Day: May 19, 2022

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New Agricultural Data Tool Can Help Fight the Growing Food Crisis in Africa

Gro Intelligence launches the first publicly available interactive tool on key agricultural commodities for 49 African countries

NEW YORK, May 19, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — During the United Nations Security Council’s session on Conflict and Global Food Security, Gro Intelligence’s CEO, Sara Menker, spoke about the growing global food crisis, its disproportionate impact on lower-income countries, and the policy actions that can be taken by governments around the world to mitigate these effects. As part of a broader response to this crisis, Gro Intelligence is launching the Food Security Tracker for Africa, the first-of-its-kind, interactive tool that makes real-time agricultural data on 49 out of 54 African countries publicly available in one location. With The Rockefeller Foundation’s support, this information will make it easier for countries around the world to navigate the unprecedented challenges connected to the current global food crisis.

New Agricultural Data Tool Can Help Fight the Growing Food Crisis in Africa

The Food Security Tracker for Africa provides free access to real-time data about the supply and demand of major crops, including corn, soy, wheat, and rice for African countries. By combining data on drought, crop conditions, prices, supply and demand all in one place, users will be able to develop more effective solutions and emergency response plans to the growing shortages of key agricultural commodities across the continent.

Environmental, economic, and political shocks have caused rising food prices and created shortages of major crop staples worldwide. At the same time, companies across the global agricultural supply chain face significant blind spots, donors are unable to accurately direct funds, and governments are left scrambling for alternative sources of supply without the necessary full knowledge of where it is needed most. In response, Gro is collaborating with The Rockefeller Foundation to give the public greater access to critical data, which will help fill the gaps in accurate supply and demand coverage for major crops in Africa.

“The world must act now to respond to the global food emergency and alleviate the human suffering and global instability it is causing,” said Dr. Rajiv J. Shah, President of The Rockefeller Foundation. “Gro Intelligence’s powerful new tool gives global leaders the data they need to not only respond to the crisis in the short term, but also lay the groundwork for a more stable, sustainable food system over the long term.”

Understanding the Impact of the Global Food Crisis

Even before the war in Ukraine, the World Food Programme (WFP) estimated 810 million people did not have enough to eat. According to recent data from the International Monetary Fund, poor country households spend up to 60% of their budgets on food, compared to just 10% for the average household in advanced economies. Unable to weather the shock of rising food prices, lower-income countries are also being asked to pay out more than $300 billion in interest payments and debt repayments while many global organizations focused on food security are facing significant funding shortages – as Ms. Menker and Dr. Shah explained in a recent New York Times op-ed. 

“By combining cutting-edge technology and humanitarian relief efforts and leveraging the private sector for public use, our collaboration with The Rockefeller Foundation will help strengthen food security initiatives, address inequities, and build a sustainable world for all,” said Ms. Menker. “With this new tool, governments, companies, and humanitarian organizations will be better equipped to anticipate food shortages, direct relief, and improve strategic planning in response to the unprecedented level of supply and demand shocks that have caused global food insecurity.”

Leveraging the Power of the Gro Platform

“To create a more comprehensive picture, the Gro team, which includes both domain experts and technologists, leveraged our platform and the scaling power of our machine-learning models to quickly and accurately provide needed data,” said Will Osnato, Senior Research Analyst at Gro Intelligence. “With support from The Rockefeller Foundation, we will offer agricultural balance sheets that denote supply and demand of corn, soy, wheat, and rice for the next year. In addition, the tool has been tested and reviewed by our analyst team and methodologies are made available to fully encompass the transparency and objectivity of our platform.”

In addition to real-time supply and demand data, this tool makes useful metrics for 49 out of 54 African countries publicly available for the first time, including:

  • Gro’s Production Forecast – Production estimates are calculated using Gro’s machine learning-based yield forecasts, which incorporate real-time environmental data and historical production data to predict available supply.
  • Gro’s Stocks-to-Use Ratio – A country’s reserves of a specific crop is an indicator of food security. A stocks-to-use ratio shows the relationship between stocks and usage. Gro’s Stocks-to-Use Ratio is calculated as total food calorie stocks at the end of the marketing year – a period of one year designated to production analysis of a specific commodity. This number is then divided by total food calorie demand (domestic consumption + exports) across the four crops in the selected region. It is highly correlated to prices over the season.
  • Cropland-Weighted Gro Drought Index (GDI) – The proprietary Gro Drought Index is the world’s first high resolution global agricultural drought index. The GDI measures drought severity on a scale from “0” (no drought) to “5” (exceptional drought). The index is global, offering data on the continent, country, state, and district level and updates weekly on the interactive tool and daily on the Gro platform. The values shown on the tool are weighted by cropland area at the district level for each country.
  • Crop-Area Weighted Vegetative Health Index (NDVI) – NDVI is a key satellite-based indicator of plant health, used to forecast crop production, supply, and price. Lower NDVI signals lower levels of production.
  • Prices – Price series were selected based on Free-on-board (FOB) export prices from the largest import supplier for the selected country. If the country is not a significant importer, then representative global prices were selected.

For more information visit the Food Security Tracker for Africa here or contact Gro Intelligence at support@gro-intelligence.com.

About Gro Intelligence
Gro Intelligence works with companies, financial institutions, humanitarian organizations, and governments to forecast risks to food security that may result in food or hunger crises. Our food security platform serves as a single source of truth and an early warning hub that provides up-to-date information, insights, and analysis across the value chain. The platform predicts future trends and promotes proactive, evidence-based decision-making to improve our partners’ food security. See more on our work with the public sector here.

About The Rockefeller Foundation
The Rockefeller Foundation is a pioneering philanthropy built on collaborative partnerships at the frontiers of science, technology, and innovation to enable individuals, families, and communities to flourish. We work to promote the well-being of humanity and make opportunity universal. Our focus is on scaling renewable energy for all, stimulating economic mobility, and ensuring equitable access to healthy and nutritious food. For more information, sign up for our newsletter at rockefellerfoundation.org and follow us on Twitter @RockefellerFdn.

Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1821577/Agricultural_Data_Tool.jpg

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More than 59 million internally displaced in 2021

A record 59.1 million people were displaced within their homelands last year, or four million more than in 2020, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) said on Thursday, citing the latest Global Report on Internal Displacement (GRID).

IOM has welcomed the report, produced by its partner the Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre (IDMC), calling it a valuable tool for the organization, humanitarians, and governments, in supporting communities affected by disasters and other crises.

“Understanding, managing, and adapting to human mobility trends is crucial to ensure humanitarian assistance and essential services are reaching people where they are most needed,” the UN agency said.

Running from disasters

For the past 15 years, most internal displacement was triggered by disasters, with annual numbers slightly higher than those related to conflict and violence.

Last year was no exception, according to the report.  Weather-related events such as floods, storms and cyclones resulted in some 23.7 million internal displacements in 2021, mainly in the Asia-Pacific region.

IOM warned that with the expected impacts of climate change, and without ambitious climate action, numbers are likely to increase in the coming years.

Conflict and violence

Meanwhile, conflict and violence triggered 14.4 million internal displacements in 2021, a nearly 50 per cent increase over the previous year.

The majority took place in Africa, particularly Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, while Afghanistan and Myanmar saw unprecedented numbers of displacement.

Young lives affected

The report also includes a special focus on children and youth, who account for more than 40 per cent of the total number of those internally displaced last year. 

It looks at the impacts of displacement on their well-being now and in the future, and fills data and knowledge gaps that are critical to finding durable solutions.

IOM added that gaps remain in understanding and addressing internal displacement in conflict.

Driven by data

The agency has partnered with the IDMC – which is part of the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) – to provide reliable and accurate data through its Displacement Tracking Matrix (DTM), the world’s largest source of primary data on internal displacement.

The two organizations signed an agreement four years ago to join forces on improving data and to accelerate policymaking and action.

IOM has also co-chaired the International Data Alliance for Children on the Move (IDAC) since 2020.

The coalition brings together governments, international and regional organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), think tanks, academics, and civil society, to improve statistics and data on migrant and forcibly displaced children.

Source: United Nations

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Commitment to Ending Child Labour Must Never Waver, Deputy Secretary-General Stresses in Message for Global Conference on Its Elimination

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed’s video message to the fifth Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour in Durban, South Africa, today:

Excellencies, ladies and gentlemen,

My sincere thanks to the Government of South Africa for hosting this landmark event.  As a daughter of the African continent, it gives me special pride to address the fifth Global Conference on the Elimination of Child Labour — the first to take place in Africa.

This Conference is a source of tremendous hope for the 160 million children around the world who are trapped in child labour.  Children who work in mines and in fields.  On construction sites or hidden behind the walls of private homes in domestic servitude.  And those denied the right to fully develop, physically and mentally.

Too often they are denied their right to education.  If they attend school at all, their performance suffers due to their extra workload, and they are likely to drop out early.  Their right to health is also put at risk and accidents and diseases can mark them for a lifetime.  Child labour is — quite simply — wrong.  And the only solution to this crisis is a rights-based approach.  One that recognizes and upholds the rights that every child has to health, education and protection.  A right to a future.

The ILO [International Labour Organization], as a values-driven organization and leader of the worldwide movement against child labour, has a critical role in this work.  The universal ratification of Convention No. 182 on the Worst Forms of Child Labour marked a historic first for the United Nations.  Children everywhere now have essential legal protection, regardless of the level of economic development in their countries and communities.

So the tool exists.  Our challenge now is to fully implement it.  This means seizing the opportunity to renew our commitment made in Oslo 25 years ago.  It means actively convening and listening to our civil society partners on the ground, who remain steadfast champions in the fight against child labour in every corner of the world, as the efforts of Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi in India powerfully demonstrate.  And it means gathering more investment and support for all of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals that affect our progress on child labour — from poverty and hunger to social protection, decent work and gender equality.

Education is a clear example of this.  A lack of educational access and opportunities fuels child labour.  And around the world, education is in turmoil.  COVID-19, climate change, and political and economic crises are compounding a pre-existing learning crisis that has left the education-related Sustainable Development Goals badly off-track.

We simply cannot allow children — today and tomorrow — to experience catastrophic losses in learning and well-being.  That’s why the Secretary-General decided to convene the Transforming Education Summit this September as part of Our Common Agenda.  The Summit will be a once-in-a-generation opportunity to come together to chart a new path for education — including closing the digital divide, so every child, everywhere, can have a chance at accessing a quality education.  And the Summit also represents a new path to eliminate child labour.  It will urge dramatically expanded financing flows for education and all efforts under Sustainable Development Goal target 8.7, the elimination of all forms of child labour by 2025.

Ladies and gentlemen, our commitment to ending child labour remains strong.  It must never waver.  One hundred sixty million children are counting on us.  We must not let them down.  With your steadfast support, we can ensure that future generations of children can enjoy what every child deserves.  The simple blessing of a normal, healthy and safe childhood.  Let’s make child labour a thing of the past.

Thank you.

Source: United Nations

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Demand for lifesaving aid up 10 per cent this year: UN relief chief

The number of people in need has risen by around 10 per cent this year so far, the UN’s humanitarian affairs chief said on Thursday.

Martin Griffiths, who is also the Emergency Relief Coordinator, said that around 303 million living in 69 countries, were in need of humanitarian aid and protection, compared with 274 million last December – a statistic which he described to reporters in Geneva, as “a sad record of human suffering.”

“The number of people we aim to reach through our response plans, 202 million, is also more than 10 per cent higher than what we projected last December”, said relief chief Griffiths.

Making ends meet

“And the money we need is up from $41 billion to $46 billion today – five billion dollars more. Donors have so far generously contributed almost $6 billion to our response plans up till now, as recorded by our tracking service.”

But looking at the raw numbers, he said that with the extra funding, humanitarians had “just met the rising costs, but barely made a dent in the requirements that we need to address.

“That’s the growing gap problem we are struggling with across the world. It’s real of course it is not just mathematics, and it has consequences for the people we want to help.”

Help for the Horn

No region was more in need, than the 35 million struggling in the Horn of Africa, said Mr. Griffiths, recapping his own mission to Kenya last week.

“After four failed rainy seasons in the Horn, four in a row, more than 18 million people in Ethiopia, Somalia and Kenya are affected by drought. Most of them hungry, not knowing whether they’ll eat that day or not.”

 He said he was grateful for all the extra pledges, but now, “we are out of time.”

“We need money urgently to save lives, let alone to invest with governments and communities in efforts to provide them with alternative livelihoods for the months to come.”

From Ukraine to the Sahel

In the Sahel region, the situation is similarly dire, he told reporters, with millions driven to “the fringes of survival.”

 Up to 18 million people in the Sahel will face severe food insecurity over the next three months, downtrodden by violence, insecurity, deep poverty, failure of basic services and since the Russian invasion of Ukraine, record-high food prices.

“I saw that directly in Lomopus a small village of 600 households, the line between the rising of food prices and the absence of food is direct”, he said, adding that in Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger, the situation has reached alarming levels.

Almost 1.7 million people will experience emergency levels of food insecurity during the lean season between June and August, creating “large gaps” in food consumption and high levels of acute malnutrition and deaths.

New emergency funding

He previewed the UN Secretary-General’s announcement tomorrow, of a $30 million funding package from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger.

“The need for funding is urgent, and that CERF money is a stop-gap measure, it is a cash flow help. I thank CERF’s donors for their foresight – it is saving lives. And we need all donors to join in with much larger amounts to implement our response plans, in the Sahel, in the Horn of Africa, and elsewhere.”

Source: United Nations

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Russia-Ukraine conflict: UN urges Ukraine grain release, World Bank pledges extra US$12 billion

UNITED NATIONS— The UN warned that a growing global food crisis could last years if it goes unchecked, as the World Bank announced an additional US$12 billion in funding to mitigate its “devastating effects”.

Food insecurity is soaring due to warming temperatures, the coronavirus pandemic and Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which has led to critical shortages of grains and fertiliser.

At a major United Nations meeting in New York on global food security, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the war “threatens to tip tens of millions of people over the edge into food insecurity”.

He said what could follow would be “malnutrition, mass hunger and famine, in a crisis that could last for years”, as he and others urged Russia to release Ukrainian grain exports.

Russia and Ukraine alone produce 30 per cent of the global wheat supply.

Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and international economic sanctions on Russia have disrupted supplies of fertiliser, wheat and other commodities from both countries, pushing up prices for food and fuel, especially in developing nations.

Before the invasion in February, Ukraine was seen as the world’s bread basket, exporting 4.5 million tonnes of agricultural produce per month through its ports – 12 per cent of the planet’s wheat, 15 per cent of its corn and half of its sunflower oil.

But with the ports of Odessa, Chornomorsk and others cut off from the world by Russian warships, the supply can only travel on congested land routes that are far less efficient.

“Let’s be clear: there is no effective solution to the food crisis without reintegrating Ukraine’s food production,” Guterres said.

“Russia must permit the safe and secure export of grain stored in Ukrainian ports.”

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who chaired the summit, and World Food Programme head David Beasley echoed the call.

“The world is on fire. We have solutions. We need to act and we need to act now,” implored Beasley.

Russia is the world’s top supplier of key fertilisers and gas.

The fertilisers are not subject to the Western sanctions, but sales have been disrupted by measures taken against the Russian financial system while Moscow has also restricted exports, diplomats say.

Guterres also said Russian food and fertilisers “must have full and unrestricted access to world markets”.

Food insecurity had begun to spike even before Moscow, which was not invited to Wednesday’s UN meet, invaded its neighbour on Feb 24.

In just two years, the number of severely food insecure people has doubled – from 135 million pre-pandemic to 276 million today, according to the UN.

More than half a million people are living in famine conditions, an increase of more than 500 per cent since 2016, the world body says.

The World Bank’s announcement will bring total available funding for projects over the next 15 months to US$30 billion.

The new funding will help boost food and fertiliser production, facilitate greater trade and support vulnerable households and producers, the World Bank said.

The bank previously announced US$18.7 billion in funding for projects linked to “food and nutrition security issues” for Africa and the Middle East, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and South Asia.

Washington welcomed the decision, which is part of a joint action plan by multilateral lenders and regional development banks to address the food crisis.

The Treasury Department described Russia’s war as “the latest global shock that is exacerbating the sharp increase in both acute and chronic food insecurity in recent years” as it applauded institutions for working swiftly to address the issues.

India over the weekend banned wheat exports, which sent prices for the grain soaring.

The ban was announced Saturday in the face of falling production caused primarily by an extreme heatwave.

“Countries should make concerted efforts to increase the supply of energy and fertiliser, help farmers increase plantings and crop yields, and remove policies that block exports and imports, divert food to biofuel, or encourage unnecessary storage,” said World Bank President David Malpass.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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Pollution behind 1 in 6 global deaths in 2019: Study

PARIS— Pollution caused about 9 million people to die prematurely in 2019, according to a new global report, with experts raising alarm over increasing deaths from breathing outside air and the “horrifying” toll of lead poisoning.

Human-created waste in the air, water and soil rarely kills people immediately, but causes instead heart disease, cancer, respiratory problems, diarrhoea and other serious illnesses.

The Lancet Commission on pollution and health said the impact from pollution on global health remains “much greater than that of war, terrorism, malaria, HIV, tuberculosis, drugs and alcohol”.

Pollution is an “existential threat to human health and planetary health, and jeopardises the sustainability of modern societies”, it added.

In general, the review found, air pollution – accounting for a total of 6.7 million deaths globally in 2019 – was “entwined” with climate change because the main source of both problems is burning fossil fuels and biofuels.

“If we can’t manage to grow in a clean and green way, we’re doing something terribly wrong,” said the report’s lead author Richard Fuller, of the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution, adding that chemical pollution also harms biodiversity – another major global threat.

“These things are terribly connected and strategies to deal with one have ripple effects all the way through,” he said.

Overall, one in six premature deaths globally – or nine million – were caused by pollution, a figure unchanged since the last assessment in 2015.

Researchers noted a reduction in mortality linked to indoor air pollution, unsafe drinking water and inadequate sanitation, with major improvements seen in Africa.

But early deaths associated with industrialisation – outdoor air and chemical pollution – are on the rise, particularly in southern and eastern Asia.

Ambient air pollution caused about 4.5 million deaths in 2019, according to the study, published in Lancet Planetary Health, compared with 4.2 million in 2015 and just 2.9 million in 2000.

Chemical pollution is also increasing, with lead poisoning alone causing 900,000 deaths. Even that, the report warned, is likely a “substantial undercount” in light of new research suggesting there is no safe level of exposure.

Algeria banned lead in petrol in 2021, the last country to do so.

But people continue to be exposed to the toxic substance, largely due to unregulated recycling of lead-acid batteries and e-waste. Contaminated culinary spices are also a culprit.

“The fact that lead is getting worse, mostly in poorer countries, and ramping up in terms of the number of deaths, is horrifying,” said Fuller.

Heart disease is the cause of almost all early deaths from exposure to lead, which hardens arteries, said Fuller.

But elevated lead levels in blood – estimated to affect hundreds of millions of children – also harm brain development and are linked to serious losses of cognitive function.

The report said lead is also linked to a spike in behavioural disorders and diminished economic productivity, with global economic losses estimated at almost US$1 trillion annually.

In Africa, economic losses from lead-related IQ loss are equivalent to about four percent of gross domestic product, while in Asia it amounts to two percent.

Overall, excess deaths due to pollution have led to economic losses totalling US$4.6 trillion in 2019, or around six percent of global economic output, researchers said.

Low- and middle-income countries are by far the most affected, with more than 90 per cent of deaths in these regions.

There is also increasing evidence of pollution crossing national boundaries in wind, water and the food chain.

Wealthier nations that have reduced domestic outdoor air pollution effectively “displace” it overseas to countries with higher levels of manufacturing, the report said.

Prevailing global winds transport air pollution from east Asia to North America, from North America to Europe, and from Europe to the Arctic and central Asia.

Meanwhile, cereals, seafood, chocolate and vegetables produced for export in developing countries can be contaminated as a result of soil and water polluted with lead, arsenic, cadmium, mercury and pesticides.

This “increasingly threatens global food safety”, the report said, adding that “toxic metals found in infant formula and baby foods are of particular concern”.

Fuller said the threat of pollution – particularly air and lead pollution – is underappreciated, with more attention focused on the health implications of microplastics.

“We can show a million people dying from lead pollution right now – more than die from malaria, more than die from HIV – and that’s not even discussed,” he said.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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Surging food prices fuel protests across developing world

PARIS— The war in Ukraine and drought fuelled by climate change has sent global prices for grains, cooking oils, fuel and fertiliser soaring.

Rising prices for basic food staples is fuelling protests from Indonesia to Iran.

European wheat prices have jumped 74 per cent and benchmark palm oil futures went up 24 per cent since January.

The trend is growing and is alarming policymakers, with United Nations agencies warning that the price hikes will worsen an existing food crisis in Africa and could cause “catastrophic” child malnutrition.

Following are protests in alphabetical order that have erupted over food prices over the past few months.

ARGENTINA: Thousands of farmers protested in Buenos Aires on April 23 against President Alberto Fernandez, whose policies to contain food prices to curb rampant inflation have been criticised by the agricultural sector.

CHILE: Thousands of students marched through the Chilean capital Santiago on March 25 demanding higher food stipends.

CYPRUS: Cypriot farmers dumped tonnes of milk and lit bales of hay outside the presidential palace in the capital Nicosia on May 18, in protest at high prices and production issues.

GREECE: Thousands of Greek workers protested in Athens in May Day rallies against surge in energy and food prices. Greece’s annual consumer inflation accelerated to 8.9 per cent in March, hitting its highest level in 27 years.

INDONESIA: Indonesian farmers protested in Jakarta on May 17 against rising cost of palm oil export ban. Smallholder farmers’ group APKASINDO estimates at least 25 per cent of palm oil mills have stopped buying palm fruit from independent farmers since the ban started, sending the price of palm fruit 70 per cent below a floor price set by regional authorities.

IRAN: Price protests turn political in Iran as rallies spread. The protests began in early May sparked by the government’s subsidy cut decision that caused price hikes in Iran by as much as 300 per cent for a variety of flour-based staples. The government also raised prices of some basic goods such as cooking oil and dairy products.

KENYA: Activists held a demonstration on May 17 in Nairobi, asking the government to lower costs of living, especially on food prices.

LEBANON: Lebanese truck and bus drivers and others blocked roads in January to protest against soaring prices. The protesters accuse politicians of failure to address an ongoing economic crisis since 2019.

PERU: Peru deployed army on highways in April in response to road blockades spurred by anger over rising food and fuel prices. Peru is facing its highest inflation rate in a quarter century.

SRI LANKA: Sri Lankan President Gotabaya Rajapaksa declared a state of emergency earlier in May, following a day of anti-government strikes and protests over a worsening economic crisis. Sri Lanka’s economic crisis, unparalleled since its independence in 1948, has come from the confluence of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising oil prices and populist tax cuts by the Rajapaksas.

SUDAN: In March, a protester was shot and killed in the Sudanese city of Madani, medics said, as demonstrators marched across the country to protest a military coup that has been followed by a steep economic downturn. Sudan’s currency has lost more than a third of its value since the military coup in October last year, rapidly driving up prices for fuel, food and other goods.

TUNISIA: Tunisia said on May 11 it will raise the prices of some foods including milk, eggs and poultry, following protests by farmers against a jump in animal feed barley prices.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK