The World Food Day was observed in Cameroon on November 14, 2015 with government commiting to work better.
Efforts towards halving starvation in Cameroon are paying off, although figures still reveal that undernourishment is far from ending in the country. Figures from the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development indicate that despite government efforts to pin down underfeeding, 12.04 per cent of Cameroonians, about 2.3 million individuals remain underfed, a figure that has witnessed a drop from the previous years, in spite of the appreciable performance on the World Hunger Map. A survey on feeding and mortality carried out in the East, Far North and North Regions on October 1-15, 2015 are telling of the need for emergency. The survey revealed that 15 per cent of indivuals in the Adamawa and Far North Regions were heading towards a food crisis with insecurity and droughts to blame.
Agriculture and Rural Development Minister, Henri Eyebe Ayissi in a ceremony in Yaounde he co-chaired with the Minister of Livestock, Fisheries and Animal Industry, Dr Taïga, reiterated government’s National Strategy. The Head of State’s “Special Food Aid” with the support of local and multilateral partners has since December 2014 seen tons of food items distributed to families in areas of the Far North affected by Boko Haram insurgency. Efforts to modernise the sector by upgrading agriculture, livestock and fishing in Cameroon into second-generation status could be a solution, the Minister stressed. The World Food Day was celebrated on October 16, 2015 on the theme; “Social Protection and Agriculture: Breaking the Cycle of Rural Poverty.” Festivities in Cameroon were observed on November 13, 2015. The country’s performance is reportedly remarkable with figures indicating that the number of Cameroonians suffering from famine has dropped from 4.7 million recorded in the years to 2.3 million this year. 2014-2016 FAO estimates hold that 795 million people in the world suffer underfeeding shocks; a drop of 216 million from 1990-1992 figures.
Telefood Launched
On the sidelines of the World Food Day in Yaounde was the launch of the annual campaign to collect funds for the financing of agriculture, livestock…. and fisheries micro projects. The gala night is placed under the patronage of the Prime Minister, Head of Government and is slated for December 10, 2015. Eyebe Ayissi appealed all and sundry to respond to the global call to the Food and Agriculture Organisation to feeding more people by contributing to the initiative.
