Tag: Economic development

Return of commercial flights from Yemeni capital after 6 years, an ‘important’ step — Global Issues

Hans Grunberg noted that the first flight to leave the Houthi-controlled airport in Sana’a – since not long after fighting intensified between the rebel forces there and the Saudi-backed coalition supporting the internationally-recognized Government – had been a key part of the Truce agreement last month.

The flight took off just after 9AM local time, heading for Amman, Jordan, carrying 130 Yemeni passengers. In his statement, Mr. Grunberg expressed his gratitude to the Jordanian Government for their invaluable support, “and for the constructive cooperation by the Government of Yemen in facilitating the flight.”

“I would like to congratulate all Yemenis on this important and long-awaited step”, the UN envoy said.

Come together ‘to do more’

“I hope this provides some relief to the Yemenis who need to seek medical treatment abroad, pursue education and business opportunities, or reunite with loved ones,” Mr. Grundberg added.

“This should be a moment of coming together to do more, to start repairing what the war has broken, and to follow through on all the Truce commitments to build trust and move towards resuming a political process to sustainably end the conflict.”

Mr. Grundberg stressed that intense efforts are being exerted to support the parties in fulfilling all the commitments they made when the agreed to this Truce.

A promise

“These commitments were essentially a promise to Yemenis”, he said, “a promise of more security, better access to basic goods and services, and improved freedom of movement within, to and from Yemen.

“Making progress towards opening roads in Taiz is key for the fulfillment of this promise. I expect the parties to meet their obligations, including by urgently meeting to agree on opening roads on Taiz and other governorates in Yemen as per the terms of the Truce agreement,” Mr. Grundberg concluded.



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Building peace, one project at a time in Colombia — Global Issues

A pot boils on a wood fire in the open air at a rest spot in the Serranía del Perijá, in the mountainous rural north of Colombia. More than a hundred people, including former combatants from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia rebel group known as FARC, their families, and local people as well as soldiers of the Colombian National Army, work together on the edge of a precipice.

They are carrying three-inch-diameter hoses over nearly nine kilometers of steep terrain as part of a UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)-supported project to improve water supplies.

It took months of hard work to lift the hose, set it in place, bury it and connect it to a local river which provides a reliable supply of water.

“The most beautiful thing I remember was the way the army, our former adversary, community, former rebels and local authorities worked together, regardless of the past that separated us,” says Yarledys Olaya, an indigenous Barí woman, who spent 20 years fighting for the now disbanded FARC rebel group.

FARC guerillas waged  a half century-long civil war against the Colombian authorities, which officially ended with the signing of a historic Final Peace Agreement in 2016. 

A new life in a pleasant land

Yarledys Olaya is one of some 13,000 ex-combatants who committed to peace in Colombia and who began new lives in places like Tierra Grata.

“I picture my future here; I picture myself growing old,” she says. “This process has not been easy. In the past we saw our comrades get killed. But personally, it has allowed me to start my family, to be able to spend time with them, and to open my home to my daughters.

“That is why we want to continue building and betting on peace. Not only for the rebels who have been reintegrated into society but for a collective peace for the country.”

In the nearby town of San José de Oriente, local people were afraid that when the ex-combatants came to the region, violence would start again, but minds were changed when they brought just peace and a willingness to work on community projects.

Yarledys Olaya arrived in Tierra Grata in November 2016 aboard a truck together with 120 other guerrillas, most of them armed. She was wearing a camouflage uniform, boots, a black T-shirt, and carried a backpack and a rifle on her shoulder; she covered her face with a green scarf not wanting to be identified.

“There was a lot of mistrust. I felt that we were reserved, surly, and that local people looked at us differently.” It was two months before, the Peace Agreement between the government and the FARC had been signed.

“This was not a personal decision, it was a collective decision,” she says. “I thought, let’s continue but live life in another way. The good thing is that I had no longer had to see my comrades fall, which is normal during a war.”

Monitoring the ceasefire

It was an isolated location; an old farmhouse stood beside dense vegetation, including the native frailejones plant. A piece of land had been cleared to make room to build a reintegration camp; all around, there were Army and Colombian police personnel.

In a nearby area, the United Nations had erected tents where experts who had monitored the ceasefire would verify the laying down of arms. Between March and September 2017, the UN mission in Colombia received 8,994 weapons from FARC throughout the country including Tierra Grata.

Six months were spent building the camp which provided 158 living quarters. The ex-combatants were supposed to undergo a reintegration process there and then leave for a more permanent location, but most of them had nowhere to go and so stayed.

Daughters from war, and peace

Today, Tierra Grata is a formalized village inhabited by some 300 people, both ex-combatants and family members. Some were born there, and others joined their families.

Yarledys Olaya left her newborn, Yacana, with a relative when she joined FARC and was reunited two months after arriving in Tierra Grata. Two years later she gave birth to another daughter, Yaquelín, one of 65 children, born in the new settlement.

“Yacana is my daughter from the war, and Yaquelín my daughter from peace,” she says.

Yarledys Olaya continues to work on community projects, building permanent structures and bringing water and electricity to the village. “As women during the war, we played a fundamental role,” she says, “and now in this new moment, we are helping to build peace, because we feel that this process is ours; that is why we are willing to contribute our last drop of sweat to this future.”

SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  • Sustainable Development Goal 16 recognizes that conflict, insecurity, weak institutions and limited access to justice remain a significant threat to sustainable development.
  • It aims to reduce all forms of violence and deaths caused by that violence. It focuses on ending the abuse, exploitation, torture and trafficking of children.
  • The UN Verification Mission in Colombia was established by the UN Security Council in 2017 to support the peace process in Colombia.
  • It has worked closely with national authorities and former combatants to promote progress in reintegration and security-related issues.

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Small decrease in food prices in April ‘a welcome relief’ — Global Issues

The FAO Food Price Index averaged 158.2 points in April, down 0.8 per cent from the surge in March, but remained nearly 30 per cent higher than in April 2021. 

The Index tracks monthly changes in the international prices of a basket of food commodities, and the decrease was led by a slight decline in the prices of vegetable oils and cereals. 

Most vulnerable still at risk 

“The small decrease in the index is a welcome relief, particularly for low-income food-deficit countries, but still food prices remain close to their recent highs, reflecting persistent market tightness and posing a challenge to global food security for the most vulnerable,” said Máximo Torero Cullen, FAO Chief Economist. 

The Vegetable Oil Price Index registered a 5.7 per cent drop in April, shedding almost a third of the increase in March.  

Demand rationing pushed down the prices for palm, sunflower, and soy oils, FAO said, while uncertainties surrounding export availabilities from Indonesia – the world’s leading exporter of palm oil – contained further declines in prices on the international market. 

Ukraine war impact 

The FAO Cereal Price Index declined by 0.7 points in April, due to a 3.0 percent decline in world maize prices.  

Wheat prices rose 0.2 per cent, strongly affected by continued blockage of ports in Ukraine. The country, together with Russia, accounts for some 30 per cent of global wheat exports. 

Other factors behind the increase included concerns over crop conditions in the United States, though tempered by larger shipments from India and higher-than-expected exports from Russia.  

Meanwhile, international rice prices increased by 2.3 percent, bolstered by strong demand from China and the Near East.  

FAO also released updated forecasts for world cereal supply and demand which indicate that although stocks are rising, trade is a likely to decline this year. 

Global wheat production is predicted to grow to 782 million tonnes, which incorporates an expected 20 percent decline in harvested area in Ukraine as well as declines due to drought in Morocco. 

Record high for meat 

FAO said the Sugar Price Index rose 3.3 percent in April, mainly due to higher ethanol prices and concerns over the slow start of the 2022 harvest in Brazil, the world’s largest sugar exporter.  

The FAO Meat Price Index reached a new record high last month, increasing by 2.2 percent as prices rose for poultry, pig and bovine meat. Poultry costs were affected by disruptions to exports from Ukraine and rising avian influenza outbreaks in the northern hemisphere.  

The Dairy Price Index also jumped by 0.9 percent, driven by what FAO described as “persistent global supply tightness”, with milk output in Western Europe and Oceania continuing to track below seasonal levels.  

The agency reported that world butter prices rose the most, influenced by rising demand associated with the current shortage of sunflower oil and margarine. 

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Collective bargaining in the workplace, essential for global recovery: ILO — Global Issues

After two years of COVID-19 lockdowns and amid increasing pressures on the classic “9 to five” business model – from zero-hours contracts to telework – ILO Director-General Guy Ryder insisted on Thursday that voluntary negotiations known as collective bargaining had proved their worth.

“Workers want to keep their heads above the water, as prices rise, as they are right now, and they want to ensure workplace safety and secure the paid sick leave that has proved so critical over the last two years,” he told journalists in Geneva. “Employers for their part have welcomed agreements that have allowed them to retain skilled and experienced workers, so that they could restart, recover and rebound.”

He added: “The higher the percentage of employees covered by collective agreements, the lower the wage inequality. And the more equality and diversity there is likely to be in the workplace.”

Staying afloat

According to a new report by the UN agency, over one in three employees in 98 countries, currently have their wages, working hours and other professional conditions set by collective agreements.

But there is a considerable variation across countries, ILO said, ranging from over 75 per cent of workers having a collective agreement in many European countries and Uruguay, to below 25 per cent, in around half the countries where data was available.

At the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, ILO’s Social Dialogue Report 2022 indicated that collective bargaining agreements had helped to protect people’s jobs and income.

“Collective bargaining has played a crucial role during the pandemic in forging resilience by protecting workers and enterprises, securing business continuity, and saving jobs and earnings,” Mr. Ryder said, noting that joint accords had also helped to allay the concerns of millions of workers by boosting occupational safety and health in the workplace, together with paid sick leave and healthcare benefits.

Flexible working arrangements and leave provisions were negotiated so that workers, particularly women, could balance work with additional care responsibilities relating to school closures or to sick family members,” he said. “And workers on temporary work had their contracts extended or converted to permanent ones so that they could maintain their earnings.”

New hybrid reality

After two years of upheaval in the workplace caused by the coronavirus, post-pandemic collective agreements have now evolved to reflect the new realities of working from home and other “hybrid” work practices, the ILO Director-General maintained.

“Agreements are already focusing on agreeing equal opportunity, the integration of on-site and remote work practices, re-regulating working time to a right to disconnect and addressing shared concerns of workers and employers over cybersecurity and of data privacy,” he said, in an appeal to more countries to embrace dialogue between workers’ organizations and employers.

“There are very good reasons to strengthen the institutions that facilitate collective bargaining,” he continued. “Employers and workers’ organisations need to be strong to ensure the legitimacy of the agreed solutions, and in light of the proliferation of diverse forms of work, we need to ensure the effective recognition to the right to effective collective bargaining for all workers in need of protection.”

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UN meets to help reverse ‘precipitous drop’ in tourism — Global Issues

The COVID-19 pandemic ground the entire tourism sector to a halt, dealing a “devastating blow to the global economy,” he told the first-ever High-Level Thematic Debate on Sustainable Tourism.

“In 2019, prior to the pandemic, tourism contributed $3.5 trillion to global GDP. The precipitous drop during the pandemic is estimated to have cost up to 120 million jobs”.

Communal role

Though easy to sum up the devastation in numbers, capturing the overall toll on people, communities and services, is much harder, particularly for many small island States and least developed countries, which remain heavily reliant on tourism to fuel public spending.

Looking beyond the numbers, tourism plays a deeply human role: “Travel and tourism connect and unite us…builds bridges and facilitates inter-cultural exchanges…[and] fosters peace and solidarity across continents and borders,” said Mr. Shahid.

Creative tourism

From “travel bubbles” to digital tours, vaccine passports and “resilient corridors”, imaginative efforts were made to help tourism weather two years of COVID.

“As the pandemic wanes, the tourism sector is rebounding”, he said, speaking to “the human need to connect, to explore, to experience”.

“However, as it rebounds, it is important that we reflect on its future direction”.

Challenges ahead

While acknowledging the economic importance of tourism, the Assembly president warned that we must also contend with the harm it inflicts on the planet, such as carbon emissions; oceans brimming with plastics; and the human toll on ecosystems and wildlife.

“We know that many of the communities and historic sites around the world that are beloved by tourists are climate and disaster prone and need support to build resilience,” he added.

According to the UN Environment Programme’s Green Economy Report, a ‘business-as-usual’ scenario predicts that by 2050, tourism will generate an increase of 154 per cent in energy consumption, for the sector, 131 per cent in greenhouse gas emissions, 152 per cent in water consumption, and 251 per cent in solid waste disposal.

“We cannot allow this to continue. We must not reboot global tourism in a business-as-usual manner, we must be more ambitious than that, more responsible than that,” underscored Mr. Shahid.

‘Time for bold action’

Throughout the discussions, the UN official encouraged participants to address their commitments under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Paris Agreement on Climate Change, and enhance the inclusion and empowerment of women, youth, indigenous and other marginalized communities

“Today, I call on all stakeholders to seize every opportunity to transform the tourism sector, and to target a more sustainable, inclusive and responsible approach,” he said.

“Now is the time for bold action and all ideas are welcome”.

UN News/Elizabeth Scaffidi

Via rickshaw, tourists explore the historical Chandni Chowk market in Delhi, India.

Invest in tourism

World Tourism Organization (WTO) chief Zurab Pololikashvili noted that the current energy crisis contributes to the vulnerability of the tourism sector, while maintaining that investments in tourism are also investments in peace.

He said tourism was particularly important to the livelihoods of women, youth and rural communities, and championed the need for a fresh, sustainable balance between the short-term demands of tourists and the longer-term needs of communities.

The WTO official stressed that tourism can drive positive change, and lauded the diverse sectors that have participated in the “landmark” conversation about sustainability.

Supporting the sector

The Director of the World Bank’s Urban, Disaster Risk Management, Resilience and Land Global Practice, Sameh Wahba, spoke of inclusive, resilient sustainable cities and communities.

He said that as tourism employs 10 per cent of the global workforce, it offers important opportunities for women, rural communities and small businesses.

Mr. Wahba advocated support for nations to promote sustainable tourism to benefit poor communities and preserve culture, heritage and the environment.

Assisting the SDGs

Deputy UN chief Amina Mohammed observed that “tourism is in turmoil,” largely from the COVID pandemic, but also from conflict settings, including Ukraine.

Insisting that sustainability remain at the core of tourism, she advocated for the sector to be transformed into a positive force in implementing the SDGs.

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‘Triple crisis’ in Africa aggravated by war in Ukraine — Global Issues

Speaking in Dakar, the capital of the West African country, Senegal, on his first visit to the continent since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, Mr. Guterres said, “when discussing the socio-economic situation, it is impossible not to mention the war in Ukraine and its impact on Africa.”

 The UN chief made the remarks after meeting the country’s President Macky Sall, who said that the war in Ukraine was “a human tragedy” which can have “a dramatic impact on economies, in particular, those of developing countries.”

 The conflict in Ukraine is driving up global food and fuel prices; senior UN officials are concerned that rising costs will push more people into hunger and could lead to political instability and social unrest in some parts of Africa, where food prices have increased by a third since last year.

 Before the Russian invasion began in February, the combination of climate change, conflict and the COVID-19 pandemic, was already impacting the socio-economic situation in Africa, especially in the Sahel region which includes Senegal.

Vaccine equity and sovereignty

 Earlier Mr. Guterres and President Sall had toured a new hi-tech vaccine production facility, currently being built by the Institut Pasteur in Dakar. When completed, it will be able to produce a range of vaccines including Pfizer-BioNTech, one of the most widely used immunizations against COVID-19. It will also be able to manufacture experimental vaccines against malaria and tuberculosis.

UNICEF/Vincent Tremeau

A Senegalese man holds up his COVID-19 vaccination card

 Speaking at the end of World Immunization Week, Mr. Guterres said that it was necessary to “build true vaccine equity across the world,” and that it was “unacceptable” that close to 80 per cent of Africans are not vaccinated against COVID-19; a situation which he called a “moral failure.”

 President Macky Sall has called for pharmaceutical sovereignty by supporting the emergence of an African pharmaceutical industry capable of meeting basic needs and coping with pandemics.

As part of the COVID-19 recovery plan, Senegal is strengthening its drugs manufacturing sector. It’s expected that the vaccination facility will produce at least 50 per cent of the country’s needs.

UN News/Daniel Dickinson

The vaccine production facility in Dakar, Senegal, will make COVID-19 and other vaccines.

Mr. Guterres added that the world’s “wealthiest countries and pharmaceutical companies should accelerate the donation of vaccines and invest in local production,” of the type seen at Institut Pasteur facility.

Global crisis response

Increased investment is part of a global strategy to support developing countries facing what the UN has called “cascading crises.” In March 2022, the UN Chief established the Global Crisis Response Group on Food, Energy and Finance (GCRG) set up in response to the crisis provoked by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, saying that the invasion was producing alarming effects on a world economy already battered by COVID-19 and climate change.

President Macky Sall is one of six eminent world leaders who have been named as Champions of the group and who are supporting the Secretary-General’s call for immediate action to prevent, mitigate and respond to the crisis. He is also the Chairperson of the African Union for 2022.

The GCRG, calls on countries to find creative ways to finance increased humanitarian and development recovery needs worldwide and to give generously and immediately release funds that they have already pledged.

Food, energy and finance

 Talking to reporters in Dakar, Mr Guterres said “we must ensure a steady flow of food and energy in open markets, removing all unnecessary export restrictions,” adding that “countries must resist the temptation to hoard and instead release strategic stocks of energy.”

 The UN estimates that a quarter of a billion people could be pushed into extreme poverty this year, caused by the consequences of the conflict in Ukraine. International financial institutions have a key role to play and “must urgently provide debt relief by increasing liquidity and fiscal space,” the UN Chief said, “so that governments can avoid default and invest in social safety nets and sustainable development for their people.” 

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Digital tech investment, critical to workforce in least-developed nations — Global Issues

That’s according to the report Present and future of work in the Least Developed Countries, published on Friday by the International Labour Organization (ILO). 

The report provides an overview of progress and challenges these nations face in terms of structural transformation, a just transition to greener economies, and creation of full and productive employment. 

‘Enormous pressure’ 

“Multiple shocks have put Least Developed Countries under enormous pressure,” said Guy Ryder, the ILO Director-General.  

“However, with the right employment and macroeconomic policy measures, new jobs can be created in both existing and new sectors, along with enhanced productivity and innovation driven by investments in green and digital economic opportunities.” 

The report examines how digital technologies can deliver huge benefits to LDCs, provided investments are made in capital, skills and knowledge, to support inclusive, decent work. 

Numerous vulnerabilities 

The 46 nations represent 12 per cent of the world’s population and are characterized by low income levels, vulnerability to economic and environmental shocks, diminished levels of well-being, extreme poverty and high mortality rates.   

Their vulnerabilities are largely the result of weak productive capacities associated with inadequate infrastructure, as well as limited access to technologies, according to the report.   

Weak institutions, including those relating to work and social protection, are also a factor, while informal employment with no social safety net, is pervasive, representing almost 90 per cent of jobs. 

‘Virtuous circle’ 

The report contains several policy recommendations that promote what the ILO called “human-centred recovery” that is inclusive, sustainable and resilient. 

These measures include expanding international assistance and cooperation to strengthen health care and vaccines, and to avoid unnecessary restrictions and barriers to trade and migration. 

The report also called for strengthening institutions of work and building capacities to enable fundamental rights, such as freedom of association and collective bargaining, with active engagement of social partners. 

“This policy focus would create a virtuous circle that improves trust in government, facilitates a progressive shift to high value-added and environmentally sustainable activities, help reduce poverty and inequality and contribute to social justice,” according to the report.   



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Extreme heat impacting millions across India and Pakistan — Global Issues

The extreme heat is impacting hundreds of millions of people in one of the most densely populated parts of the world, threatening to damage whole ecosystems.

Working closely with health and disaster management agencies, the national meteorological and hydrological departments in both countries, plan to roll out heat health action plans, which have been successful in saving lives in the past few years, said the UN weather agency in a statement.

Cascading impacts

Extreme heat has multiple and cascading impacts not just on human health, but also on ecosystems, agriculture, water and energy supplies and key sectors of the economy.

WMO reiterated its commitment to “ensuring that multi-hazard early warning services reach the most vulnerable”.

Heat Health Action Plans

Both India and Pakistan have successful heat-health early warning systems and action plans already in place, including those specially tailored for urban areas.

They reduce heat mortality and lessen the social impacts of extreme heat, including lost work productivity.

Important lessons have been learned from the past and these are now being shared among all partners of the WMO co-sponsored Global Heat Health Information Network, to enhance capacity in the hard-hit region, WMO advanced.

Intense heat to continue

The India Meteorological Department said that maximum temperatures reached 43-46°C in widespread areas, on 28 April, and that this intense heat will continue until 2 May.

Similar temperatures have also been seen in Pakistan, with daytime temperatures likely to be between 5°C and 8°C above normal in large swathes of the country, said the Pakistan Meteorological Department.

They also warned that in the mountainous regions of Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkwa, the unusual heat levels would accelerate snow and ice melt, with the possibility of triggering glacial lake floods – or flash floods in vulnerable areas.

Air quality has also deteriorated, and large swathes of land are at risk of fire outbreaks.

Consistent with ‘changing climate’

According to WMO, “it is premature to attribute the extreme heat in India and Pakistan solely to climate change”, however, the agency continues “it is consistent with what we expect in a changing climate”.

Furthermore, heatwaves are more frequent and more intense and starting earlier than in the past.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), in its recent Sixth Assessment Report, also said that heatwaves and humid heat stress would be more intense and frequent in South Asia this century.

The current heatwave was triggered by a high-pressure system and follows an extended period of above average temperatures.

India recorded its warmest March on record, with an average maximum temperature of 33.1 ºC, or 1.86 °C above the long-term average.

Pakistan also recorded its warmest March for at least the past 60 years, with a number of stations breaking March records.

In the pre-monsoon period, both India and Pakistan regularly experience excessively high temperatures, especially during May.

Action Plans

India has established a national framework for heat action plans through the National Disaster Management Authority which coordinates a network of state disaster response agencies and city leaders, to prepare for soaring temperatures and ensure that everyone is aware of heatwave protocols.

The city of Ahmedabad in India was the first South Asian city to develop and implement a city-wide heat health adaptation, in 2013, after experiencing a devastating heatwave in 2010. This successful approach has then been expanded to 23 heatwave-prone states and serves to protect more than 130 cities and districts.

UNDP/Hira Hashmey

In Sindh province, Pakistan, a mother tries to shield her four-year-old daughter from scorching heat.

Pakistan has also made strides towards protecting public health from heat. In the summer of 2015, a heatwave engulfed much of central and northwest India and eastern Pakistan and was directly or indirectly responsible for several thousand deaths.

The event acted as a wake-up call and led to the development and implementation of the Heat Action Plan in Karachi and other parts of Pakistan.

Typical plans make sure the targeted intervention is a right fit and designed for the heat vulnerable population of a city.

It first identifies the heat hotspots of the city, locates the vulnerable populations in these pockets, and assesses the nature and status of their vulnerability to extreme heat.

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Torres Strait Islanders fight the loss of their ancestral home — Global Issues

The Torres Strait Islands, an autonomous part of Australia, are particularly vulnerable to the effects of the climate crisis, and extreme weather, including storms, rising sea levels and erosion, are a major threat to the indigenous people, who have inhabited the islands for some 70,000 years.

With the case ongoing, Mr. Molby and his fellow activists have been recognized as human rights leaders for their efforts to draw attention to the plight of their community.

“I come from Masig island, in the central part of the Torres Strait, which is between Papua New Guinea and the tip of Queensland.

There is something powerful about this teardrop-shaped island. There is an aura, which draws people to this place, which has protected us for thousands of years.

I am connected through this land to the birds, the sky, and the plants which surrounds us. I’m a part of the insects, the mammals, and the marine life, and they are a part of me.

We’ve been taught to live as one with nature, to protect and preserve it, in the way that it has been protecting and preserving us, our culture, and our tradition. 

The right to protection against climate change

“We have the right to practice and carry on our traditions and culture, and the right to pass on what was passed on to us, by our parents, our grandparents, and our ancestors.

We have the right to pass that ancient knowledge to the next generation. 

We’ve been through everything: the first cases of chicken pox, the first common flu – which practically wiped us out – and World War Two. But we survived.

Australia has an obligation to look after all Australians, and we have a right to remain on our Island.

Refugees in our own country

The Torres Strait Eight come from different islands but we all have the same passion to protect what belongs to us, for our future.

Otherwise, we won’t have a land to call home. We will be refugees in our own country. My children will have to be relocated, because the government will definitely remove us from homes.

So we said no. We’re not moving. What’s here is ours.

Loved ones washed away

Here on Masig, 30 to 50 metres out to sea, is where the beach was. There were villages all along the southeast coast.

You could hear laughter of children, while their mothers wove mats. The men would walk out on the reef to find food. It was a laid-back life, but a happy and safe life.

Then, we began to lose land to the sea, and the remains of our loved ones were washed away.

This affects us mentally, physically, and spiritually.

Marine life exodus

We used to have a lot of birds on this island.

Like the black and white pelican, the black and white booby bird, and others.

They don’t nest here anymore, and this is a sign that something is, you know, definitely is not right.

We used to have lagoons rich with seafood. At low tide, women could easily fish in their lagoons, whilst their children learned to swim with their big brothers and sisters, and grandmothers babysat the smallest kids.

Now. It’s a desert out there. The lagoons have gone, filled with sand, and empty of life.

Dangers in the deep

Making a living is getting harder. The major income on Masig is crayfish. Now, all the men have to go further out, and spend more on fuel.

It’s always dangerous to go out further, and the families of the husbands and sons out there fear for them.

There are a lot of dangerous things in the ocean, but the scariest thing is if the weather changes. You wonder if you will make it back home.”

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

You can hear the full audio interview here.

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Millet seeds, a powerful weapon against hunger — Global Issues

Subasa Mohanta is no stranger to hunger. It has been a constant in the lives of this 50-year-old farmer, her husband, and two children.

Despite 16-hour days of back-breaking work as a farmhand, carting stone to a construction site, she might still come home without enough to eat.

But in 2018, a small bag of seeds helped Subasa to transform her life.

Ms. Mohanta scattered the finger millet seeds — given to her by the Odisha Government as part of a rural programme supported by the World Food Programme (WFP) — in the fallow 0.6 hectares of land that circles her brick-and-mud house in the village of Goili in Mayurbhanj district.

In about two months, she harvested her first crop of mandia (the Odia word for ragi or finger millet). Subasa sold a part of the about 500 kilograms she harvested at 40 rupees a kilo, kept some of it to feed the hungry mouths at home, and distributed the rest among friends and family. And then she sowed the seeds of change once again on her farmland.

Mandia Maa, a symbol of hope

Over the last three years, Subasa’s story of hope, confidence and empowerment has become intertwined with the genesis and growth of the Odisha Millets Mission (OMM), a flagship programme of the regional government’s Department of Agriculture and Farmers’ Empowerment.

Her days are now divided between farming her own land, plus another 3.2 hectares she has leased, and advising women in Mayurbhanj and other districts of Odisha on the best practices of millet cultivation.

She also attends to local reporters who queue up for a glimpse of Mandia Maa, a moniker she has earned for her hard work and willingness to try a new crop when few others were open to the idea.

Pancakes to health drink

The finger millet didn’t just change the fortune of the Mohantas, who have now diversified into growing other millets such as suan (little millet) and sorghum. It also made a place for itself in their diet. From mandia kakara pitha (a kind of pancake) to mandia malt (a health drink to start the day with), the family’s bowl of nutrition is also part of the OMM’s journey to success.

The millet plant’s high tolerance of heat (up to 64 degrees Celsius), drought and flood makes the crop an obvious choice for farmers in an era of climate change and depleting natural resources.

Millets require less water than rice and wheat, the two staples of the Indian diet. The short-season millets grow easily without fertilisers, making them a healthier and safer option for both the consumer and the soil. The intercropping of millets with other crops is also beneficial for soil quality: It helps keep a check on water run-off and aids soil conservation in erosion-prone areas.

“Apart from being a rich source of nutrients and a climate-resilient crop, millet can diversify the food system, support in resilience building and adaptation and enhance livelihoods for small farmers, including women, nationally and regionally,” says Bishow Parajuli, WFP Representative and Country Director in India.

Women to the fore

In Odisha, what began four years ago with the handing out of leaflets, loudspeaker announcements from vans and seed distribution among villagers by volunteers, community resource persons and officials of the agriculture department has now blossomed into a movement driven by women self-help groups.

Women, who are still seen as mostly post-harvest labour and keepers of seeds, have taken the lead in ragi processing, improving yields of millets with bio-inputs, and also running cafes and centres that serve millet-based dishes.

The humble jau (a porridge made with unpolished grain) — the most common form of millet consumption in Odisha — now enjoys the company of other traditional dishes such as bara, malpua, khaja and chakuli.

No longer ‘the food of the poor’

The seeds of change have taken root, but the way ahead is not free of challenges.

Millets are still perceived as a food of the poor and the underprivileged, an image problem that needs to be tackled through promotions, social media campaigns, and awareness messages from celebrities.

Millets needs the support of the urban consumer to find their rightful place on the shelf.

While that shift may be a few summers away, the women in Odisha’s villages and small towns are going about their millet work in full earnest. And lives are changing, grain by grain.

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