War pushes Sudan towards “catastrophic” famine-like conditions
Cairo, EgyptReuters Families in Sudan’s conflict zones could experience famine-like hunger by next summer, the United Nations has warned, while some in the war-ravaged capital are surviving on a single, meagre daily meal. Some 30 million people, almost two thirds of the population, are in need of assistance in Sudan according to the UN, double […]
Fresh wave of crop-ravaging locust swarms threaten East African herders, farmers
Nairobi/Garowe, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation A new generation of locust swarms is threatening to wipe out the livelihoods of farmers and herders across eastern Africa – deepening a food crisis in a region where 35 million people are already hungry, the United Nations warned on Wednesday. From January to August, massive desert locust swarms swept across […]
LOCUSTS STEALING LIVES: SOMALILAND FARMERS, HERDERS FEAR LOOMING PLAGUE
NITA BHALLA, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, reports…
Climate change linked to African locust invasion
Nairobi, KenyaThomson Reuters Foundation Climate change may be powering the swarms of desert locusts that have invaded eastern Africa, ravaging crops, decimating pasture and deepening a hunger crisis, locust and climate experts said. Hundreds of millions of the insects have swept over the Horn of Africa in the worst outbreak in a quarter of a […]
Hunger looms for Colombia’s Venezuelan migrants as aid falls short
Riohacha, ColombiaThomson Reuters Foundation It is mid-morning and the Rancheria community kitchen in northern Columbia is already full of families queuing for a free meal of pasta with chicken, bread and guava juice. Hundreds of Venezuelan migrants rely on the community kitchen for survival, among them Marbellis Atencia, 39, who comes here every day with […]
Quick facts – Seven things you need to know about world hunger
RomeThomson Reuters Foundation The number of people going hungry has risen for the third year running after years of improvement, the United Nations said in a report published on Monday that blamed conflict, climate shocks and economic slowdowns. Market in Bolivia. Via Unsplash Here are seven things you need to know about world hunger. 1. […]
From Afghan saffron to Wayanad coffee, geographic labels protect places
Bangkok, ThailandThomson Reuters Foundation Developing countries are increasingly using geographic labelling to boost the value of products ranging from carpets to rice, raising rural incomes and protecting farm land, according to agriculture experts and lawyers. Geographical indication is a sign used on products that have a specific geographic origin, which gives them certain qualities or […]
Next UN food chief must tackle hunger “emergency”
RomeThomson Reuters Foundation As candidates jostle to head the United Nations’ multibillion dollar food agency, experts called on Thursday for a strong leader to tackling rising hunger and climate change threats. Levels of hunger have grown for the past three years, with one in nine people – or 821 million – worldwide without enough to […]
Future of food under ‘severe threat’ as species diversity disappears – UN
Thomson Reuters Foundation The future of food supplies is under “severe threat” because of the number of animal and plant species fast disappearing, a United Nations report said on Friday, as the world grapples with how to feed a growing population. People are depending on fewer species for food, said the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization, […]
Farming insects may solve one problem but create others, scientists warn
Thomson Reuters Foundation Insects have great potential as an alternative source of protein, but further research is urgently needed before mass production begins in order to avoid environment disaster, Swedish researchers warned Monday. There is currently an “overwhelming lack of knowledge” on basic questions such as suitable species, their housing and feed requirements, managing their […]