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FAO seeks new ways to fight famine in Africa

YAOUNDE: The UN Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) opened its 21st regional conference here on Monday, hoping to create new strategies in the fight against famine in Africa.

The conference in the Cameroon capital is aimed at finding new methods to improve the supply of food to African populations, Cameroon's Agriculture Minister Zacharie Perevet told the meeting's opening session.

The challenges of durable development of Africa's forests as well, development aid and the results of a world food summit, will provide the basis for the first three days of the conference which ends on Friday.

"Thursday and Friday will be dedicated to forging a new plan to fight famine in Africa," said the organisers.

According to the deputy director general and regional director of the FAO, Bamilede F Dada, the situation in Africa remains "critical."

Civil wars, drought, and flooding are all factors which contribute to hampering food production, he said.

Africa must invest more in agriculture in order to improve yields and alleviate the problems of farmers, the UN FAO said in Rome.

In a report prepared for the 21st regional conference, the FAO deplored the low levels of national spending on agriculture in Africa over the last 40 years.

In future, African countries would have to allocate "at least" 25 percent of their national budgets to agricultural and rural development, the FAO said. AFP