Droughts and floods associated with El Nino are degrading food security in eastern and southern Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, where communities are already weakened by conflict. More than 10 million people in the region currently face hunger, and without a swift humanitarian response millions more could join them next year, aid agencies warned.

ZAMBIA - Cargill Zambia has launched a US $2 million maize milling plant in Chipata.

Speaking during the launch yesterday, Cargill projects manager Emmanuel Mbewe said the milling plant would provide local and urban farmers with reliable and consistent market for the maize.

“This is a special day for Cargill Zambia. It’s special because this year, 2015, we are celebrating 150 years of Cargill’s existence here on earth. It’s also a special day today because we launch the first [milling plant] here in Chipata,” Mbewe said.

He said the mill was the first-ever to be launched by Cargill in Zambia.

“The new maize [milling plant]

DAR ES SALAAM – IITA has started a special scheme for young people  dubbed ‘IITA Youth Agripreneurs’ to help transform agriculture into business.

The scheme is part of others already operating in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo. 

It is a pilot study that has two main objectives, tackling youth unemployment and encouraging young people to transform agriculture in Africa. IITA is one of the world’s leading research partners in finding solutions for hunger, malnutrition, and poverty.

IITA Regional Corporate Communications Officer for East and Southern Africa, Catherine Njuguna said young people, have energy, skills and knowledge so it is easy for

Ethiopian Prime Minister Desalegn on Wednesday said that Ethiopia, which has long been plagued by drought and famine, had managed to achieve food security.

"At a household level, we will continue efforts to attain self-sufficiency," he told a rally in capital Addis Ababa marking the 23rd anniversary of the overthrow of the communist Dergue regime. "We are proud to have erased the humiliating image which identified us with hunger and famine," the premier said. Desalegn said that his government – led by the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front, which overthrew the regime of Colonel Mengistu Haile Mariam 23 years ago – was leading the country

The president of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has recently called for greater support to Africa’s small family farmers as a key to eradicating extreme poverty and hunger on the continent.

“There are 500 million smallholder family farms in the world providing food and livelihoods for billions of people,” IFAD president Kanayo F. Nwanze said in an address to a conference sponsored by the International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) recently, saying “investing in the resilience of smallholder farmers is also investing in the resilience of food systems, the resilience of communities, and the strength of nations.”

Studies consistently show