NAIROBI: The UN food agency called on African nations to prioritize food security, which it said has an important role to play in preventing conflicts and crises on the African continent. Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) Director-General Jose Graziano da Silva said the impact of agriculture has proven to be an engine for post crisis recovery in a number of countries in the world. “We need to focus our attention towards supporting agriculture and rural development as this helps create jobs, provide income and boost youth employment,” he said early this week during a meeting on food security and building peace building in Africa. Da Silva noted that the approach has proven successful in Angola and the Democratic Republic Congo (DRC) as it has prevented distress migration and radicalization, as well as mitigate disputes over depleted resources. The link between conflict prevention and development is of particular importance in the region, which is host to nearly 60 percent of active UN Peacekeeping Missions.