9-Misc: GE-debate in Africa (2)

[GENET <coordination@genet-info.org>]

                                  PART I
-------------------------------- GENET-news -------------------------------

TITLE:  ANGOLA: Food security situation improves
SOURCE: IRIN News
        http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42041&SelectRegion=
        Southern_Africa
DATE:   6 Jul 2004

------------------- archive: http://www.genet-info.org/ -------------------


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   "'The northern part of the country benefits from the most diversified
    and rich natural resources, the full recovery of the cassava crop
    being the cornerstone for the restoration of livelihoods. Vulnerability
    to food insecurity is mainly linked to limited access to basic
    services and infrastructures and the limited circulation of goods and
    people in the remote areas," said the WFP report. The highest
    concentration of highly vulnerable households were in the central 
    highlands, where heavy and irregular rains washed away maize crops."
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ANGOLA: Food security situation improves

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]


JOHANNESBURG, 6 Jul 2004 (IRIN) - The food security situation in Angola
has improved over the past six months, according to the latest
vulnerability assessment analysis, the World Food Programme (WFP)
reported this week.

Between November 2003 and April 2004, a total of one million people were
food insecure, 31 percent down on estimates of 1.8 million made earlier
this year, according to the assessment by the multi-agency Vulnerability
Analysis and Food Aid Working Group.

Rain-dependent maize farming areas proved more vulnerable than areas
cultivating the more robust cassava plant, such as in northern Angola.

"The northern part of the country benefits from the most diversified and
rich natural resources, the full recovery of the cassava crop being the
cornerstone for the restoration of livelihoods. Vulnerability to food
insecurity is mainly linked to limited access to basic services and
infrastructures and the limited circulation of goods and people in the
remote areas," said the WFP report.

The highest concentration of highly vulnerable households were in the
central highlands, where heavy and irregular rains washed away maize
crops. About 73 percent of the households in the province of Huambo were
assessed as highly vulnerable.

The central region suffered a "total loss of the harvest in the low-lying
areas and a considerable reduction of it in the higher areas," said WFP.

In general, the poor transportation system, the dependency on subsistence
agriculture, the pressure on agricultural lands and poor soils in
combination with limited access to agricultural inputs such as animal
traction and fertilisers, "are the main factors which limit the capacity
of vulnerable rural households to escape from the spiral of food insecurity".

"In addition, people are forced to use negative coping mechanisms. The
lack of productive and domestic assets of the recent returnees and
resettled justifies a large-scale intervention, which should focus on
agricultural extension, asset creation, and income diversification," WFP
noted.


                                  PART II
-------------------------------- GENET-news -------------------------------

TITLE:  SOUTHERN AFRICA: Regional cereal production down
SOURCE: IRIN News
        http://www.irinnews.org/report.asp?ReportID=42042&SelectRegion=
        Southern_Africa
DATE:   6 Jul 2004

------------------- archive: http://www.genet-info.org/ -------------------

---------------------------------------------------------------------------
   "The production of maize, a staple crop in the region, decreased by
    9 percent from the previous year, to 14 million mt, reflecting the
    delayed, erratic and inadequate rainfall pattern during the first
    half of the 2003/04 season in several countries, FAO said in a
    press release on Tuesday."
---------------------------------------------------------------------------


SOUTHERN AFRICA: Regional cereal production down
Overall cereal production declined by 9 percent

[ This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]

JOHANNESBURG, 6 Jul 2004 (IRIN) - Overall cereal production in Southern
Africa this agricultural season had declined, but some countries have
enjoyed increased yields, according to the UN Food and Agricultural
Organisation (FAO).

The production of maize, a staple crop in the region, decreased by 9
percent from the previous year, to 14 million mt, reflecting the delayed,
erratic and inadequate rainfall pattern during the first half of the
2003/04 season in several countries, FAO said in a press release on Tuesday.

Favourable rains in Angola boosted cereal output to 13,000 mt, up 9
percent from last year and 27 percent over the previous five-year
average. The picture in Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia and Zambia was
also generally positive.

In Zambia, the 2004 maize crop was forecast to reach a record 1.4 million
mt, mainly due to good weather and the government's assistance packages
to small-scale farmers.

In Mozambique maize output increased substantially reflecting a recovery
of production in the southern provinces.

Mozambique's ministry of agriculture reported that good rains earlier
this year not only facilitated the recovery of some drought-resilient
crops, such as cassava, sweet potatoes and cowpeas, but also allowed for
new plantings of maize, rice and beans, which had been developing
reasonably well due to continued favourable growing conditions.

There were, however, concerns over the shortfall in cereal output in
Lesotho, Malawi, South Africa, Swaziland and Zimbabwe.

"Lesotho continues to reel from the effects of drought. Its estimated
2004 cereal production is less than half of last year's, necessitating
emergency food assistance to large numbers of people," FAO said.

Some 1.26 million people in the south and some central regions of Malawi
will require food aid because of the down-turn in production, FAO said.

Cereal production in Zimbabwe was estimated at just over 950,000 mt. FAO
noted that a population level of 11.9 million would mean that total
cereal usuage should be almost 2.35 million mt. "This implies a
potentially large national cereal import requirement; nearly 1.3 million
mt," the agency concluded.

It attributed the poor harvest mainly to the below average and unevenly
distributed rainfall in the important maize growing Mashonaland
Provinces. Other factors included shortages of draught power, quality
seeds, fertiliser, labour, and the difficulties newly-resettled farmers.

FAO, which was unable to complete a crop assessment mission along with
the World Food programme this year, said an estimated 30 to 40 percent of
Zimbabwean farmers may run out of food from their own production within
two or three months (end of June or July).

"The ongoing economic crisis, with inflation remaining at around 600
percent annually, will inflict further hardships on the poorer groups,
including the urban unemployed and under-employed. Household members from
these categories of population are likely to require assistance on an
urgent basis," FAO said.

A recently issued Zimbabwe Vulnerability Assessment Committee (VAC)
report indicated that 2.3 million rural people will not be able to cover
their food needs in 2004/05. Late in 2003, the Zimbabwe VAC had also
estimated that 2.5 million people in urban areas were food insecure.

The government has, however, insisted that it expects a record maize crop
of 2.4 million mt.

 


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