Page 44 - AA 2024

Sudan

FAO launches emergency response plan to protect and restore

agricultural livelihoods amid conflict

The Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations
(FAO) has launched an Emergency
Livelihood Response Plan to address
growing food insecurity in Sudan,
providing communities with emergency
seeds and livestock treatment kits, as
well as veterinary and fisheries support
and equipment.

The Plan builds on FAO’s work
to address extreme vulnerabilities
triggered by the ongoing conflict on
small-scale farming, herding and fishing
communities. It complements FAO’s
recently completed emergency seed
distribution campaign. That initiative
helped farmers maximize cereal
production, avoid depletion of assets
and promote seed diversification. The
expected production will contribute
to meet the cereal needs of at least 13 will result in immediate improvements face a “hunger gap”, while herding
million and up to 19 million people for to food security and nutrition, enabling communities struggle with water
the upcoming 2023 harvest. herders to produce 4 to5 liters of milk/ scarcity, diminishing pastures and
day. weakened animal health, leading to
“Millions of people across the Sudan economic strain and a decrease in food
are facing a battle for survival as the Crucially, in a context of conflict, FAO’s consumption patterns.
food security crisis worsens”, said plan will support the implementation of Funding needs for implementa-
Hongjie Yang, FAO Representative in mass vaccination campaigns to protect tion
the Sudan. “This emergency response 6 million sheep, goats and cattle against
plan aims to provide farming, herding the most prevalent and devastating In order to implement the plan over
and fishing families with the basics they diseases, including peste des petits the next 12 months and reach the
need to keep production going and feed ruminants, sheep and goat pox and foot- targeted farmers, herders and fishers
themselves and their communities.” and-mouth disease. in 17 of the Sudan’s most food-insecure
Seeds, animals and livestock vac- FAO also aims to assist 50 000 people states, FAO will require $123 million.
cination campaigns (10 000 fishing households) with fishing FAO last month warned about the
Under the plan, to support a total of inputs (such as fishing boats and gear) severity of the escalating food crisis
10.1 million people, households most in and related training, to ensure steady in the Sudan. According to the latest
need will receive certified quality seeds access to high-protein, quality foods and Integrated Food Security Phase (IPC)
– cowpea, groundnut, millet, okra and maintain functional local economies. projections, over 20.3 million people,
sorghum for the 2024 summer season, Much of the support to most representing more than 42 percent
and chickpea, cucumber, pigeon pea, vulnerable farming and livestock of the population in the country, are
tomato and watermelon for the 2023 herding households will be delivered experiencing high levels of acute
winter season. They will also receive using a combination of unconditional food insecurity (IPC Phase 3 or above)
training to adopt good agricultural cash assistance and livelihood input between July and September 2023,
practices, such as better handling of packages (seeds, tools, etc.) combined nearly double the figure from May 2022.
farm commodities after harvest.
with training. This will help address Nearly 14 million people are facing
Vulnerable people who have lost the fact that during the dry season, Crisis (IPC Phase 3) and nearly 6.3
productive assets will be supported spanning from November to May, million people facing Emergency (IPC
through the restocking of animals. This farmers practicing rainfed agriculture Phase 4) levels of acute hunger.
42 Arab Agriculture 2024