Latest news with #GreatGreenWall
Zawya
18-07-2025
- General
- Zawya
Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) strengthens the resilience of farming and pastoral communities through mechanical restoration of degraded land
In Niger, farmers and herders lose nearly 100,000 hectares of land every year due to degradation. This situation reduces available space for productive activities and undermines their hopes of achieving food and nutrition sovereignty. Ongoing land degradation is a major contributor to the country's recurring cereal and fodder shortages, exposing farming and pastoral households to repeated food crises. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) is supporting Niger in its efforts to build more efficient, inclusive, resilient and sustainable agrifood systems to improve production, nutrition, the environment, and livelihoods, leaving no one behind. Through the Action Against Desertification programme, FAO is working to restore degraded land for agricultural and pastoral use in support of the Great Green Wall (GGW) initiative. This support focuses on land restoration activities, reseeding, plant care, establishing community management committees, training members in association life, management and marketing, benefit-sharing from restored sites, and networking. In total, FAO has helped restore and utilize over 20,000 hectares of land across 55 sites in the regions of Tillabéri, Dosso, and Tahoua. The mechanical land preparation is carried out using a Delfino plough, which can cover more than 15 hectares per day. The machine carves half-moon shapes that enhance rainwater infiltration and retention, up to 1,000 litres per basin, giving trees, shrubs, and forage the best chance of growing and surviving in the early months after planting. The Delfino tractor-plough unit has become a central tool in the collaboration between FAO and the National Agency of the Great Green Wall (NAGGW), enabling large areas to be treated and significantly reducing the need for manual labour. Half-moons are better than those we dig by hand At the Awanchalla site in Bagaroua, Tahoua region, communities expressed their amazement at the Delfino plough, which restored 100 hectares in a very short time in an area where labour has become increasingly scarce. 'Our dream has come true, to see this land recovered by the machine. We had abandoned it for decades because it was unfit for farming or livestock. The work of the Delfino is impressive, fast, and saves us time. The half-moons it creates are better than those we dig by hand,' said Bizo Abarchi, a community member and representative of the village chief. For fellow community member Issa Matto, the restored site offers new opportunities: 'Now that the land is recovered, I no longer need to migrate. I can stay in the village. With FAO's support, we'll grow forage for sale, a highly profitable activity in our pastoral zone. We'll also receive plant seedlings based on our selections, tend to them, and eventually sell the fruits. These activities expand our farming space and give me hope that my life will improve,' he said. To ensure the site is well-managed and sustainable, 'we're determined to give our best,' said Abdoul Moumouni Djimraou, another local. 'We've already set up a management committee. We've thought through the mechanisms for successful land use, marketing, benefit-sharing, working with local authorities, and managing potential conflicts between users and surrounding communities.' Partners with the European Union By promoting the mechanical use of the Delfino plough to restore degraded land at scale, thanks to the European Union funded project 'Knowledge for Action in Implementing the Great Green Wall' (K4GGWA), FAO, together with the EU, national authorities and local communities, is helping to create the conditions for advancing the Great Green Wall in Niger and strengthening the resilience of farming and pastoral communities. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Regional Office for Africa.
Zawya
09-07-2025
- General
- Zawya
Scaling-Up Resilience in Africa's Great Green Wall (SURAGGWA) Signing: Senegal and Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Unite to Green the Sahel
On July 4th, 2025, the Government of Senegal and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) signed a major partnership agreement to implement the SURAGGWA project (Scaling-Up Resilience in Africa's Great Green Wall), an ambitious programme aimed at strengthening climate resilience in the Sahel region. The signing ceremony took place at the headquarters of the Ministry of Environment and Ecological Transition, in the presence of Professor Daouda Ngom, Minister of Environment, and Ms. Bintia Stephen-Tchicaya, Acting Subregional Coordinator of FAO for West Africa. A Large-Scale Project in Response to an Ecological Emergency Between 2005 and 2023, Senegal lost nearly 340,000 hectares of forest - an average of 17,000 hectares per year - due to agricultural expansion, bushfires, illegal logging, and overgrazing. This massive deforestation has reduced the carbon absorption capacity of Senegalese forests by nearly 46%, undermining efforts to combat climate change. In this alarming context, the SURAGGWA project takes on its full significance. With a budget of USD 222 million, including USD 150 million from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), the project aims to restore 1.4 million hectares of degraded land, reduce emissions by 65 million tons of CO₂, and sustainably improve the living conditions of 1.9 million people, especially women and youth. Messages of Hope and Responsibility In his address, Minister, Professor Daouda Ngom stated: 'For Senegal, the project plans to restore just over 80,000 hectares of degraded land, which will directly and indirectly benefit thousands of citizens. It will also help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, develop value chains for non-timber forest products, and strengthen the institutional capacities of the Senegalese Agency for Reforestation and the Great Green Wall (ASERGMV), to ensure the sustainability of the actions undertaken.' Ms. Bintia Stephen-Tchicaya emphasized: 'SURAGGWA is a deeply inclusive project that will build on the commitment of over 15,000 community groups, with at least 30% female participation. It mobilizes governments, civil society, the private sector, and regional institutions in a spirit of synergy and cooperation.' Regional Mobilization to Address a Shared Challenge The SURAGGWA project represents a collective response to desertification and climate instability affecting the Sahel region. Eight countries - Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal - are joining forces to restore land, revitalize local economies, and strengthen social cohesion. Led by the African Union under the Great Green Wall Initiative, SURAGGWA stands as a model of regional and multilateral cooperation, built on three pillars: ecological restoration, sustainable economic development, and environmental governance. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Regional Office for Africa.
Zawya
27-06-2025
- General
- Zawya
"West Africa has the potential to sustainably transform its food systems," says Ms. Bintia Stephen-Tchicaya, Acting Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Subregional Coordinator for West Africa
The 2025 Regional Report on Food and Nutrition Security in the Sahel and West Africa, reveals that nearly 52 million people in the region are affected by food insecurity. In an interview with the African Press Agency (APA news), Ms. Bintia Stephen-Tchicaya, Acting Subregional Coordinator of the FAO Office for West Africa said that despite the alarming figures reported, "the region has all it takes to sustainably transform its food systems," said. Recently appointed to head the office overseeing 15 West African country programs, she focuses on innovation, resilience, and inclusion to address the structural and cyclical challenges facing West African agriculture. During the interview, Ms. Tchicaya presented the priorities of her mandate. She outlined her vision and ambition for the subregion to "build more inclusive, sustainable, competitive, and nutrition-sensitive food systems, based on the "Four Betters" strategy promoted by the FAO: better production, better nutrition, a better environment, and a better life." She also emphasized that despite the combined effects of conflict, climate change, and economic volatility, viable solutions can be found. These include participatory approaches such as Farmer Field Schools (FFS), support for nutrition-sensitive agricultural policies, and the implementation of green hubs as part of the Great Green Wall initiative. "In Senegal, for example, we contributed to updating the agro-sylvo-pastoral orientation law, which now includes the fisheries sector, food systems and the climate change dimension," she explained. "On the operational front, FAO has developed participatory approaches such as Farmer Field Schools and Dimitra clubs, which after years of implementation, have proven effective in driving behavior change and strong community engagement. These approaches are now being scaled up by the government and civil society organizations', she said, adding 'On the environmental front, the FAO supports the Senegalese government in implementing the Reforestation Agency and the Great Green Wall program, a bold initiative aiming to establish seventy resilient green hubs across arid and semi-arid areas between 2023 and 2032.' Faced with the decline in traditional funding, Ms. Stephen-Tchicaya calls for increased and diversified resource mobilization, focusing on: "Public-Private Partnerships, a multi-donor approach, climate and green financing, strengthened engagement with non-traditional donors (emerging countries, philanthropic foundations, regional financial institutions), increased inter-agency cooperation, community and civil society involvement, as well as South-South and triangular cooperation." Ms. Stephen-Tchicaya also emphasized FAO's strategic role in strengthening early warning systems, supporting agricultural governance, and using digital technologies and artificial intelligence to increase productivity, improve livestock traceability, and combat livestock theft, a phenomenon that is on the rise in the region. "FAO actively contributes to surveillance and early warning, particularly in the area of food security, through its participation in the regional system for the prevention and management of food crises (PREGEC), coordinated by the CILSS. FAO also has tools such as the Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS), which enables precise monitoring of the agricultural season and provides harvest forecasts. FAO will continue this support while investing more in disaster risk prevention and reduction, particularly through anticipatory actions implemented before crises worsen. FAO's true added value in the region lies in this connection between early warning and rapid response.' Furthermore, Ms. Tchicaya emphasized the importance of digital solutions for securing pastoral livelihoods: "We are convinced that the digitalization of the livestock sector constitutes an innovative and essential solution to protect pastoralists in the face of this unprecedented phenomenon in West Africa," she argued. In her closing remarks, Ms. Tchicaya issued a strong call for collective mobilization. "We must act together—governments, technical and financial partners, the private sector, and civil society—to build resilient and sustainable food systems that meet the aspirations of West African populations," she pleaded. Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO): Regional Office for Africa.
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Business Standard
09-06-2025
- Business
- Business Standard
Best of BS Opinion: Economic shifts, environmental hopes, policy crossroads
Here are the best of Business Standard's opinion pieces for today Abhijeet Kumar New Delhi In a significant move to stimulate economic growth, the Reserve Bank of India's Monetary Policy Committee reduced the policy repo rate by 50 basis points to 5.5 per cent and the cash reserve ratio by 100 basis points in phased stages, injecting ₹2.5 trillion into the banking system. While inflation eased to 3.2 per cent in April, the MPC shifted its stance from 'accommodative' to 'neutral,' indicating limited room for future rate cuts. The GDP forecast remains at 6.5 per cent, but the RBI stressed that achieving higher long-term growth would require structural reforms beyond monetary tools. Launched on World Environment Day, the Aravalli Green Wall Project aims to restore 700 km of degraded terrain across four states. Inspired by Africa's Great Green Wall, the plan involves reviving native flora and water bodies to enhance India's carbon sink. However, challenges remain due to ongoing illegal mining and encroachments. As our second editorial highlights, without stronger governance and interstate coordination, experts warn the project could falter, repeating past mistakes seen in the Western Ghats conservation efforts. In his column, Ajay Shah writes that India's economic prospects depend not just on rate cuts but on five strategic levers: trade liberalisation, soft monetary policy, structural reform, capital account liberalisation, and a weaker rupee. He notes that weak private investment and capital controls have stifled India's global competitiveness. While India benefits from geopolitical realignments like the China+1 shift, FDI inflows remain low. Trade deals with the UK and potential pacts with the US and EU offer an opportunity, but without bold reform, India risks falling short. Meanwhile, Sunita Narain cautions that India's EV transition is progressing too slowly to meet its climate and urban mobility goals. While electric three-wheelers show growth, adoption in other segments lags, and urban congestion worsens. She stresses that counting electric vehicles is not enough, cities must expand public transport, reduce private vehicle use, and align EV policy with air quality and mobility planning. Finally, Ted Widmer reviews John Hancock: First to Sign, First to Invest in America's Independence by Willard Sterne Randall, a biography that revives the legacy of the often-overlooked Founding Father. The book underscores Hancock's role in financing and steering the revolution, while also exploring the complexities surrounding his political and social legacy. Stay tuned!
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Business Standard
08-06-2025
- General
- Business Standard
Saving the Aravallis: Political and bureaucratic buy-in is critical
It is worth noting that the bulk of the degradation of the Aravallis is the result of plain illegal activities, costing state governments crores of rupees in revenue Business Standard Editorial Comment Mumbai Listen to This Article Given the scale of destruction of the Aravallis, one of India's oldest mountain ranges, the launch of the Aravalli Green Wall project on June 5, World Environment Day, has not come a day too soon. Inspired by Africa's Great Green Wall project to regreen the Sahel, the Indian version aims to reforest 700 km of the range in 29 districts in Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Gujarat. The broad plan is to supplant destructive alien species with native species on scrubland, wasteland and degraded forest and restore water bodies to create an additional 2.5 billion tonnes of carbon sink, as India
