Close to 50,000 farming families in Central African Republic (CAR) have begun receiving seeds, hand tools and food this planting season from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and the World Food Programme (WFP).
Under the ‘seeds protection'
initiative, FAO provides crop and vegetable seeds, while WFP provides
groundnuts, maize, rice, sorghum, and beans to the same families.
"Helping families rebuild food
production is an important part of the recovery in this country, as it creates
a source of food and income and can help bring stability to communities,"
said FAO country representative Jean-Alexandre Scaglia. "That's why it's
critical we make sure families don't cope with the current scarcity by eating
their seeds meant for planting."
"We know that during this
period, food is limited and families are already struggling," said
Bienvenu Djossa, WFP Central African Republic Country Director. "The food
provided by WFP ensures that the seeds get planted and families don't go hungry
at the same time," according to Djossa, who stressed that, "Our
support now can help people escape the vicious cycle of hunger."
Three years of conflict have disrupted
agriculture and severely constrained people's access to food as they have been
struggling with the effects of multiple poor harvests, disrupted markets and
soaring prices for many staple foods.
"As peace is returning to CAR,
this initiative is a beam of hope for thousands of families," added
Djossa.
Another 50,000 families will be
supported during the second planting season in August/September, meaning
100,000 families in total (500,000 people) will be supported under the
initiative this year.
The distribution of seeds and food
is made possible by funds from the governments of (in alphabetical order)
Belgium, Canada, France, Italy, Japan, the United Kingdom and the United
States, as well as the African Development Bank, the European Union and ECHO,
the Fonds BĂȘkou, the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund, the Common
Humanitarian Fund for the Central African Republic, UN Women, and the
World Bank.
With 75 percent of the population
depending on agriculture, FAO, WFP and their partners have been working
together since the beginning of the unrest to mitigate negative impacts on
agricultural production and food security; the seeds protection initiative was
first implemented in 2014.
The Government of the Central
African Republic is leading a strategic effort to revive the agricultural
sector. FAO and WFP are supporting the Government through
longer-term programmes that aim to save and strengthen livelihoods and build
resilience.
However, the two UN agencies warn
that with only half of both agencies' funding needs secured, people in CAR face
receiving only half of the support they need.
FAO is appealing for US$86 million
to support 1.55 million people with inputs to produce crops and keep their
livestock healthy, and strengthen the government's efforts to boost food
security. However, there is a serious funding gap, to date only 8 percent of
these requirements have been met.
WFP requires US$83 million to
respond to the urgent needs of 1.4 million people until the end of September in
CAR. and in neighbouring countries hosting Central African Republic refugees.
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