EU Seeks donors for food security projects

The EU has launched a ‘Food Facility Auction Floor’. It is putting up for funding by other donors, food security projects it cannot finance under its own over-stretched budget. Eighty-four of these ‘ready-to-go’ projects can be found in a newly-published booklet.

EU officials say that the initiative meets the Accra Agenda to increase cost effectiveness, coherence and coordination on aid effectiveness. The EU’s €1bn food facility was approved in December 2008 as the EU’s quick response fast response to the food insecurity in 50 developing countries caused by soaring food prices. Over €500M of financing has already been already been disbursed.
Projects include funds to purchase agricultural inputs; safety-net programmes for the most vulnerable populations, support for microcredit, investment, equipment, infrastructure and training. Most funds are being channelled through the International Organisations in the UN High Level Task Force on Soaring Food Prices.

Many African countries have already benefitted, although the facility is open to all developing nations. In Lesotho, the EU and the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) are assisting over 36,000 farmers, some 22,000 of whom have already received 715 tonnes of seeds. It means that an additional 10,000 to 18,000 tonnes of crops will be harvested.

And in Niger, the EU and United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) started a partnership in 2009 for the treatment of 65,000 severely malnourished children under-five years old in therapeutic feeding centres via the Food Facility.
"People struggling with hunger nowadays is unacceptable.Through the EU Food Facility, Europe has been able to provide a rapid and efficient response to the food crisis faced by developing countries.The Commission delivered on its promises, ensuring a high impact of the aid offered to countries in need. We are reaching over 50 million people, including many small-holder farmers, and this will increase." says Andris Piebalgs, EU Commissioner for Development.

Find out more:
http://www.africa-eu-partnership.org/booklet-food-facility-auction-floor-2010