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From VOA Learning English, |
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this is the Agriculture Report. |
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The United Nations says farmers |
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in the Central African Republic |
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need seeds and tools |
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before the next planting season |
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if the country is to avoid a food crisis. |
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Two high-level UN officials were recently in Bangui |
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- the capital of the CAR. |
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One of them: John Ging is the operations director |
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of the U.N. Office for the Coordination |
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of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). |
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He told reporters the international community |
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must help Central Africans |
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displaced by fight to plant enough food for the next harvest |
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- the next planting season begins in March. |
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"The most urgent needs are exactly what you would expect |
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- assistance with the seeds and tools |
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for helping themselves to recover their livelihoods. |
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We've got to focus on helping people |
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to help themselves," he said. |
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The United Nations says conflict within the CAR |
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has displaced more than 800,000 people, |
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most of them since September. |
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It says not enough land was planted |
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because of the conflict throughout the country last year. |
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Food supplies are now very low |
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and there is a shortage of seeds. |
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A complete breakdown of law and order last year |
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meant that crime was a problem. |
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In many areas, bandits stole seeds, farm animals, |
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tools and other equipment, |
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some villages were burned to the ground. |
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The group - Human Rights Watch |
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has been watching the situation in the country. |
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It says the Seleka rebels who seized power last March |
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destroyed many areas even after their leader had become president. |
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The Central African Republic is home to about 4.5 million people, |
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but the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says |
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more than one million of them |
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lack a reliable, dependable food supply. |
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Last month, Mr Ging called for more aid organizations to come to the CAR. |
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"We need more of the large international |
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to come here - urgently. |
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If you go to any of the countries |
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where we have very large humanitarian operations, |
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you will see all of the big international |
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non-governmental organizations present in those countries. |
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Many of those large international organizations |
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are not present in this country," said Mr Ging. |
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He also asked for more money to meet the needs of the country. |
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So far, he said, only $30 million had been received |
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after groups asked for $247 million. |
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He said the needs are increasing. |
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And that's the Agriculture Report from VOA Learning English. |
