FAO to aid 94,000 IDP households
May 10, 2005
THE UN food agency, FAO, has announced that it will provide 94,000 internally displaced persons’ (IDPs) households in the north with seeds, tools and agricultural training to reduce their dependence on food aid.
By Maurice Okore
THE UN food agency, FAO, has announced that it will provide 94,000 internally displaced persons’ (IDPs) households in the north with seeds, tools and agricultural training to reduce their dependence on food aid.
Etienne Peterschmitt, the FAO emergency coordinator for Uganda, on Friday said the activities, budgeted at more than US$2m (sh3.5b), would focus on displaced and drought-affected families with safe access to land.
He said attention would be given to women and child-headed households, the elderly and families affected by HIV/AIDS.
“These families are now almost entirely dependent on food aid. This assistance will allow them to improve their self-sufficiency and provide some income.
“Many of the displaced have access to small plots of arable land near the camps and sometimes back in their villages, when security allows. Short-cycle crops, such as vegetables and fast-growing staple or high-value crops, can help produce the micronutrient supplements and increase the cash income that these vulnerable populations need,†Peterschmitt said in a statement.
He said FAO was working closely with the Government and NGOs to ensure that the inputs reach areas not yet covered by other humanitarian agencies.
Peterschmitt said each household would receive about 10 to 15kg of seeds, depending on the land available around the camp or the proximity of their villages.
THE UN food agency, FAO, has announced that it will provide 94,000 internally displaced persons’ (IDPs) households in the north with seeds, tools and agricultural training to reduce their dependence on food aid.
Etienne Peterschmitt, the FAO emergency coordinator for Uganda, on Friday said the activities, budgeted at more than US$2m (sh3.5b), would focus on displaced and drought-affected families with safe access to land.
He said attention would be given to women and child-headed households, the elderly and families affected by HIV/AIDS.
“These families are now almost entirely dependent on food aid. This assistance will allow them to improve their self-sufficiency and provide some income.
“Many of the displaced have access to small plots of arable land near the camps and sometimes back in their villages, when security allows. Short-cycle crops, such as vegetables and fast-growing staple or high-value crops, can help produce the micronutrient supplements and increase the cash income that these vulnerable populations need,†Peterschmitt said in a statement.
He said FAO was working closely with the Government and NGOs to ensure that the inputs reach areas not yet covered by other humanitarian agencies.
Peterschmitt said each household would receive about 10 to 15kg of seeds, depending on the land available around the camp or the proximity of their villages.