United Kingdom supports FAO's desert locust-fighting efforts with £ 17 million contribution
23.07.2020 20:30 "Agro Perspectiva" (Kyiv) —
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) welcomed a £ 17 million contribution from the United Kingdom to support efforts to combat the ongoing desert locust surge in East Africa and its potentially devastating impacts. «We are once again grateful to the United Kingdom for their consistent support, which will go far helping to safeguard the food security and livelihoods of vulnerable farmers and their families in Africa and Asia threatened by desert locust,» said FAO Director-General QU Dongyu. The funds come via the United Kingdoms Department for International Development (DFID) and are in addition to a previous contribution of £ 8 million donated earlier this year for the desert locust appeal. The contribution from the United Kingdom will scale up ongoing efforts in East Africa, Yemen and Southwest Asia. DFID today also announced an additional £ 1 million which will be dedicated to supporting several institutions, including the University of Cambridge to establish tools, technologies and partnerships needed for effective pest surveillance, forecasting and early warning activities. FAO is augmenting governments and other partners capacities in affected countries with surveillance and coordination, technical advice, supplies and equipment. The UN agency is also providing farmers with livelihood packages, assuring veterinary care and feed for vegetation-starved livestock, and assisting families who have lost their crops with cash and farming inputs so they put food on the table. With just a 1 km2 swarm able to consume the same amount of food in one day as 35 000 people, the pest poses an unprecedented threat to the immediate food security and longer-term resilience of millions of vulnerable famers and pastoralists. Much progress made, but serious risks remain With FAOs support, 1.3 million tonnes of crops have been protected enough to feed nearly 9 million people for an entire year. Yet the surge shows no sign of slowing across the Horn of Africa, and in fact may be increasing in Southwest Asia. According to the Organizations desert locust hub, there is still a serious risk of swarms migrating from the Horn of Africa to West Africa, India and Pakistan. Heavy spring rains across most of East Africa only led to better breeding conditions for the most destructive migratory pest in the world, with the next generation swarms potentially even larger than the ones we are grappling with now. «Although substantial gains have been made in the fight against the desert locust, sustained support is critical to contain the threat. Capacity to detect Desert Locust early enough is crucial, including through the use of technologies and partnerships, and for that we must work together,» said Qu. These operations must be maintained to avert a potential humanitarian crisis from unfolding in the region: prior to the arrival of the locusts and the COVID-19 pandemic, some 25 million people were already facing acute hunger in Eastern Africa in 2020, according to the recent Global Report on Food Crises. An additional 17 million people in Yemen were in the same situation. Funding the fight against desert locust FAOs latest desert locust appeal is for $ 311.6 million to deal with the expansion of the upsurge, covering the Greater Horn of Africa, Yemen, West Africa, the Sahel and Southwest Asia. So far, $ 182 million have been received or committed to the appeal. This leaves a gap of $ 129.6 million. If the appeal is not fully funded, control efforts could slow or cease entirely by late September/October. This could lead to the numbers of the crop-devouring pest soaring again, further endangering millions of rural livelihoods. Vulnerable families need support, and to do so national capacities in monitoring and responding to desert locust must also be strengthened. In addition to the renewed support from the United Kingdom, contributions have also been received from Belgium, Canada, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the Republic of Korea, the Russian Federation, Saudi Arabia, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, the United States of America, the African Development Bank, the Africa Solidarity Trust Fund, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF), the UNs Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the European Union, the Louis Dreyfus Foundation, the Mastercard Foundation and the World Bank Group. Desert Locust monitoring, forecasting and control are at the heart of FAOs mandate. Its Desert Locust Information Service has been in operation for nearly 50 years. FAOs well-established field presence, ability to link up authorities from different countries, and expertise in desert locust management make it a key player in responding to upsurges like the one currently affecting East Africa and parts of Asia.
17.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
18:08 |
Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food predicts this year’s harvest of grains and oilseeds at about 74 million tonnes |
16.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
12:12 |
West Africa Cocoa Shortage Pushes Up Prices |
11.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
23:48 |
U.S. Soybean Meal Exports Forecast at Consecutive Records in 2022/23 and 2023/24 |
|
23:10 |
EU Wheat Exports Challenged by Russia’s Growing Dominance |
|
11:30 |
Country of origin of honey must be clearly visible on the label. EU honey traceability system to be developed |
10.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
15:59 |
Commission starts setting up the Agriculture and Food Chain Observatory |
|
15:33 |
Commission approves ˆ2.2 billion German State aid scheme to support the decarbonisation of industrial processes to foster the transition to a net-zero economy |
|
13:17 |
Donau Soja urges EU for clarity on EUDR implementation |
09.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
10:44 |
Ukraine remained the third source of EU imports in 2023, with a value of EUR 11.8 billion |
06.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
10:04 |
World cereal output seen up in 2023/24 |
|
09:55 |
FAO Food Price Index rises in March |
05.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
10:04 |
Shellfish Crop Insurance Program Offers Oyster Producers Needed Protection from Environmental Challenges and More |
03.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
23:01 |
Croatian horseradish root ‘Ludbreški hren' added to register of Protected Designations of Origin |
02.04.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
10:15 |
FAO and chef Fatmata Binta announce new project to empower women fonio producers in Ghana |
28.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
12:55 |
Council compromise on Ukraine ATMs – Only a half step forward in the right direction |
|
09:18 |
Commission approves amendment to Italian State aid scheme to support companies in Friuli Venezia Giulia in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine |
26.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
10:55 |
Projected famine in Gaza: FAO urges immediate access to deliver urgent and critical assistance at scale. About 1.1 million people are experiencing catastrophic food insecurity |
|
08:44 |
EU makes major step forward in the delivery of 2024 humanitarian aid for Palestinians in Gaza* |
25.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
16:17 |
Commission approves ˆ86.9 million Bulgarian State aid scheme to support farmers in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine |
21.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
11:15 |
Commission takes action to boost biotechnology and biomanufacturing in the EU |
20.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
11:13 |
Deal to extend trade support for Ukraine with safeguards for EU farmers |
19.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
09:43 |
CAP - The Commission proposes simplifications that safeguard agricultural transitions! |
18.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
23:10 |
The European Union and Switzerland launch negotiations to deepen bilateral relations |
|
10:05 |
Commission proposes targeted review of Common Agricultural Policy to support EU farmers |
15.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
23:36 |
Cargill Power CanolaTM Program Helps Farmers Take Advantage of Growing Bioenergy Market Opportunities for Canadian Canola |
|
23:19 |
FAO will provide Ukrainian farmers with soybean and sunflower seeds for spring sowing campaign |
13.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
23:27 |
FAO urges more cooperation in banana sector, significant for some least developed and low-income food-deficit countries and smallholder farmers |
|
16:51 |
The European Commission sets out key steps for managing climate risks to protect people and prosperity |
12.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
20:25 |
Coreper and COMENVI approve the provisional agreement on EU Carbon Removal Certification Framework |
|
20:24 |
INTA MEPs fail EU producers by dismissing potential improvements to Ukraine ATMs |
|
08:10 |
Soybean meal is expected to be a more competitive feed ingredient on higher global supplies. |
11.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
09:11 |
U.S. Corn Exports Shift Destinations as Brazil Captures China Market |
08.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
15:20 |
Conflicts push acute food insecurity higher |
|
13:21 |
FAO Food Price Index declines further in February |
|
13:14 |
Packaging: Council and Parliament strike a deal to make packaging more sustainable and reduce packaging waste in the EU |
|
11:45 |
Commission approves ˆ61.3 million Bulgarian State aid scheme to support farmers, producers of grain and oil crops, in the context of Russia's war against Ukraine |
07.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
20:41 |
First go-ahead to renewing trade support for Ukraine and Moldova |
05.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
15:55 |
Commission proposes to prolong road transport agreements with Ukraine and Moldova and introduces updates to the agreement with Ukraine |
02.03.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
07:31 |
Heroes of deserts and highlands: Nourishing people and culture |
23.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
10:21 |
BASF’s financial strength supports proposed stable dividend of ˆ3.40 per share for the 2023 business year |
|
10:17 |
The Council has chosen to ignore farmers' concerns regarding Ukraine ATMs; it is now imperative for the European Parliament to take action |
20.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
20:27 |
South Asia is anticipated to import nearly 14 million tons wheat in 2023/24 |
19.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
13:00 |
Cargill and ENOUGH expand partnership to provide consumers with innovative, sustainable protein options |
17.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
17:47 |
Global Environment Facility approves new FAO-led projects and programs benefiting 46 countries |
16.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
09:10 |
The EU is at a crossroads with the Ukrainian agricultural issue - COPA-COGECA, AVES, CEFS, CEPM, CIBE, EUWEP |
13.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
17:31 |
European farmers exempted from rules on land lying fallow |
12.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
16:45 |
India Wheat Stocks Plummet to Lowest in 15 Years |
03.02.2024 |
|
|
|
|
|
17:35 |
Mandarins. Global production for 2023/24 is forecast to rise to 38.0 million tons |
|
09:59 |
Record cereal output in 2023 |
|
07:15 |
FAO Food Price Index down again in January led by lower wheat and maize prices |
Also available:
|