Investments in agric to boost peace in Nigeria, others, says FAO

Assistant Director-General and Regional Representative for Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) in Africa, Abebe Haile Gabriel, has said investments in food security and resilience could lead to peace in 10 conflict-ridden African countries.

According to him, hunger in affected countries is on the rise by reversing gains from efforts made in last decade.In a statement on Thursday in Maiduguri, Gabriel said there were over 90 conflicts in Africa, while only 25 percent occurred globally.He said that the conflicts, including the ones in Northeast states of Borno, Adamawa and Yobe had left millions in need of urgent food assistance.

“Consequently, hundreds of thousands quickly flee their homes and voluntarily abandoned their means of livelihood in insurgency-affected communities,” he said, stating that most of these means are agriculture-related.

While the emergence of conflict, he warned; have life-changing and serious implications.He said for people who rely on agriculture, conflicts destroy food systems, decimate crops and livestock resources, and cause loss of assets and incomes.

According to him; “These also trigger food insecurity, and malnutrition and hunger that require massive investments in food security and resilience.”
Gabriel said the prevalence of undernourishment is about two and a half times higher in countries affected by a protracted crisis than in
other development contexts.