Keynote speech by His Excellency Mr.
Mr. Moderator!
Excellencies Ministers!
Mr. Saeed Bancie, FAO Representative!
High Government Officials!
Heads of UN Agencies!
Ladies and Gentlemen!
The theme of this year's World Food Day is our actions are our future with four pillars which are Better Production, Better Nutrition, Better Environment, and
Ladies and Gentlemen!
We think this is a very clear and articulate presentation of the entire food system cycle. For this reason, my brief presentation will be anchored on these four pillars.
Better Production
As
To increase production and productivity, the government is also assisting smallholder farmers as well as small and medium-scale commercial farmers through the introduction of high-yielding varieties, pressurized irrigation technologies renewable energy, plastic tunnels or small greenhouses, and mechanization to produce not only primary products but also value-added ones. To implement the ongoing technological support effectively, the government is also working to create a conducive environment including land tenure security, development of market infrastructure, better access to inputs, credits and research, regulatory and extension services as well as strengthening of Farmers' Cooperatives.
Better Nutrition
Until recently enough emphasis was not given to the nutritional aspect of food security. Under the influence of the global approach which focused only on food security, the world in general and
Better Environment
Owing to the cross-cutting nature of environmental challenges, like climate change, land degradation, and biodiversity loss, national efforts have been made to mainstream environmental issues in all sectors. As mentioned above soil and water conservation programmes are implemented on a regular basis by farming communities and students' summer campaigns to mitigate climate impact and to exercise environment-friendly agriculture.
The combined result of all the above-mentioned efforts will lead towards realizing better life for all citizens. This will increase their resilience to environmental and other shocks. Here the best example is the advent of COVID-19 and the outbreak of desert locusts in our region. The recent locust invasion has caused significant damage to crops and vegetation across the horn of
In Conclusion
To sustain the so far achieved success in the food system, enough resources should be allocated and build the resilience of our farming communities. Looking forward, implementation and further elaboration of all the above-mentioned strategies are very crucial to build a solid foundation to promote and protect the overall food systems that create safe and nutritious food security for all.
Finally, I would like to express my profound appreciation to the organizing committee and the participating farmers for a job well done within the framework of COVID guidelines.
Thank you for your attention!
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