FAO Archives - Jean-Jacques Cornish

Lockdown hampers fight against locust swarms in East Africa

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Fri, 03 Apr 2020 22:00:00 +0000

The United Food and Agriculture Organisation warns that flight restrictions imposed by the lockdown against the COVID 19 pandemic are hampering the fight against the desert locust infestation in East Africa and the Horn.

The FAO says pesticides deliveries to those fighting the pests are being delayed.

Secretary General of the regional organisation IGAD Workneh Gebeyehu says they’ve been caught between the hammer and anvil.

The lockdown to-stem the COVID 19 pandemic comes at the crunch time for their fight against the desert locus swarms.

Head of Resilience at the Food and Agriculture Organisation Cyril Ferrand says the locusts are endangering the food security of more than 25 million people.

This morning figures show COVID19 has infected nearly 8 000 people in Africa and killed 334.

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UN agencies running out of time averting famine in DRC

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Tue, 16 Jan 2018 22:00:00 +0000

With famine looming in the Democratic Republic of Congo, United Nations agencies are running out of time in their battle to save hundreds of thousands of lives.

Of particular concern are more than 400 000 children under five suffering acute malnutrition.

The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, the World Food Programme and the UN Children’s Fund UNICEF say conflict in Kasai province has caused farmers to miss three consecutive planting seasons.

750 000 people remain displaced.

620 000 returned to their burned out farms having hidden for years in the forest.

The agencies are making a public appeal for help because fewer than half a million of the 3,2 million food insecure people in Kasai have been getting help.

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South Sudan faces starvation

Jean-Jacques Cornish — Mon, 28 Mar 2016 22:00:00 +0000

South Sudan’s experiencing alarming levels of starvation, according the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation.

And the world body’s High Commission for Refugees reports acute food insecurity for the 40 000 South Sudanese sheltering in Darfur from violence at home.

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The Food and Agriculture Organization says parts of South Sudan’s Unity state are on the brink of famine.

The dramatically depleting food situation is caused by a lean harvest that has driven prices to record levels.

South Sudan is experiencing rampant inflation caused by the collapse of the oil industry due to the international fall in the price of the commodity.

The country is also experiencing rampant corruption.

Political leaders have struck a peace deal to end years of civil war but it has yet to be properly implemented.

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