U.N. renews African food appeal
ROME, Italy (AP) -- An appeal for money to help southern Africa in its struggle with food shortages and AIDS has yielded less than half than of what is necessary, a United Nation food agency has said.
The Rome-based Food and Agriculture Organization issued a call last July for $25 million. So far, the agency said on Monday, just over $10 million has come in -- mainly from European countries and the United States.
The U.N. agency said unfavourable weather for crops and an AIDS epidemic, which has severely reduced the harvesting force, are combining to threaten the lives of 15 million people scattered throughout Zambia, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Swaziland and Lesotho.
The Food and Agriculture Organization says that with more donated funds it will be possible to improve the self-reliance of southern African households by increasing their supplies of tools and seeds and improving their agricultural know-how.
Last Friday the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees and the Rome-based World Food Program, another U.N. agency, appealed for $84 million in food aid to avert severe hunger among 1.2 million refugees hosted by African countries.
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