USAID supports Guinea-Bissau in regional plan to combat locusts
BISSAU, June 13, 2005 – The United States Agency for
International Development (USAID) West Africa Regional Program (WARP) is funding
training and equipment for Guinea-Bissau as part of a regional effort to fight
desert locusts in the wake of last year’s massive infestation throughout
Africa’s arid Sahel region.
Guinea-Bissau has recently received $25,000 from USAID’s WARP in a larger
effort to assist six Sahelian countries with training, operational expenses, and
equipment. Based on the needs of the crop protection services, the Guinea-Bissau
officials will purchase such materials as backpack sprayers, protective equipment
(suits, facemask, goggles, gloves etc.), and vehicle repair and upgrades of existing
vehicles to carry out field survey and control operations.
In addition, two Guinea-Bissau Ministry of Agriculture staff members have participated
in a regional training on the management of transboundary pest outbreaks, held
in Niger’s capital, Niamey. This will be followed up with a workshop for
field extension workers in 2006 and for farmer leaders in 2007 in Guinea-Bissau.
A second assistance project worth $1.5 million is primarily aimed at strengthening
locust control support activities in the region. Of these funds, $580,000 will
go directly to support crop protection services of six Sahelian countries: Burkina
Faso, Chad, Cape Verde, The Gambia, Guinea-Bissau, and Niger. The funding will
be channeled through the subregional organization, the Permanent Interstate Committee
for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS).
This USAID assistance will also help improve and disseminate methods for detecting
areas throughout the region where conditions are suitable for locust breeding,
strengthen the role of the CILSS Sahel Pesticides Committee in the monitoring
and evaluation of emergency transboundary outbreak pest prevention and control
tools. In addition, it will facilitate cooperation with the Maghreb countries,
which have also been hard hit by locusts.
In response to the 2004-2005 desert locust infestations, USAID committed nearly
$11 million to control efforts in affected countries.
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