The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation, FAO, says it will cost over $76 million to combat bioterrorism in Africa.
The organisation was speaking on the background of the swarms of voracious desert locusts that are devastating farms in East Africa.
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According to reports, the locusts have descended on countries in East Africa in alarming numbers never seen in decades.
The tiny pests, if not controlled, have the capacity to fuel food insecurity and could exacerbate existing conflicts in an already precarious region.
While farmers are battling with locusts in the East, the food crisis in West Africa is worsening as over 16 million people are currently under threat.
According to research, countries like Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal are struggling to meet their daily food needs. The food crisis is the worst in the region since 2012.
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Current statistics from the World Food Programme shows that low growth, rising population, drought, and floods have combined to worsen food insecurity in the Southern African region, as a record of 45 million people face severe food insecurity.
Although for now, the situation seems hopeless, many organisations are however involved in providing succor to the vulnerable and poor and some of these organisations have started a gradual revolution capable of, not only making Africa self-sufficient in food production but also, scaling up the quality of food.
The African Agricultural Technology Foundation, AATF has been able to carve a niche for itself in Africa’s desire to transform its agriculture since it came on board in 2003.
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The focus has been on addressing Africa’s food security prospects through agricultural technology. The organisation believes that the agricultural sector is a key pillar as Africa consolidates its economic growth and carves out its new position as a major global economic powerhouse.
It was formed in response to the need for an effective mechanism that would facilitate delivery and formation of appropriate partnerships to manage the development and deployment of innovative technologies for use by smallholder farmers in Sub-Saharan Africa.
AATF is active in 13 countries of eastern, southern and western Africa, and is currently addressing challenges bedeviling key staples in Sub-Saharan Africa that include maize, rice, cassava, cowpea, banana, and potatoes.
