ADDIS ABABA (FAO Ethiopia) The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) has contributed €4.1 million to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO)’s desert locust control program in Ethiopia, FAO in Ethiopia reported.
With the funding, FAO will lease two fixed-wing aircraft and two helicopters and procure fuel, vehicles, and trucks. The Organization will also facilitate the construction of storage facilities for the Ministry of Agriculture’s most strategic locations for desert locust operations, including the central storage in Addis Ababa.
The FAO Representative in Ethiopia, Fatouma Seid, thanked ECHO for supporting the desert locust survey and control program, saying, “the funding is timely and will boost our efforts to enhance preparedness while maintaining ongoing field operations for the next nine months.”
Despite the significant success, survey and control operations need to continue
Since 2019, with funding from several donors including ECHO, FAO has been supporting the Government of Ethiopia to respond to the worst desert locust invasion in the country in 25 years.
FAO estimates that to date, control operations in Ethiopia have prevented the loss of 2,513,290 MT of cereal, with a market value of USD 754 million. This achievement is equivalent to the annual cereal needs of 16.3 million people. Moreover, the livestock feed loss prevented is substantial, although not systematically quantified.
“Although the operations have succeeded in limiting widespread breeding of desert locusts, it is paramount to sustain the concerted efforts to reduce invasion and breeding,” noted Ms. Seid.
Sustaining partnerships
The Government of Ethiopia continues to lead desert locust survey and control operations through the Federal Ministry of Agriculture. FAO provides early warning, expertise, logistical support, and resources. The Organization is also implementing various projects to safeguard livelihoods and promote early recovery, targeting extremely vulnerable and food-insecure households in desert locust-infested areas. In addition to conducting routine monitoring and reporting, regional governments train local experts and community members (scouts) who carry out ground surveys and support control operations. FAO also collaborates with the Desert Locust Control Organization for Eastern Africa, whose mandate is to support the survey and control operations of migratory pests in Eastern Africa.
- See also: EU contributes €2 million to UNICEF to support communities affected by desert locusts in Ethiopia
This ECHO-funded “Support for critical Desert Locust survey and control operations in Ethiopia and Somalia” project is part of FAO’s multi-donor program in Ethiopia that supports ground and aerial survey and control operations. FAO implementing the project between May 2021 and January 2022.
About the European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO)
The European Civil Protection and Humanitarian Aid Operations (ECHO) is a humanitarian aid department in the European Commission aimed at providing emergency assistance and relief to the victims of natural disasters or armed conflict outside the European Union. The aid is intended to go directly to those in distress, irrespective of race, religion or political convictions.
Source: FAO Ethiopia