UNITED NATIONS, Aug. 7 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has completed one of its largest-ever seed distribution operations in the Central African Republic (CAR), a UN news release said Thursday.

    The seed scheme was designed to tackle three issues: food insecurity, hunger and chronic poverty, which are problems across the CAR, according to the FAO.

    The UN food agency distributed seeds to more than 12,500 farmers in Nana-Mambere prefecture in the west of the CAR, next tothe border with Cameroon.

    Each seed kit given to a farmer consisted of 4 kg of peanut seeds and 10 kg of corn seeds. The non-governmental organization Mercy Corps trained local communities in farming techniques so they can boost their yields and expand beyond subsistence farming.