[00:00.000]From VOA Learning English,
[00:03.090]this is the Agriculture Report.
[00:06.230]The United Nations says farmers
[00:09.210]in the Central African Republic
[00:11.550]need seeds and tools
[00:14.870]before the next planting season
[00:17.160]if the country is to avoid a food crisis.
[00:20.590]Two high-level UN officials were recently in Bangui
[00:25.800]- the capital of the CAR.
[00:28.090]One of them: John Ging is the operations director
[00:32.970]of the U.N. Office for the Coordination
[00:36.310]of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA).
[00:38.300]He told reporters the international community
[00:42.540]must help Central Africans
[00:44.870]displaced by fight to plant enough food for the next harvest
[00:50.140]- the next planting season begins in March.
[00:53.970]"The most urgent needs are exactly what you would expect
[00:58.100]- assistance with the seeds and tools
[01:01.880]for helping themselves to recover their livelihoods.
[01:07.260]We've got to focus on helping people
[01:10.100]to help themselves," he said.
[01:11.190]The United Nations says conflict within the CAR
[01:15.370]has displaced more than 800,000 people,
[01:19.410]most of them since September.
[01:21.700]It says not enough land was planted
[01:24.690]because of the conflict throughout the country last year.
[01:29.020]Food supplies are now very low
[01:31.900]and there is a shortage of seeds.
[01:34.740]A complete breakdown of law and order last year
[01:39.470]meant that crime was a problem.
[01:42.250]In many areas, bandits stole seeds, farm animals,
[01:47.580]tools and other equipment,
[01:50.120]some villages were burned to the ground.
[01:53.700]The group - Human Rights Watch
[01:56.490]has been watching the situation in the country.
[01:59.920]It says the Seleka rebels who seized power last March
[02:04.600]destroyed many areas even after their leader had become president.
[02:10.970]The Central African Republic is home to about 4.5 million people,
[02:17.140]but the U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization says
[02:21.820]more than one million of them
[02:23.660]lack a reliable, dependable food supply.
[02:27.590]Last month, Mr Ging called for more aid organizations to come to the CAR.
[02:35.040]"We need more of the large international
[02:39.120]non-governmental organizations [NGOs] to come here - urgently.
[02:43.450]If you go to any of the countries
[02:46.230]where we have very large humanitarian operations,
[02:49.670]you will see all of the big international
[02:53.900]non-governmental organizations present in those countries.
[02:57.680]Many of those large international organizations
[03:00.270]are not present in this country," said Mr Ging.
[03:02.210]He also asked for more money to meet the needs of the country.
[03:06.640]So far, he said, only $30 million had been received
[03:12.610]after groups asked for $247 million.
[03:17.490]He said the needs are increasing.
[03:21.750]And that's the Agriculture Report from VOA Learning English.