Africa should mobilize water resources as part of anti-hunger efforts, according to the United Nations (UN). As the world struggles to feed a burgeoning population, Africa's use of water resources for agriculture is a small fraction of its potential and must be expanded to address poverty on the continent, the UN food production agency reports.
Africa uses just 5 percent of its total renewable water resources for agriculture, compared with 20 percent of the total in Asia. Just 7 percent of Africa's total arable land is irrigated, against 42 percent in South Asia and 36 percent in East and Southeast Asia, the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) said.