Niger.Increase Nutritional Status and Access to Food Complements for Children

In response to the request for financial assistance made on behalf of the Comitato Internazionale Per Lo Sviluppo Dei Popoli (“CISP" or “Recipient"), I am pleased to inform you that the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (“IBRD") and the International Development Association (“IDA") (collectively the “World Bank"), acting as administrator of grant funds provided by Italy under the Trust Fund for Children and Youth in Africa (“CHYAO Africa") (“Donor"), proposes to extend to the Recipient, for the benefit of the Republic of Niger (“Member Country"), a grant in an amount not to exceed three hundred eighty thousand United States Dollars (U.S.$380,000) (“Grant") on the terms and conditions set forth or referred to in this letter agreement (“Agreement"), which includes the attached Annex, to assist in the financing of the project described in the Annex (“Project").

World Bank.Author:Bertaud,Helene.Document Date:2011/11/17.Document Type: Grant or Trust Fund Agreement

Republic of Niger: Increase Nutritional Status and Access to Food Complements for Children

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Sierra Leone.Rapid Response Growth Poles.Community-Based Livelihood and Food Support Program

The objectives of the Project are to: (i) reduce hunger and deprivation in two of the poorest Districts of the Recipient s territory in the Seli River area, directly affected by the global economic crisis and recent drought and flooding, by distributing food packages to targeted groups; and (ii) restore livelihoods, sustain services, and enhance local capacities through Rapid Response Growth Poles (RRGP) activities. Has the Project Development Objective been changed since Board Approval of the Project.

World Bank.Author:  Cruz,Maria Concepcion J. Document Date: 2011/12/03.Document Type:  Implementation Status and Results Report.Report Number:  ISR5201

Sierra Leone-Rapid Response Growth Poles: Community-Based Livelihood and Food Support Program : P122622 - Implementation Status Results Report : Sequence 02

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Food prices almost unchanged

8 December 2011, Rome - The FAO Food Price Index in November was virtually unchanged from its October level. At the new level of 215 points, the Index was 23 points, or 10 percent, below its peak in February 2011 but remained two points, or one percent, above its level in November 2010.

The prices of cereals, one of the main commodity groups included in the Food Price Index, dropped by 3 points or 1 percent from October. The retreat was largely driven by wheat prices, which dropped 3 percent, while rice quotations fell only slightly and coarse grain prices remained virtually unchanged. Nevertheless, the cereals index remained 6 points higher than in November 2010.

Contributing to the downward pressure on cereal prices is the significant upward revision of the 2011/2012 global cereal supply estimate as a result of better crop prospects in some Asian countries and the Russian Federation, and larger than anticipated stocks in the latter. Other factors include deteriorating world economic prospects and a strong U.S. Dollar.Record level of total cereals
These are among the highlights of the latest issue of FAO's quarterly Crop Prospects and Food Situation report published today. The report confirmed a record level of world cereal production of 2 323 million tonnes for 2011. Although marginally lower than October's estimate, this represents a 3.5 percent increase on 2010 production.

At this level, the 2011 cereal crop should be sufficient to cover the expected increase in utilization in 2011/12 and also allow for a moderate replenishment of world reserves, the report said.

Among cereals, global wheat output is expected to increase by 6.5 percent, while the forecasts for coarse grains and rice were reduced slightly due to a downward adjustment for maize in the United States and a deterioration of rice prospects in Indonesia.
Animal feed up, and also stocks
Total cereal utilization in 2011/2012 was forecast at 2 310 million tonnes, 1.8 percent higher than in 2010/2011. An important feature is a sharp, 8 percent rise in the use of wheat for animal feed given its competitive price compared to coarse grains and maize in particular.

The forecast for world cereal ending stocks by the close of seasons in 2012 has been raised by almost five million tonnes since last month, to 511 million tonnes, the report said. At this level world cereal stocks would be 10 million tonnes higher than last year and the world cereal stocks-to-use ratio would increase slightly to 22 percent.

Crop Prospects and Food Situation — which focuses on developments affecting the food situation of developing countries and in particular Low-Income Food-Deficit Countries (LIFDCs) — noted that given their likely increased import requirements, the aggregate cereal import bill of LIFDCs for the 2011/2012 marketing season would reach a record level of US$33 billion — up 3.4 percent from 2010/2011.
Food insecurity hotspots
Reviewing the world's food security hotspots, the report said that despite some improvements in the situation in Somalia due to substantial humanitarian assistance and favourable rains food insecurity is expected to remain critical in drought-affected areas until the harvest of short-season crops in early 2012.

While famine conditions are expected to persist in Middle Shabelle and refugee populations in Afgoye and Mogadishu, the areas of Bay, Bakool and Lower Shabelle were downgraded from Famine to Emergency on 18 November

In the Horn of Africa as a whole, food insecurity remained critical for some 18 million people in most drought-affected areas, including 4.6 million in Ethiopia, 4 million each in Somalia and the Sudan, 3.75 million in Kenya, 1.5 million in South Sudan and 180 000 in Djibouti are in need of emergency assistance. Irregular rains and civil unrest undermine food security
In West Africa, in several countries of the Sahel including Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger agricultural production has been hit by irregular rains and significant pest infestations. This could lead to price rises and food insecurity.

In the Near East, prolonged civil unrest in Syria and Yemen has disrupted trade and humanitarian aid distribution, limiting access to food, especially for vulnerable households.

FAO's latest estimates indicate that 33 countries around the world are in need of external assistance as a result of crop failures, conflict or insecurity, natural disasters and high domestic food prices.

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Solutions for Climate Change and Food Security to be Highlighted at South-South Expo 2011

Seeking to showcase successful Southern solutions to the complex challenges facing the South today, the GSSD Expo 2011 will focus on the urgent crisis of food insecurity in the South, a development challenge that cross-cuts virtually all of the significant development challenges of today

The Global South-South Development Expo (GSSD Expo) is the FIRST EVER Expo solely from the South and for the South. It showcases successful Southern-grown development solutions (SDSs) to address the need to meet Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

With much of the world's population chronically hungry owing to extreme poverty, food insecurity is a particularly grave challenge, one that exacerbates and is exacerbated by the critical challenges of climate change, lack of access to education and social safety nets, and HIV/AIDS and other global health pandemics.

Please join us at the Global South-South Development (GSSD) Expo for a thought-provoking discussion on Global Health, Agriculture and Food Security co-hosted by FHI 360 and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).

This Solution Exchange Forum will feature national and regional solutions, responses and innovative policies, to health and nutrition issues related to food insecurity and agriculture, infectious and non-communicable diseases, including outreach and delivery mechanisms, bio-agricultural health products and techniques for increasing access to health information, and ways of exchanging effective solutions across regions through South-South and triangular cooperation.

Our efforts to find solutions to the complex development challenges facing the South require collective action and broad-based partnerships. The strength of the GSSD Expo is that it showcases concrete development solutions in the most pivotal areas, thus further promoting critical sharing and exchange of solutions across the global South.

With continued support from the international development community, we are confident that the GSSD Expo 2011 will serve as a powerful platform from which to support the implementation and scaling up of successful solutions and strengthen efforts to achieve internationally agreed development goals, including the MDGs.

The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) is a partner of the UNDP on the South-South Global Assets and Technology Exchange (SS-Gate) Track V - Global Health.

For more information, please contact the GSSD Expo Secretariat:
Special Unit for South-South Cooperation, UNDP
304 East 45th Street, 12th Floor
New York, NY 10017 USA
Telephone: +1 212 906 6392
Fax: +1 212 906 6429
E-mail: gssdexpo.secretariat@undp.org This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: http://www.southsouthexpo.org

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Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

FAO.1 December 2011,Rome. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization has adopted a new global framework for the conservation and sustainable use of the diversity of plants on which food and agriculture depend. FAO’s governing Council last Wednesday approved the Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which represents a renewed international commitment to ensuring effective management of plant diversity as a key element in fighting poverty and achieving increased  food security in the face of climate change.

Plant diversity is threatened by “genetic erosion”, a term coined by scientists for the loss of individual genes or combinations of genes, such as those found in locally adapted landraces.  One of the main causes of genetic erosion, according to FAO’s 2011 State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, is the replacement of local varieties by modern varieties. Other causes include environmental degradation, urbanization and land clearing through deforestation and bush fires.

“Through the Second Global Plan of Action the world community confirms its commitment to halting genetic erosion and preserving the wealth of plant genetic resources’’ said Linda Collette, Secretary of the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.  “These resources provide valuable traits for meeting challenges of the future, such as adapting our crops to changing climatic conditions or disease outbreaks.“ The main focus of the Second Global Plan of Action is to strengthen conservation and sustainable use of plants and seed systems, and the crucial linkages between them, through a combination of appropriate policies, use of scientific information, farmers’ knowledge and action. 

It contains a set of 18 inter-related Priority Activities prepared on the basis of regional consultations and the gaps and needs identified by the Second Report on the State of  the Worlds Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The Second Global Plan of Action urges all countries to better manage crop diversity in farmers’ fields; develop strategies to protect, collect and conserve crop wild relatives and wild food plants that under threat, support use of a wider range of traits for plant breeding and strengthen seed systems especially of locally adapted varieties.

The Plan also calls on the donor community to boost national and international efforts to strengthen institutions and capacities to address these globally agreed priorities. “This is a major accomplishment” said Mr. Modibo Traore, Assistant Director General, of Agriculture and Consumer Protection Department.  “I thank our members for putting their faith in FAO. Together we will need to make concerted efforts in achieving the goals.”The original Global Plan of Action was adopted through the Leipzig Declaration in 1996. 

Executive Summary

1. Plant genetic resources for food and agriculture provide the biological basis for agricultural production and world food security. These resources serve as the most important raw material for farmers, who are their custodians, and for plant breeders. The genetic diversity in these resources allows crops and varieties to adapt to ever-changing conditions and to overcome the constraints caused by pests, diseases and abiotic stresses. Plant genetic resources are essential for sustainable agricultural production. There is no inherent incompatibility between the conservation and the use of these resources. In fact, it will be critically important to ensure that the two activities are fully complementary. The conservation, sustainable use and fair and equitable sharing of benefits from the use of genetic resources are international concerns and imperatives. These are the objectives of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, which is in harmony with the Convention on Biological Diversity. In the context of the sovereign rights of states over their biological resources and the interdependence of countries with regard to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, the Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture is an appropriate manifestation of the international community's continued concern and responsibility in this area.

2. Over the past 15 years, the Global Plan of Action has been the main reference document for national, regional and global efforts to conserve and use plant genetic resources for food and agriculture sustainably and to share equitably and fairly the benefits that derive from their use. As part of the FAO Global System for the conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, the Global Plan of Action has been the key element used by the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture to fulfil its mandate with respect to plant genetic resources. The Global Plan of Action has also provided an important reference for other genetic resources sectors. It has assisted governments in the formulation of national policies and strategies on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. It has also been used by the international community to define priorities at the global level, to improve coordination of efforts and to create synergies among the genetic resources stakeholders. The Global Plan of Action has proven to be instrumental in reorienting and prioritizing the research and development agendas of relevant international organizations with regard to activities related to plant genetic resources for food and agriculture.

3. The adoption of the Global Plan of Action by 150 countries in 1996 in Leipzig was a milestone in the development of the international governance of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. It set the stage for the successful completion of the negotiation of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture under the FAO Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

4. Since its adoption, there have been a number of major developments with respect to the conservation and use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, which called for an update of the Global Plan of Action. The recently published Second Report on the State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture has provided a solid foundation for this updating process. The world is facing increasing food insecurity, reflected inter alia in highly volatile food prices. Climate change, increasing urbanization, the need for more sustainable agriculture and the need to safeguard plant genetic diversity and minimize genetic erosion all require that greater attention be given to the conservation and use of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture. At the same time, there are important new opportunities that can improve the management of plant genetic resources for food and agriculture, including powerful and widely available communication and information technologies as well as significant advances in biotechnology and the development of bioproducts derived from agriculture. Furthermore, the policy environment has changed significantly over the past 15 years, particularly with the entry into force of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources  for Food and Agriculture, and among others, the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, as well as with the adoption of the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011-2020 and the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization. The world has also seen a renewed commitment to agriculture and related research and development activities. An updated Global Plan of Action is needed to respond to, and reflect, these developments.

5. The Second Global Plan of Action addresses the new challenges and opportunities through 18 Priority Activities. The Second Report on the State of the World’s Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture, a series of regional consultation meetings, as well as inputs from experts worldwide have provided the inputs needed to make the Second Global Plan of Action current, forward looking and relevant to global, regional and national perspectives and priorities. Updating the Global Plan of Action also strengthens its role as a supporting component of the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture.

6. Based on the various inputs listed above, it has been possible to streamline the number of Priority Activities, reducing them from 20 in the original Global Plan of Action to 18. This was done by merging former Priority Activities 5 and 8 (Sustaining existing ex situ collections and Expanding ex situ conservation activities) into the new Priority Activity 6, Sustaining and expanding ex situ conservation of germplasm. Former Priority Activities 12 (Promoting development and commercialization of underutilized crops and species) and 14 (Developing new markets for local varieties and “diversity-rich” products) have been merged into the new Priority Activity 11, Promoting development and commercialization of all varieties, primarily farmers’ varieties/landraces and underutilized species.

7. In addition, the focus of a number of other Priority Activities has been adjusted so as to accommodate newly defined priorities. The Second Global Plan of Action gives greater emphasis and visibility to plant breeding, as reflected in Priority Activity 9, Supporting plant breeding, genetic enhancement and base-broadening efforts. An effort has also been made, based on guidance from the regional consultations, to simplify and clarify the document.

Second Global Plan of Action for Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture

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Energy-Smart Food for People and Climate

29 November 2011, Durban, South Africa/Rome. The global food system needs to reduce its dependence on fossil fuels to succeed in feeding a growing world population, FAO said today.

"There is justifiable concern that the current dependence of the food sector on fossil fuels may limit the sector's ability to meet global food demands. The challenge is to decouple food prices from fluctuating and rising fossil fuel prices," according to an FAO paper published today during the UN Conference on Climate Change.

High and fluctuating prices of fossil fuels and doubts regarding their future availability mean that agri-food systems need to shift to an "energy-smart" model, according to the report Energy-Smart Food for People and Climate.

The food sector both requires energy and can produce energy — an energy-smart approach to agriculture offers a way to take better advantage of this dual relationship between energy and food, it says.

The food sector (including input manufacturing, production, processing, transportation marketing and consumption) accounts for around 95 exa-Joules (1018 Joules), according to the report — approximately 30 percent of global energy consumption — and produces over 20 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

On-farm direct energy use amounts to around 6 exa-Joules per year, if human and animal power are excluded — just over half of that is in OECD countries.

On farms, energy is used for pumping water, housing livestock, cultivating and harvesting crops, heating protected crops, and drying and storage. After harvest, it is used in processing, packaging, storing, transportation and consumption.

New approach to farming

"The global food sector needs to learn how to use energy more wisely. At each stage of the food supply chain, current practices can be adapted to become less energy intensive," said FAO Assistant Director-General for Environment and Natural Resources, Alexander Mueller.

Such efficiency gains can often come from modifying at no or little cost existing farming and processing practices, he added.

Steps that can be taken at the farm level include the use of more fuel efficient engines, the use of compost and precision fertilizers, irrigation monitoring and targeted water delivery, adoption of no-till farming practices and the use of less-input-dependent crop varieties and animal breeds.

After food has been harvested, improved transportation and infrastructure, better insulation of food storage facilities, reductions in packaging and food waste, and more efficient cooking devices offer the possibility of additionally reducing energy use in the food sector.

Adding up both on-farm and post-harvest losses, around one-third of all food produced — and the energy that is embedded in it — is lost or wasted, FAO's report notes.

Making agriculture less fossil fuel dependent

FAO's report also highlights the tremendous potential for agriculture to produce more of the energy needed to feed the planet and help rural development.

"Using local renewable energy resources along the entire food chain can help improve energy access, diversify farm and food processing revenues, avoid disposal of waste products, reduce dependence on fossil fuels and greenhouse gas emissions, and help achieve sustainable development goals," it says.

Where good solar, wind, hydro, geothermal or biomass energy resources exist, they can be used as a substitute for fossil fuels in farming and aquaculture operations. They can also be used in food storage and processing. For example, sugar mills frequently use their residue materials for combined heat and power generation. So-called "wet processing wastes" like tomato rejects and skins, or pulp from juice processing, can be used in anaerobic digester plants to produce biogas. Already, millions of small-scale domestic digesters are being used by subsistence farmers in the development world to produce biogas for home use.

Significant action is needed to reduce food losses, and this will also improve energy efficiency in the agri-food chain.

Finally it is essential to improve access to modern energy services to the millions of people who still use biomass in a nontraditional way as energy for cooking and heating.

A long row to hoe

Transitioning to an energy-smart agricultural sector will be a "huge undertaking" that will require long-term thinking, and needs to start now, FAO says.

During the climate talks in Durban, the UN agency is advocating "Energy-smart food for people and climate," an approach based on three pillars: (i) providing energy access for all with a focus on rural communities; (ii) improving energy efficiency at all stages of the food supply chain; and (iii) substituting fossil fuels with renewable energy systems in the food sector.

"The key question at hand is not, ‘If or when we should begin the transition to energy-smart food systems?' but rather ‘how can we get started and make gradual but steady progress?" said Mueller.

Energy-Smart Food for People and Climate

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Harvest in DPR Korea improves but serious nutrition concerns persist

FAO Global.25 November 2011.Special Report. A United Nations assessment published today finds that the main annual harvest in the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has improved compared to last year but serious nutrition concerns persist, especially among young children.The joint report by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that while harvests are expected to increase by about 8.5 per cent over 2010, the country will still have a cereal import requirement of 739,000 tons (UN.News.Press Room.25 November 2011)

Mission Highlights

1. In DPRK, a total of just under 5.5 million tonnes of staple food production from cooperative farms, individual plots on sloping land and household gardens for 2011/12 is expected, including estimates for the 2011 main season harvest and forecast for the 2012 early season crops. This is about 8.5 percent higher than the revised near normal production in 2010/11 reflecting higher plantings and yields. When paddy is converted to milled rice and soybeans to cereal equivalent, the above total production comes to 4.66 million tonnes.

2. The increase in production was mainly due to the increased availability of fertiliser (up about 50 percent compared to last year), diesel and electricity in spite of the adverse weather. The July-August floods affected paddy crop and the subsequent typhoons particularly impacted the maize crop mainly in North and South Hwanghae, two of the important grain producing provinces.

3. Soybean production this year increased to 254 000 tonnes (294 000 tonnes in cereal equivalent) or about 60 percent higher than the low level of last year. However, given the overall inadequacy of pulses, efforts should continue to increase the protein content of the diet.

4. This year’s poor harvest of early crops has resulted in the shortage of wheat, barley and potato seed for the 2012 winter and spring crops.

5. Based on the Mission’s estimate of total utilization needs of 5.40 million tonnes of cereal equivalent (rice in milled terms), the Mission estimates cereal import requirement of 739 000 tonnes for the 2011/12 marketing year (November/October), which is 347 000 tonnes lower than the 2010/11 estimate of 1.086 million tonnes by the Rapid Food Security Assessment (RFSA). According to the Ministry of Food Administration and Procurement, 325 000 tonnes of commercial imports are planned for the upcoming marketing year. Given this, the Mission estimates an uncovered food deficit of 414 000 tonnes for the 2011/12 marketing year.

6. From May through September 2011, much of the population of DPRK suffered prolonged food deprivation as the Public Distribution System (PDS) ration of cereals was reduced to 200 grams or less per person per day, providing only one-third the minimum daily energy requirement. The combination of commercial imports, bilateral assistance, and early crop harvest was not sufficient to cover the cereal requirement. In response, urban PDS dependent households sourced a large proportion of their food supply from relatives living in rural areas, by collecting wild foods, and/or by accessing informal market mechanisms.

7. Health officials interviewed reported a 50 to 100 percent increase in the admissions of malnourished children into paediatric wards compared to last year, a sharp rise in low-birth weight, and the mission team observed several cases of oedema. Inadequate food intake has clearly compounded the health and nutrition status of vulnerable groups.

8. The mission recommends provision of 120 000 tonnes, in cereal equivalent, of fortified blended food, fortified biscuits, and other high protein food commodities for distribution to 3 million vulnerable people, living in the five most food-insecure provinces of Ryanggang, Chagang, North Hamgyong, South Hamgyong, and Kangwon and in the food deficit counties of four other provinces of North Pyongan, South Pyongan, North Hwanghae, and South Hwanghae. Comprehensive monitoring and reporting remains critical to ensure the effectiveness and efficiency of support provided.

9. The planned commercial imports and recommended food assistance do not fill the entire uncovered food deficit leaving an additional gap of 294 000 tonnes of cereals (i.e. 414 000 tonnes of uncovered national deficit minus 120 000 tonnes of recommended food aid). The Mission highlights the importance of meeting this gap to ensure adequate food is available through additional imports by the Government supported by the international agencies and bilateral donors.

10. The Mission is concerned that another year of prolonged food deprivation will have a serious impact on the health and nutrition situation of the population and recommends a package of food-based nutrition interventions to address the deficit of protein and fats in the diet of young children, pregnant/lactating women, and the elderly.

11. In order to improve food security in the short to medium term, the Mission also makes recommendations for national and international support for - (i) inputs, in particular plastic sheets and seeds for the early crops wheat, barley and potatoes, (ii) support for conservation agriculture (CA) and (iii) general assistance to private household garden production.

Special Report.FAO/WFP.Crop and Food Security Assessment Mission to Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)

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European Comission. Rules for safer and more transparent use of food additives adopted

The new rules establish two lists to identify authorised additives, one for ingredients and one for foodstuffs, which will be available online. They also determine under which conditions substances can be added to food.

Welcome to the database on Food Contact Materials.

This database is a tool to inform about the substances to be used in materials and articles intended to come into contact with food (Food Contact Materials).