MOA: Call for urgent and expedited crop harvest
By Shabaitadmin
https://shabait.com/amp/2020/10/20/moa- ... ssion=true
Asmara, 20 October 2020 – In view of current and forecasted locust infestation originating from neighboring countries, the Ministry of Agriculture issued Advisory Notice today on urgency of ramping up and expediting harvesting and ongoing concerted locust-control activities.
Noting desert locust swarm infestation from neighboring countries has occurred since 18 October 2020 in some areas of the Southern Region including Adi-Keih, Tsorona and Mai-Aini Sub-zones, the Ministry of Agriculture stated that concerted control measures are underway by EDF units, the public and agriculture experts.
The Ministry further reminded all parties to reinforce organizational capacity and strengthen surveillance and control measures for possible infestations.
It is to be recalled that desert locust swarm invasion that appeared in the Southern, Northern Red Sea and Southern Red Sea as well as the Central and Anseba Regions since November 2019 have been put under control through concerted efforts of the public, EDF units, administrations and agricultural professionals.
____________
መንደፈራ - ምሩጽ ዘርኢ ስርናይ ንሓረስቶት የተባብዕ..... https://shabait.com/2020/10/20/haddas-e ... ober-2020/
,____________
Anseba Region: Reinforcement of community based development programs
LOCAL NEWS
https://shabait.com/2020/10/20/anseba-r ... s/#Eritrea
Keren, 20 October 2020 – Community based development programs including soil and water conservation activities, road repair and water diversion schemes renovation activities will be reinforced in Anseba Region, at Asmat and Halhal sub zone in particular.
The comment was made by Ambassador Abdela Mussa, Governor of the Anseba Region during the tour of inspection conducted from 14-16 October at development sites in Asmat and Halhal sub zones. The Governor was accompanied by Brig. Gen. Tekle Libsu, Chief of Popular Front Command, the report added.
During the tour, the Governor called for the reinforcement of efforts in expanding and developing social services and strengthening of public participation.
After inspecting the construction of the new road connecting Hawush sub urban center to Orotta and Era, Ambassador Abdela and Brig. Gen. Tekle Libsu indicated that schools in Asmat and Halhal that are damaged due to strong wind and heavy rain will be repaired in the immediate future.
Visiting the farmlands near the dams in Adi Hzbay, Halhal sub urban center, the two officials stated that effort will be strengthen to boost agricultural produce by developing irrigation farming and using select seeds and called on farmers to harvest their crops that are ready in order to prevent from occurrences of pests.
In related news, the Governor of the Anseba Region, Ambassador Abdella Musa toured development sites in Hagaz sub zone inspecting road renovation activity, condition of crops, repaired bridges in the environs of Glas, potable water project in Ad-Omer administrative area, Kermed health station that is being renovated, as well as the construction site of Murini Dam.
Ambasador Abdela, finally, commended nationals for their participation and called for its reinforced sustainability.
_______________
___________________
Dairy Farm Project at Misilam
By Billion Temesghen
https://shabait.com/2020/10/21/dairy-fa ... t-misilam/
GENERAL
Oct 21, 2020
The Eritrean Livestock and Crops Corporation has for long carried out several projects, to empower dairy farmers and boost milk production in the country. One of their recent endeavors as part of the Logo-Misilam Development Pilot Project is related to modern dairy farming in Halhale, Southern region.
The project began towards the end of 2017 with 600 livestock of three breeds — Brown Swiss, Holstein and Fleckvieh — imported from Germany. Mr. Kibreab Abraham, manager of the Eritrean Livestock and Crops Corporation, said instead of handing out the imported heifers to farmers, their corporation wanted to first multiply the number of calves by hundreds and then diffuse the breed to dairy farmers in all parts of the country.
Mr. Kibreab Abraham
The project is manned by graduates from the college of agriculture and other vocational schools. Mr. Kibreab is so appreciative of their efforts and skills, that he said their expertise has helped the corporation in delivering an efficient service.
The project, which started with 600 imported cattle, has now grown to more than four thousand cows, oxen, heifers and calves. The veterinaries said there were some challenges in catering to the cattle at the beginning of the process, but the calves born here, in Eritrea, have adapted better to the local climate.
To make the milk production efficient a modern milk processing plant, with an underground storage for milk and computerized milking and monitoring facility, has been set up.
An animal feed processing plant is under construction and will use as its main input, excess animal feed from the vast farm lands that sustain the cattle at the Halhale farm. Many farmers in surrounding villages work at the dairy farm in the morning and get a monthly salary of 500 Nakfa and 45 kilos of cereals. They are also given awareness raising training programs, as part of the project’s goal to modernize farming. Mr. Kibreab saw this as an employment and learning opportunity for villagers, who like to take part in the project. He said that the employees are contributing a great deal to the preservation of nature surrounding their villages, while at the same time learning bits and pieces about modern dairy farming.
The ultimate vision of the Eritrean Government, Mr. Kibreab said, is to make milk and milk products available to each and every Eritrean child at the lowest price. Considering the success of the project at Halhale, bullocks are now being given out to dairy farmers, who are expected to gradually substitute their local breed with the new breed to increase their milk production.
said Mr. Kibreab and added that the dairy farm at Halhale will be replicated in other parts of the country where there are water dams.The number of dairy farmers is outstanding,
________________
Selling vegetables on a Street in Asmara. (Photo: UNDP- Eritrea)
_________________
Food security
By Simon Weldemichael
https://shabait.com/2020/10/21/food-security/
NATION BUILDING
Oct 21, 2020
The annual World Food Day (WFD) was observed in Eritrea on 16th October under the theme:
in the midst of natural and manmade challenges like climate change, desert-locust outbreaks and COVID- 19 pandemic, which have threatened agricultural production.Grow, Nourish, and Sustain Together
The main function of Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is to collect, analyze, interpret and disseminate information related to nutrition, food and agriculture, and member states of the organization are supposed to make strenuous efforts to promote the common welfare by furthering separate and collective action on their part to raise levels of nutrition and standards of living of the peoples under their jurisdictions. “Food for All”, like “Education for All”, is recognized as a human right for present and future generations. Article 25 of the universal human rights states:
Zero Hunger has been at the heart of FAO’s mandate since the Organization’s founders set out in 1945 to achieve,Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services.
freedom from want.
With the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, which aims to end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture, FAO’s ‘Zero Hunger’ vision of food and agriculture as the key to sustainable development has been embraced by all countries of the world.
Five years after the world committed to end hunger, food insecurity and all forms of malnutrition, we are still off track to achieve this objective by 2030. The economic slowdowns and downturns caused by climate change, COVID- 19 pandemic and unprecedented desert locust outbreaks are creating challenges to the economic prospects and agricultural production.
Various reports show that hunger is increasing in many countries, where economic growth is lagging. The various manmade and natural disasters have created pressure on the modernizing countries where hunger is on the rise, making it even more difficult for the poor to cope with economic slowdowns and downturns. This calls for integrating food security and nutrition with poverty-reduction endeavors and international multidimensional cooperation.
Recognizing the importance of agriculture to reduce poverty and enhance national food security, the government of Eritrea conducted a thorough agricultural sector review in 2001/02. As a result, some of the critical challenges, such as limited water resources that emanate from deficiencies in storage capacity and poor on-farm water use, were identified early on. Following the review, the government has implemented various programs to fix the problem and modernize agriculture. The transformation from traditional to modern farming is applied to dairy farms, poultry and fishing. According to a report of the Ministry of Agriculture, in recent years numerous water storage infrastructures have been built throughout the country; including 9 strategic dams, 3 big dams, 747 micro dams, 206 medium dams and 7 diversion schemes. The government has also made other strategic interventions,0 that contribute towards food and nutrition security and promote the production of nutritious agricultural produce. The work that has been done over the years to ensure food security by modernizing agriculture, has started to bear fruit.
The wide-spread hunger and malnutrition in the world, is not caused by lack of sufficient food production. In his recent book ‘Enlightenment Now’ (2018), Steven Pinker states that between 1961 and 2009 the amount of land used to grow food increased only by 12 percent, but the amount of food that was grown increased by 300 percent. What we are facing is a deep and growing crisis rooted in how we produce, process, and distribute our food. “Starvation,” as defined by Sen,
(Sen 1981:1).is the characteristic of some people not having enough food to eat. It is not the characteristic of there being not enough food to eat. While the latter can be a cause of the former, it is but one of many possible causes
An inefficient, wasteful, and unsustainable model of food production is pushing the planet into crisis. Globally, the nutritional, environmental, and cultural well-being of humans is under threat, and the agricultural sector is under pressure from environmental degradation, climatic change, monoculture and Corona virus.
In order to secure a future and achieve food security, we must live in harmony with nature, expand our knowledge and share experiences. Education, is the foundation of everything. Countries that made the great escape from poverty and food insecurity are the countries that educated their people, most intensely. As in other cases, literacy is the foundation for the increase in food production.
According to FAO, food insecurity is
We know, that sustained economic growth reduces poverty. However, all economic growth does not lead to significant reductions in poverty and empowerment of the poor. Growth becomes pro-poor, only when the poor benefit from it. Likewise, food production alone could not bring food security. Production has to be accompanied, by fair distribution. Food security exists when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe and nutritious food that meet their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life (1996 World Food Summit). The Interim Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper of Eritrea acknowledges that pro-poor economic growth strategy is essential for rapid poverty reduction and development strategy promotes growth with equity, so that the gains of growth accrue to the majority of the poor (2004:3). Food security includes a wide range of issues; such as production, distribution and consumption of food.a situation that exists when people lack secure access to sufficient amounts of safe and nutritious food for normal growth and development and an active and healthy life.
Ending hunger and malnutrition, is one of the greatest challenges of humanity. In a world of unprecedented economic opportunities and with vast resources at our disposal, millions of people are still suffering from hunger. The greatest incoherence of our time is revealed in a world with the greatest wealth surrounded by the greatest poverty, in poor and rich countries. Poverty is the incapacity to the realization of basic freedoms, such as the freedoms to avoid hunger, disease, and illiteracy. These freedoms are the foundations and pillars of human rights, without which human rights is hollow. Food security is a widely recognized sustainable development goal for human beings in the face of deteriorating environmental conditions, in many parts of the world.
