On Monday, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) unveiled an emergency response plan to provide critical assistance to communities in Sudan that are struggling to recover from the devastation caused by the ongoing fighting.
To increase agricultural output, improve seed diversification, and prevent animal stock from depleting, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) will provide seeds and treatment kits for animals and support veterinary medicine and fisheries the following year.
According to estimations provided by the FAO, the program is anticipated to fulfill the requirements for grain consumption of up to 19 million people for the harvest in 2023.
Struggle for continued existence.
According to Hongjie Yang, the FAO Representative in the Sudan, “millions of people across the Sudan are facing a battle for survival as the food security crisis worsens.” [citation needed] “The food security crisis has worsened.”
“This emergency response plan aims to provide farming, herding, and fishing families with the fundamental necessities they require in order to keep production going and feed themselves and their communities,”
The sense of urgency cannot be stressed enough.
Between July and September, the number of people in Sudan who faced high levels of acute food insecurity nearly doubled from May of the previous year, reaching more than 20 million people and accounting for more than 42 percent of the country’s total population.
Since April, the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been engaged in a full-scale battle, resulting in the displacement of almost 5.1 million people within Sudan and across the country’s boundaries. This situation has been greatly exacerbated as a result of this conflict.
An attack on a busy market in Sudan’s capital city on Sunday resulted in the deaths of at least 35 people. At the same time, scores more were injured due to the attack, carried out after the market was bombed by a military aircraft.
As part of the plan developed by the FAO, vulnerable households will be given access to high-quality seeds of cowpea, groundnut, millet, okra, and sorghum for the summer season of 2024, as well as chickpea, cucumber, pigeon pea, tomato, and watermelon for the winter season of 2023.
Farmers will also receive training on the best methods for improving the handling of post-harvest produce, including essential byproducts such as manure. This training will be provided to farmers.
Importantly, the FAO’s plan prioritizes mass vaccination campaigns amid the intensive battle to protect six million sheep, goats, and cattle against debilitating diseases such as peste des petits ruminants (ovine rinderpest), sheep and goat pox, and foot-and-mouth disease. These diseases include ovine rinderpest, sheep and goat pox, and foot-and-mouth disease.
In addition, the UN agency will provide 50,000 individuals, including 10,000 fishing households, with equipment such as boats and gear to maintain the regional economy’s viability and guarantee consistent access to high-quality foods.
Approach from multiple angles: To assist the most vulnerable families, the emergency response plan will provide a mixture of unrestricted monetary aid, support for livelihoods (such as seeds and equipment), and education to those individuals and families who are in need.
This strategy is devised to resolve the issues plaguing herding groups during the dry season (November to May) and the problems plaguing farmers who practice rainfed agriculture during that same period (November to May). These issues include a lack of pasture, diminished animal health, and decreased food supply.
FAO needs 123 million dollars to completely implement the ambitious plan over the next year and reach the targeted farmers, herders, and fishers in Sudan experiencing the worst food insecurity levels.
