an economist with the FAO Investment Centre. An honest broker linking beneficiary countries with finance institutions At a total cost of US$155 000, FAO produced a project report that would adequately meet the technical requirements of the OFID, and enable it to promptly appraise the project for financing. “The Technical Cooperation Programme acted as an honest broker linking the beneficiary countries with the financing institutions” said Liu. The OFID will provide a loan of US$20 million which will mainly finance the civil works, equipment and machinery, while the Government of Myanmar will provide about US$11.4 million. The irrigation schemes would cover a net area of 38,000 ha benefiting 14,000 smallholder farm families (80,000 persons).

GHANA: Assuring economic growth through sustainable natural resource management

FAO’s Investment Centre is increasingly being called on to assist in the process of reviewing and advising on natural resource management. In 2004, the Government of Ghana and the World Bank identified a policy gap regarding the contribution of natural resources towards economic growth and livelihoods in Ghana. They agreed to conduct an assessment of the economic costs of the degradation of natural resources, in order to better inform policy-making and investment planning. In the framework of the FAO/World Bank Cooperative Programme, the Investment Centre became involved in the process, providing both technical assistance and financial resources. Ghana’s Institute of Statistical, Social and Economic Research and the UK’s Department for International Development (DFID) were also key partners in this process. The study, which has been completed, first examined the role of natural resources in economic development and rural livelihoods in Ghana. It shows that natural resources are indispensable for most of the economic sectors of the country. In particular, about half of Ghana’s gross domestic product (GDP) derives from sectors that are closely related to the natural resource base; in particular: agriculture and livestock (29%), forestry and wood processing (7%), fisheries (4%), electricity and water (3%) and tourism (5%). The economic impact of natural resource depletion - despite their important social and economic roles, natural resources in Ghana are overexploited and continue to decline in both quantity and quality. Using adapted econometric instruments, the study quantified the economic costs of the degradation of five types of natural assets, namely agricultural soils, forests and savanna woodlands, coastal fisheries, wildlife resources and Lake Volta’s environment. The degradation of these environmental assets accounts for at least US$475 million annually, or 5.5 percent of Ghana’s annual GDP. This figure is based on conservative estimates; it does not take into account health impacts from air pollution and water-related diseases, and it reflects only five natural assets. Current national accounting systems largely neglect the negative economic effects of the degradation of natural resources. Accordingly, wealth accumulation is being overestimated. Whilst official standard data suggest that wealth accumulation equals 25 percent of GDP, the study reveals that wealth accumulation is rather around 15 percent of GDP. In effect, current modes of economic growth are eroding the productive base on which Ghana depends. Therefore, growth sustainability is at risk. The way ahead - to reverse this trend, the country will seek to implement policies and deploy investments that address natural resource depletion. In particular, the study recommended actions such as: enhancing the regulatory and institutional framework, including increasing the capacity of key regulatory agencies; reinforcing the capacities and involvement of local communities and the private sector in natural resource management; transferring knowledge and appropriate technologies for sustainable agriculture, such as conservation agriculture methods; and encouraging the use of market instruments to ensure and provide incentives for responsible natural resource management, as well as to address overcapacity, such as taxation, concession and licensing schemes, and payment for environmental services. The results of this work have implications for other governments facing similar problems. The Investment Centre remains open to contributing to similar assessments in other countries, as this represents a useful and innovative instrument for economic diagnosis and planning in the domain of natural resources.

Italian Wholesale Markets, an inspiration for Central and Eastern Europe

A three-day study tour offered representatives from six Central and Eastern European countries the opportunity to visit state-of-the-art Italian wholesale markets and study interactions between wholesale markets and modern food retail systems. The trip, which took place from 6 to 8 June 2005, was organized by FAO in collaboration with the Central European Initiative (CEI) Wholesales Market Foundation. In Central and Eastern Europe, national and local authorities have sometimes neglected fresh produce wholesale markets and underestimated the advantages that can be gained from modern market infrastructure in promoting and supporting efficient and transparent marketing channels. The purpose of the tour was to illustrate and explain how modern market infrastructure is managed and can be organized and financed for the benefit of both consumers and local producers. The delegation of the CEI Wholesale Market Foundation, represented by Albania, Croatia, Hungary, Poland, Romania and Ukraine, visited the wholesales markets of Rome, Fondi, Salerno and Naples, each representing different types of markets. The Naples and Rome markets are primarily serving the retail network and therefore the consumers of these two large urban centres. The market in Fondi is an assembly market, concentrating large volumes of fruit and vegetables produced in the south of Italy. The market, one of the largest in Europe with 1.2 million tons of throughput, is also a centre where fresh produce is graded, sorted and packed before being reconsigned to all destinations in Italy and abroad. The Salerno market, by contrast, is much smaller but a typical example of a market combining the functions of an urban wholesale market and an assembly market serving local producers. The Italian wholesale market system changed significantly when a law, passed in 1986, legislated for the modernization and expansion of Italy’s main wholesale markets. The law changed the management structure of markets, passing from municipality-based to more flexible management structures, with markets being established as joint stock companies. The law, recognizing the benefits for consumers and producers alike, foresaw a significant allocation of public funds for the modernization of the market structures. Both the new markets in Naples and Rome and the Fondi market, along with 11 other markets, were built as a result of this law. The topics covered during the visit ranged from the ownership and management structure of the various Italian markets to the new facilities and services provided by market companies to their clients. Several examples of innovative public-private partnerships were explained. For instance, in Fondi, although the market company is 51% under public ownership, private shareholders - representing market users - have a majority in the assembly of the company and therefore in management decisions. This allows the market to be more responsive to the needs of its clients. Other topics included food safety and quality control systems implemented by market companies to implement food safety standards, as well as the importance of the cooperative sector in the Italian fruit and vegetable sector. In addition to the study tour, FAO organized a seminar on the linkages between the food retail industry and the wholesale markets. The study tour resulted in bilateral contacts, at technical and commercial level, both within the CEI foundation members as well as with the Italian markets. FAO is planning to organize further exchanges of know-how in the context of the CEI WM Foundation. It will propose to utilize the recent experience of Polish wholesale markets to support a new project of the World Bank, involving FAO’s Investment Centre, which aims at promoting modern fresh produce market facilities in Ukraine. Related sites: http://www.ceiwmfoundation.org
http://www.eastagri.org
http://www.fao.org/ag/ags/subjects/en/agmarket/infrastructure.htm

أنباءٌ سارة في المعركة ضد الجوع

لم يزل عدد السكان الذين يعانون من القصور الغذائي بفعل نقص المواد الغذائية عدداً متعنتاً في الارتفاع... غير أن الخبير أندرو ماكميلان، رئيس قسم العمليات الميدانية لدى المنظمة، يكشف عن أن الوضع كذلك فيما لا يبعث على الإستغراب، لأن البلدان التي مضت في اتخاذ إجراءاتٍ ملموسة وواسعة النطاق تصدياً للجوع لم يزل قليلاً. وفي الحوار التالي يتحدث الخبير عن اعتقاده في أن هذا الإتجاه بدأ ينعكس...

دفع الإستخدام المتكافئ والمُستدام لموارد مياه النيل

أعلنت اليوم منظمة الأغذية والزراعة للأمم المتحدة (فاو) أن البلدان العشرة ضمن حوض نهر النيل ستستفيد من فرص ومجالات أفضل للحصول على معلومات بشأن تيسر موارد النهر الذي يشاطرونه وإمكانيات تطوير تلك الموارد والإستفادة منها وذلك بفضل مشروع جديد يهدف إلى تحسين إدارة الموارد المائية في المنطقة. سيتم تنفيذ هذا المشروع الذي تبلغ كلفته 5 ملايين دولار بتمويل من الحكومة الإيطالية من جانب حكومات البلدان المشتركة وبمساعدة من منظمة الأغذية والزراعة وسيتم التنفيذ تحت مضلة مبادرة حوض النيل التي تمثل شراكةً إقليمية أطلقتها الدول المتشاطئة على نهر النيل في عام 1999 لتسهيل المتابعة المشتركة للتنمية المستدامة وإدارة مياه النهر المذكور. إن مياه نهر النيل تحمل إمكانيات ضخمة كي تكون أداة للتنمية الإقتصادية والإجتماعية غير أن عدم توفر القدرة في الوقت الحاضر على التخطيط بصورة مشتركة لتطوير الموارد المائية وكذلك التوصل إلى إتفاقية تفضي إلى المشاطرة المتساوية لمزايا هذه الموارد وإجتذاب الإستثمارات قد أخّر من إستغلال هذه الموارد لفائدة الشعوب التي تسكن منطقة حوض النيل، على حد رأي السيد باسكوالي ستيدوتو رئيس دائرة تنمية الموارد المائية وإدارتها لدى منظمة الأغذية والزراعة.

Maximizing investments in agriculture in Central and Eastern Europe

An integrated approach to agricultural investment emphasizing greater public-private partnership is key to agricultural development in Central and Eastern Europe and the Commonwealth of Independent States, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).