The sad story of the Ethiopian family. Our employee left with our child on the 3rd day of her employment. Climate extremes continue to severely impact economies and livelihoods, such as the drought in the Horn of Africa and the Sahel. Conflicts and wars continue to wreak havoc on the lives and livelihoods of millions of people and national economies. The cost of living is rising. We are now only eight years away from the 2030 deadline to achieve Sustainable Development Goals. Or just eight annual harvests. According to FAO projections, more than 670 million people will be hungry globally by 2030. This is the same prevalence as when the 2030 Agenda was launched in 2015. 310 million people the total will be in Africa. We cannot let that be our legacy. We must do more now to reverse the trend of hunger. One solution is underway in northeast Nigeria, which I had the opportunity to visit earlier this month and where multiple and overlapping crises have hit food security and livelihoods. There, FAO is collaborating with vulnerable communities, governments, and partners in protecting and promoting agriculture-based livelihoods. Evidence shows that a support package of seeds and fertilizer costing USD 88 on less than 1 hectare of land (0.8ha) yielded 918 kgs of cowpea and maize, which is enough to feed an average household of 7 people for up to 6 months.
