Libyan leader and African Union Chairman, Muammar Gaddafi, hosts President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of Sudan. There are reports that US jets bombed areas in Sudan during January and February of 2009. Sudan has defied the ICC warrant issued against al-Bashir.
Originally uploaded by Pan-African News Wire File Photos
By FAITH SHONGWE on June 17,2010
MBABANE – The cooperation between African and Arab states has begun to bear fruits, as a team of experts were recently in the country to explore how Swaziland can improve its irrigation systems.
Minister of Agriculture Clement Dlamini said a team comprising of professors from Egypt visited the country last week on a fact-finding mission on the country’s irrigation systems.
"The team arrived last week Monday and left the country on Tuesday and their visit follows the summit held on Africa-Arab cooperation that was recently held. The team included experts in dam developments as well as irrigation and they are expected to compile a report on their findings, as well as recommendations and how they can help us," Dlamini said.
Dlamini said the partnership will not only benefit farmers but the whole country.
"The cooperation will benefit Swaziland in the sense that farmers will get to improve irrigation systems thus, improve efficiency in their agricultural enterprises. The cooperation will also benefit the country as a whole because as I said, the team comprised of experts in dam development and this could help us with our dams," he added.
The recently held summit is expected to open a gateway for exchange in extension services and technology transfer.
One of the resolutions taken by the agricultural ministers who attended the forum was increased support and international networking in agricultural research was required to make the necessary adaptations to climate change.
The agriculture ministers present during the summit resolved that they were aware of their responsibility to ensure that there is an adequate food supply for a growing global population and they also resolved that they wanted to contribute towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions and adapt agriculture to the consequences of climate change. They agreed that that considerable effort, in particular, increased support and international networking in agricultural research is required.
It was also resolved that training and advising of farmers must be intensified as well as national and international exchanges of experiences, technology transfer and the dissemination of know-how and systems that provide early warning of extreme weather events.
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