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The director general of the FAO addressed the
Council on Foreign Relations in Rome this week,
on the challenges of water and rural
infrastructure |
In Rome this week Dr Jacques Diouf, director
general of the Food and Agriculture Organization
of the United Nations (FAO), highlighted the sad
fact that the proportion and absolute number of
undernourished people has actually increased in
some countries of sub-Saharan Africa.
Today,
nearly 650 million of the world’s hungry and
poor live in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs),
75% of them in rural areas, and 71% of them
involved in agriculture.
In the 33 LDCs in
Africa, agriculture accounts for about 60% of
the total labour force, 20% of total merchandise
exports and 17% of gross domestic product. LDCs
are increasingly dependent on food imports, with
food aid reflecting a considerable component of
external supplies. The growing number of people
suffering from hunger and chronic food
insecurity has important implications for
development as they are more vulnerable to
disease,
have limited economic options and are
unable to contribute to output or demand.
The principal causes of hunger and food
insecurity identified by the FAO are:
- low agricultural productivity due to
technological, policy
and institutional
constraints
- high seasonal and year-to-year variability in
production
and food supply (often due to
inconsistent rainfall and
water for crop and
livestock production) and
- lack of off-farm employment opportunities that
contribute
to uncertainty and low incomes in
urban and rural areas.
In the case of southern Africa, these factors
are intensified by the impacts of HIV/AIDS on
the agricultural labour force and on the
inter-generational transfer of knowledge and
experience. The inevitable conclusion seems to
be that the deeper causes and consequences of
food insecurity and poverty are inextricably
linked to the challenges of rural development.
Much of the solution to these challenges lies in
increasing agricultural productivity, for both
food and income generation. Turning to specific
inputs FAO has proposed three ways to address
the challenge of water. First, a short-term
focus on small-scale irrigation projects at the
village level. Second, over the medium-term to
rehabilitate larger irrigation systems,
upgrading the management and related physical
infrastructures. Third, to focus on integrated
development and management of water basins over
the longer-term. Countries with shared river
basins need to agree on appropriate water
management mechanisms, including resource
allocation and control of environmental
externalities. They will need to pursue
long-term development activities jointly through
appropriate institutional frameworks developed
by the countries that share the trans-boundary
waters. |
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Many hungry and poor Africans continue to rely on
food aid, such as this Zimbabwean woman at a WFP
Food Distribution Point in Mutoko, October 2003.
WFP - Julie Stewart. |
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