Zambia wants UN assistance to address challenges in agriculture sector
Date
11/23/2023 8:41:12 AM
(MENAFN) Climate change-induced pressures, including drought and famine, have significantly affected eight Southern African countries, leading Zambia to seek assistance from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in addressing challenges in the agriculture sector.
Leader Hakainde Hichilema of Zambia conveyed concerns about the impact of food scarcity in neighboring nations, posing a threat to his country's food sufficiency, during a meeting with FAO Director General Qu Dongyu in Rome, Italy's capital, on Wednesday.
"Zambia's food sufficiency is threatened by shortages in neighboring countries. Therefore, we urged the FAO to leverage Zambia's central location and favorable hydrological and water conditions for two cycles of cereal crop production per year, enhancing per-acre yields," Hichilema stated in a statement on X, previously known as Twitter, after his discussions with Dongyu.
Zambia, bordered by eight Southern African neighbors, has been significantly affected by external food demand stemming from climate change-induced challenges like drought and famine prevalent in the region.
President Hakainde Hichilema expressed Zambia's desire to access advanced technology in water harvesting, precision irrigation, mechanization, and husbandry. He emphasized the importance of FAO support for emerging farmers through an agriculture credit window established by his administration. The goal is to boost productivity for both local and regional markets.
"Zambia and the FAO have maintained cordial relations since 1965 and our collaboration in food and nutrition security, natural resource management and climate change mitigation has strengthened over the years," he declared in a different post on social media on Wednesday.
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