Africa food security programme to lose $40m in USAID funding
FAO, Russia provide $10m to fight desert locusts in east Africa
8:24 CAT | 29 Jul 2020
File photo: Twitter/@US2SOMALIA
FAO and Russia have signed a $10 million contribution agreement aimed at boosting efforts to control and eliminate desert locusts in Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan and Uganda.
The agreement was signed on Tuesday by FAO Deputy Director-General Beth Bechdol and Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Russia to the Rome-based UN Agencies Victor Vasiliev during a virtual ceremony.
Today I signed a contribution agreement with @RF_Government to ramp up the fight against desert locust!Thanks to Ambassador Victor Vasiliev for this critical USD $10 million in support to control and eliminate desert locust.
👉https://t.co/FyUlTJwXow pic.twitter.com/23RHoghpYf— BethBechdol (@BethBechdol) July 27, 2020
In Ethiopia, the contribution will support aerial surveillance and control operations through the contracting of charter flights and helicopters and the procurement of pesticides.
East Africa is experiencing its largest invasion of desert locusts in decades, according to FAO.
The east Africa region has been hit by the worst invasion of desert locusts in 25 years, the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) said early this year.
The invasion poses an unprecedented threat to food security in the entire sub region, where more than 19 million people in East Africa are already experiencing a high degree of food insecurity, the agency said.
In Kenya, it is the worst invasion in 70 years, and the government is spending $5 million to manage the swarms of locust and prevent spreading.
Invasions of desert locusts are irregular in the region, the last instance occurred in 2007 at a much smaller scale.
Vast swarms of locusts have torn through East Africa since December, threatening food supplies and livelihoods.
Is it too late to prevent a plague? Africa Eye follows one man who is urgently trying, at great personal cost, to save the livelihoods of his community. 🦗🦗🦗 pic.twitter.com/hDl9auoMZD
— BBC News Africa (@BBCAfrica) July 13, 2020
FAO & Russia 🇷🇺signed a $10 million contribution agreement which will help boost efforts to control and eliminate #Desertlocusts in #Ethiopia, #Kenya, #SouthSudan & #Uganda. 🙏
Read Full story 👉https://t.co/i1K7DiyXQg@FAOKenya @FAOEthiopia @FAOUganda @FAOSouthSudan https://t.co/buuU9bsusm
— FAO Eastern Africa (@FAOEastAfrica) July 28, 2020
In response to the outbreak of #desertlocusts in #EastAfrica, the U.S. Gov’t announced $8 million to #locust control operations in #Somalia, #Ethiopia and #Kenya. See the full press release here https://t.co/5xYxUbhewK. @USAID pic.twitter.com/aIvHfcsZ5b
— U.S. Embassy Mogadishu, Somalia (@US2SOMALIA) March 5, 2020
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