USAID Official Announces Increased Assistance to Fight Locusts
WASHINGTON, DC 20523
PRESS OFFICE
http://www.usaid.gov/
Press: (202) 712-4320
Public Information: (202) 712-4810
2004-088
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 1, 2004
Contact: USAID Press Office
WASHINGTON, DC - Concluding a 10-day tour of Senegal, Mauritania and Mali, Roger Winter, Assistant Administrator for the Bureau of Democracy, Conflict and Humanitarian Assistance at the U.S. Agency for International Development, announced that the U.S. Government has approved $3.2 million in immediate assistance to protect crops and fight locust invasions in the region.
The new funding will allow the dispatch of six aircraft, pesticides and logistical equipment as part of a regional approach to combat the locusts, and builds on the $3.6 million channeled earlier through the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and bilaterally with regional governments to fight the spread of locusts in West Africa and the Maghreb.
"I have seen the damage caused by the locusts and how this situation is adversely affecting families of many farmers and herders throughout the region," Assistant Administrator Winter said. "We need to help now to protect the crops while it is still possible. The U.S. Government is a committed ally in this fight against locusts, and we are not leaving."
During his survey of the locusts, Assistant Administrator Winter said he has the commitment from the president of Mali and the prime ministers of Senegal and Mauritania to allow a cross-border aerial campaign to protect crops and eradicate locust infestations. The Turbo Thrush airplanes can each spray 5,000 hectares a day (one hectare is equivalent to 2.4 acres). They will be based in border regions and will treat infestations in Mauritania and Senegal and, potentially in Mali.
In addition, the U.S. Government through USAID will supply environmentally suitable pesticides, field radios and global positioning system units to help track locust swarms.
As part of the assistance package, the U.S. will look into ways to reduce the size of locust swarms in the region using different kinds of aircraft spraying. USAID will continue its support for community brigades already working to help eliminate hopper bands - groups of locusts not yet able to fly. A common technique is to drive the locusts into long, deep trenches where they are buried.
Last week Assistant Administrator Winter deployed a team of disaster experts with experience from the last locust emergency in the late 1980s. These technical professionals will support the regional response and will be based in Senegal, Mauritania, Mali and Niger.
In October, USAID's Food for Peace office will participate in a United Nations' assessment that will look at damage to crops and pastures and recommend an appropriate response.
The U.S. Government has worked in the area of locust control for over a decade. USAID, through the Assistance for Emergency Locust/Grasshopper Abatement (AELGA) program, has actively provided training in emergency/transboundary pest control and research into developing alternative control mechanisms. During the locust plague from 1986 through 1989, the U.S. Government, mainly through USAID, contributed more than $60 million to a $300 million, multi-donor campaign. Since then, AELGA has worked in areas of plague prevention, pest management, environmental protection, pesticide disposal, awareness and training to best handle future locust invasions.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided economic and humanitarian assistance worldwide for more than 40 years.
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