Anti-Desertification Effort To Create More Demand For Crop Inputs in Africa
22 October 2014 
Problems related to desertification and land degradation are not insurmountable.
The European Union (EU) and FAO in collaboration with the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States (ACP) have launched a €41 million, 4.5-year program to bolster sustainable land management and restore drylands and degraded lands in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
The program, named Action Against Desertification, is designed to fight hunger and poverty, foster stability and build resilience to climate change in some of the world’s most vulnerable areas, the program sponsors say. It will teach farmers about the causes of desertification and the best ways to combat and prevent it, which could create more demand for crop inputs in Africa.
“Desertification and land degradation are very serious challenges. They lead to hunger and poverty, themselves at the root of many conflicts,” said José Graziano da Silva, FAO’s Director-General about the need for the program. “But recent successes show that these problems are not insurmountable. We can boost food security, improve livelihoods and help people adapt to climate change.”
According to a release from the FAO, the program will support agro-forestry and promote income-generation activities, as well as the creation of employment opportunities in rural areas, especially for youth and women, based on the sustainable production, processing and marketing of agricultural products and forest goods and services.
Action Against Desertification is a joint FAO and ACP-EU program, whose funding includes €20 million from the European Development Fund.
Read the full FAO release here.
Get The Newsletter Today!
