Food security initiative

The 14-member Southern African Development Community (SADC) has launched a food security and regional development initiative to respond to the region's food and development needs, SADC sources told IRIN on Wednesday. The initiative, to be called the SADC Food Security and Rural Development Hub, was launched by the region's agriculture ministers in Gaborone, Botswana, last week and will be based in Harare, Zimbabwe. "The Hub will have a regional component regarding strategies being implemented by member countries on food security and development issues," Reginald Mugwara, the sector's coordinator told IRIN. He added that the hub will have national focal points through which countries would allocate resources based on their food security and developmental needs. Mugwara also said a donor conference would be held in Harare later this month to mobilise resources for the implementation of the initiative. "A group of eight experts will be employed to coordinate and offer technical assistance to member countries' prgrammes," Mugwara added.