UN food agency seeks funding to help people in northeast Nigeria

The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) on Tuesday launched a campaign to help feed 385,000 people in northeast Nigeria, where peace and security are being threatened by Islamic extremist group Boko Haram, a UN spokesman told reporters here.

The UN agency said some 10 million U.S. dollars are needed to supply seeds, fertilizers and irrigation equipment for displaced persons in the area and the people who are hosting them, Farhan Haq, the deputy UN spokesman, said at a daily news briefing here.

"FAO said for the past few years normal agriculture and fishing activities have been hampered by conflict," Haq said.

"But this year, significant territory previously controlled by Boko Haram has been rendered accessible to humanitarian assistance," he said.

FAO said there is now a "critical opportunity to tackle the alarming levels of food insecurity in northeast Nigeria."

Boko Haram militants are on the run from a multinational force in northeast Nigeria. The seven-year Boko Haram uprising has killed more than 20,000 people, forced 2.2 million from their homes and spread across Nigeria's borders.

The resumption of agricultural activities in the northeast Nigeria is of utmost priority to ensure that people can produce enough food for themselves. This includes those who have been internally displaced by the conflict as well as communities who have been hosting them.

These populations need urgent assistance to recover their livelihoods, which are mostly based on crop farming, artisanal fisheries and aquaculture and livestock production. "For the last three to four years this has not been possible due to the conflict," said Bukar Tijani, FAO assistant director-general and regional representative for Africa.

More than 3 million people are affected by acute food insecurity in Borno, Yobe and Adamawa States in northeast Nigeria, FAO said.

Three consecutive planting seasons have been lost due to the fighting in northeastern Nigeria. Moreover, large influxes of people escaping repeated Boko Haram attacks have put extreme pressure on already poor and vulnerable host communities and their fragile agricultural and pastoral livelihoods, exacerbating the already precarious food and nutrition security situation, said the UN agency.

Failure to rebuild the rural economy will translate into lack of employment opportunities with possible harmful consequences including youth radicalization and enrolment into armed groups, resulting in continued civil unrest, FAO warned.

In contrast, restarting food production in the newly accessible areas will have the additional benefits of encouraging displaced populations to return to their homes, while contributing to their improved health and nutrition. Endit