The world celebrates World Food Day on 16 October
Press Release
World Food Day (WFD)
“FAMILY FARMING: FEEDING THE WORLD, CARING FOR THE EARTH.”
Sudan is actively engaged in the preparations for observing the World Food Day (WFD) 2014 on the 16th of October, 2014. This year’s WFD is globally celebrated under the theme of “FAMILY FARMING: FEEDING THE WORLD, CARING FOR THE EARTH.”
Dr. Abdi Jama the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Representative in Sudan said “the theme dovetails with the FAO’s main goal that calls for achieving food security for all is at the heart of FAO's efforts – to make sure people have regular access to enough high-quality food to lead active, healthy lives.”
“Our three main goals are the eradication of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition; the elimination of poverty and the driving forward of economic and social progress for all; and the sustainable management and utilization of natural resources, including land, water, air, climate and genetic resources for the benefit of present and future generations,” Dr. Jama added.
The United Nations declared 2014 as the International Year of Family Farming (IYFF). FAO, in collaboration with Governments, International Development Agencies, farmers’ organizations and other relevant organizations of the United Nations system, as well as relevant non-governmental organizations, is facilitating its implementation to support the development of agricultural, environmental and social policies conducive to sustainable family farming; increase knowledge, communication and public awareness; attain better understanding of family farming needs, potential and constraints and ensure technical support; and create synergies for sustainability.
The Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) used to estimate the number of people affected by food insecurity reports 4.8 million food insecure people for the period August to October 2014.
There was an historically poor harvest in 2013/14 with 48 percent lower than the previous year’s crop and 68 percent lower than the 5-year average. Current sorghum, millet and wheat prices were on average, 82 percent, 92 percent and 64 percent higher than last year. Prices for these commodities were 150 to 160 percent above the July five-year average
Food security is strongly correlated to Sudan’s rain-fed agricultural sector. In Sudan Family farming is mostly practiced in the traditional subsector and in the family-owned small holdings in the irrigated subsector. It is believed that family farming accounts for over 70 percent of staple food crops—sorghum and millet—. Subsistence farmers and nomadic agro-pastoralists that populate the semi-arid band stretching from Red Sea to North Darfur are reliant on fluctuating rainfall and scarce water resources. FAO through introducing water harvesting techniques and provision of improved drought-resistant seeds has markedly stepped up the yields, in some instance in Northern Kordofan yields were close to those of irrigated subsector. This is in line with the priority areas of the FAO/ GoS Country Programming Framework (CPF), which calls in priority area II for “Enhancing production, productivity and competitiveness of the crops sub-sector and inclusive agricultural climate change adaptation.”
It is expected that the upcoming Comprehensive Agricultural Census , expected to be launched in 2015 and for which FAO has been giving preparatory technical support, will strengthen the capacity of the Government in developing a sustainable food and agricultural statistical systems for use by planners, researchers, policy and decision-makers to increase agricultural production in the country.
Dr. Jama, the FAO Representative in the Sudan indicated that the observance of WFD in 2014 will be on the 16th of October where the FAO Director-General’s message and the Government of Sudan address on the occasion will be aired in the National Media. On October 22nd the WFD national secretariat will organize the major ceremony of WFD where keynote speeches will be delivered by the Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation, the FAO Representative, the WFP Representative and the chairman of the National WFD Committee. The ceremony will be followed by the inauguration of a small agricultural exhibition.
FAO - Sudan
Osman Digna St, Block 10,Plot 1,
P.O. Box 1117, Khartoum East,
Khartoum, SUDAN.
Fax: (+249) 183 774591/774646
Tel: (+249) 183 779367/68
Email: [email protected]
website: www.fao.org/sudan