Workshop in Sudan creates hope

Workshop in Sudan Khartoum - Abedalgoum Ashmeag Sudan’s capital Khartoum, hosts a two day regional workshop called Food Security and Nutrition. Officials and experts from 20 countries including UN agencies, donor countries, regional organisations, civil society organisations, research institutions and private sector, took part. The workshop which is organised by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), in collaboration with the Committee on World Food Security (CFS), will discuss a number of topics including regional priorities of food security and nutrition in the context of social and political transformation in the region. In addition there will be a focus on social protection, realisation of food security, climate change and food security besides the issue of food waste and losses. The workshop comes as a follow up to the recommendation of the 31st session of the FAO Regional Conference for the Near East held in Rome. This recommended the prioritisation of food security and nutrition in the region to be presented during the 39th session of the Committee meeting on Food Security and Nutrition. Agricultural expert Professor Mamoun Daw el Beit, said that the workshop is expected to discuss the views of the shareholders in the food security issue. He told Arabstoday that the waste and loss of agricultural crops, food and agricultural industrialisation is the most prominent subject in the workshop. He indicated that the food loss will need more effort to find a solution through providing good governance. Daw el Beit explained that he will present Sudan’s paper in the workshop, and this paper will focus on the waste of agricultural crops, agricultural industrialisation, policies for reducing crop waste and losses and encouraging the agricultural industrialisation. The paper will also present the Sudanese experience to the participants. He stressed that the main challenge is securing food to near east countries including Sudan, noting that the role of communities in food security and climate change and its impact on food security, waste crops and food and agricultural industrialisation will be the main themes of the workshop. The workshop will end Tuesday where there will be a conclusive decision regarding food security.