Gilbert Houngbo, President of writes that "in most of Africa, people are more likely to die from starvation caused by the economic fallout from the pandemic than from the disease itself. An additional 23 million people are expected The COVID-19 pandemic has shown us that our current food production, processing and distribution systems are vulnerable." He says investing in small-scale farmers can help boost food security on the continent.
Agriculture and Food
Coronavirus puts 14 million people at risk in Latin America and the Caribbean
and partners have a new easy-to-navigate designed to help decision makers understand their food systems, identify their levers of change, and decide which ones to pull.
Vertical gardens and microgardens have enjoyed new popularity, which the COVID-19 pandemic . From high-tech urban facilities allowing vegetables to grow indoors or outdoors to tiny farming plots that fit in urban settings, both can offer high-yield opportunities to grow leafy green vegetables and other high-value food crops. helps galvanize microgardens as a food and nutrition strategy for poor households vulnerable to malnutrition, among other projects.
The African continent looks like it could be the worst hit from the economic fallout of the crisis: 80 million Africans could be pushed into extreme poverty if action is not taken. And disruptions in food systems raise the prospect of more Africans falling into hunger. Rural people, many of whom work on small-scale farms, are particularly vulnerable to the impacts of the crisis. therefore urges that the COVID-19 response address food security and target the rural poor.
reports on chronic bee paralysis, a viral disease of honeybees. It can cause rare, but severe, symptoms, including colony loss. Trade in honeybees has increased its prevalence.
The drink most often chosen around the world after water, is tea, and each culture with its own tradition. presents the world’s passion for the drink as it shows no sign of slowing.
Bees and other pollinators, such as butterflies, bats and hummingbirds, are increasingly under threat from human activity. We, however, depend on their survival. Pollinators not only contribute to food security and biodiversity; they are fundamental to our ecosystems. Nearly 90% of the world’s wild flowering plant species, more than 75% of the world’s food crops and 35% of global agricultural land, depend on pollination. On May 20 learn more of what you can do to protect bees and tune in to take part in our virtual event on the future of beekeeping in the COVID-19 era!
Tea production and processing are a main source of livelihoods for millions of families, particularly in developing countries. Recognizing the long history and deep cultural and economic significance of tea around the world, the General Assembly proclaimed 21 May as International Tea Day, calling on . The celebration promotes the sustainable production, consumption and trade of tea. It also offers an opportunity to ensure that the tea sector continues to play a role in reducing extreme poverty, fighting hunger and safeguarding natural resources.
Victoria Muteti, a 44-year old farmer living in Kenya’s Makueni County, has increased her harvest several times over. Luckily, she is able to keep farming during the COVID-19 pandemic, while observing all the necessary social distancing measures, and the extra income she’s made over the last two years has helped her improve her nutrition – along with many other facets of her life. Victoria owes these successes to her participation in an implemented by the Government of Kenya and jointly funded with and the European Union.
Desert Locust upsurges aren’t a new phenomenon. Locusts are one of the oldest migratory pests in the world and have wreaked havoc on crops across the globe for centuries. When huge swarms infest many countries and spread across several regions or continents, it becomes a plague. A plague of Desert Locusts, the most destructive locust species of all, can easily affect 20 percent of the Earth's land, potentially damaging the livelihoods of one tenth of the world's population and seriously affecting food security.
Empowering and protecting rural women in the time of coronavirus
Food and agriculture are being affected as a result of measures to contain the COVID-19 pandemic. As countries combat this pandemic, health is the top priority, but good health also depends on the availability and access to food.
L’Horta is an irrigation system declared by FAO as a . Located in the city of Valencia, it provides healthy food to a million and a half Valencians. Thanks to L’Horta, 6 000 family farms, including 10 fisheries, guarantee food reaches not only the Community of Valencia but also other communities and towns outside its borders. This irrigation system and use of water is an example of agriculture adapting to climatic conditions.
Leading up to the coronavirus pandemic, more than 820 million people went to bed hungry, including 110 million people who were living in acute food insecurity. Now as some developing countries face a double crisis - hunger and COVID-19 - the United Nations is working to support the most vulnerable. Governments, even as they prioritize public health goals, must do everything in their power to keep trade routes open and supply chains alive, urged the . Questions remain over the food supply chain due to quarantine regulations.