FAO + European Union: Investing in a sustainable and food secure future

21.03.2021

The latest FAO + European Union Report provides highlights on the cooperation during the 2018-2020 period, detailing the results achieved in areas such as resilience and food crises, climate change and natural resource management, agricultural investments and value chains, as well as nutrition and food systems.

 

The EU is the largest provider of voluntary contributions to FAO’s budget. Between 2018 and 2020, the EU contributed approximately EUR 541million to more than 250 projects undertaken around the world, supporting FAO in implementing programmes and projects in line with the Paris Agreement on climate action and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

EU’s support to FAO is essential to addressing the immense challenges that biodiversity loss, climate change, forced migration, protracted conflict and crises, and transboundary pests and diseases continue to pose today.

The FAO-EU partnership has been crucial in bringing technical knowledge, public goods and convening power to support critical humanitarian and development actions throughout the world.

EU and FAO joint work remains vital to step up efforts to support the fight against hunger in times of the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

YouTube Link to 'Thank you video by FAO'

The video is also available in French and Spanish.

FAO + European Union supported Projects

America

 

ECUADOR

Promoting sustainable landscape management in the Ecuadorian Andes 

 

Group of alpacas

In order to promote sustainable production practices in the Ecuadorian Andes, the European Union jointly with the FAO, and the Ministries of Agriculture, Livestock, and of Environment and Water of Ecuador implement the project "Andean Landscapes: Promoting the integrated management of landscapes for sustainable livelihoods in the Ecuadorian Andes".

 

Group of people during a conference

This initiative, that has a EUR 5 M financing, will give the communities the opportunity to solve the problem of deforestation, land degradation and mismanagement. It will promote collaboration between sectors, creating synergies for climate change, biodiversity, food security and poverty reduction. In addition, the communities will have technical assistance and facilities to access new markets, with an inclusive approach that takes into account the rights of rural women.

 

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Agustín Zimmermann, FAO Representative in Ecuador: “Imbabura, Pichincha, Cotopaxi and Bolívar are four provinces of the Ecuadorian Andes where agriculture generates around 26% of employment and represents more than 20% of the income of its inhabitants. This is the scenario where the project will seek to improve the quality of life of the páramo communities, and responsibly manage the areas to avoid degradation of land and water sources.”

The integrated management of the Andean Landscapes is an engine of innovation, new investments and better jobs for family farming in Ecuador. Based on cleaner, climate-smart and more resilient production, it promotes not only human well-being but also the environment. The inhabitants of the area have traditionally focused towards a subsistence economy with products such as: corn, wheat, potatoes, medicinal plants, legumes and extensive livestock. However, this mode of production is detrimental to conservation areas.

The project contributes to the reduction of the poverty rate, which is currently, on average, 78% among the population of these Andean provinces. Charles-Michel Geurts, European Union Ambassador to Ecuador: “This initiative promoting good agricultural and conservation practices is part of a broader EU thematic program at global level for the environment and climate change. EU action for sustainable landscape management is linked to the Global Climate Change Alliance + GCCA + initiative that seeks to help developing countries face this challenge”.

 

GUYANA

Protecting wildlife through sustainable hunting in Guyana

 

Man with a bag on a hill

In the Rupununi savanah in Guyana, Asaph Wilson recalls how his grandfather used to see many deer, many armadillo, many kinds of animals but now they are gone. Roads, commercial hunting and uncontrolled fires are threatening wildlife of the savanah.

By developing ecotourism and conservation, by planting fruit trees to attract animals, Asaph's village is trying to gain back what was lost and is hoping that they can go back to their great grandfathers time. Read the full story here.

Asaph - A Guyanese hunter and wildlife conservationist

 

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Wildlife conservation by Indigenous People in Guyana - #SWM Programme

 

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Amazonia

Proyecto Integración de las Áreas Protegidas del Bioma Amazónico (IAPA)

The initiative is part of the Vision for conservation based on the Amazon ecosystem, proposed in 2007 by the Latin American Network for Technical Cooperation in National Parks (REDPARQUES), to develop a regional agenda of joint work for the protection of this important area of the continent.

The general objective of the project is to strengthen by 2020 the systems of protected areas in the Amazon region, as well as the maintenance of the provision of environmental goods and services for the benefit of biodiversity and local economies. Find more information here and explore the video gallery of the project here.

Protect what Protect us - Project IAPA

 

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Africa

Supporting pastoralists in Eastern Africa

 

South Sudan

EU-FAO Cooperation in South Sudan boosts livelihood

 

 

Man showing to another one a group of cows

Strengthening the resilience of pastoral and agro-pastoral communities in South Sudan and across border areas with Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya and Uganda” is a project implemented by FAO. With a budget of €28 million, it aims at improving household food security, nutrition and income, and enhancing livelihood resilience of pastoral and agro-pastoral communities, particularly in cross-border areas of South Sudan. It entails vaccination and deworming of livestock and provision of seeds, tools, training and equipment to its beneficiaries to increase quality of livestock and their productivity.

European Union Ambassador to South Sudan, Christian Bader, explains that cattle vaccination is key to control and eradicate serious animal diseases. Outbreak of animal diseases have devastating effects on the subsistence economies of the agro-pastoral communities and may jeopardize the lives of thousands of vulnerable people in the country.

From 2017, the project has supported 7608 households. Yaka Moge, 65, in Gasmalla village in Upper Nile State who before this intervention used traditional beehives and could barely make ends meet, thanks to this EU-FAO partnership, can now fend for his family.
“I can finally buy food for my family and pay the school fees of my two grandchildren,” he happily said of the project. “I bought these chickens, thanks to my honey. If I need extra money to buy something now, I can sell a chicken.”

With support from the European Union through FAO, the South Sudan Ministry of Livestock and Fisheries planned to vaccinate and treat 11 million animals in all counties of South Sudan to protect more animals against priority diseases.

 

Ethiopia

FAO, EU donate Peste des Petis Ruminants (PPR) vaccine machine to Ethiopia

 

Family group picture

With funding from the EU, the FAO has procured a USD 921 000 machine that will enhance the production of thermo-tolerant Peste des Petits Ruminants (PPR) vaccine in Ethiopia. The vaccine filling and labelling machine has been installed at the National Veterinary Institute (NVI). The new machine could also be used for the lyophlization of other vaccine types if needed. It complements the USD 810 000 lyophilizer machine that FAO procured, also with EU funding, and handed over to the NVI in October 2018. The NVI now has the capacity to produce 50 million doses of the thermos-stable PPR vaccine per year.

A threat to food security and livelihoods of rural poor

Peste des Petis Ruminants, also known as goat or sheep plague, is a highly contagious animal disease affecting domestic and wild small ruminants. Once newly introduced, the virus can infect up to 90 percent of an animal herd and the disease kills anywhere up to 70 percent of infected animals. Since its clinical confirmation in Ethiopia in 1991, the disease has dramatically affected the country's small ruminant population's health and well-being, thereby jeopardizing the livestock owners' food security and livelihoods.

Small ruminants - totalling 40 million sheep and 50 million goats (CSA, 2020) are the primary livestock resource of many poor rural families. For these households, sheep and goats are a source of food, regular income, and a means to capitalize on savings and a safety net during times of hardship.

“Controlling and eventually eradicating PPR means fighting rural poverty, ensuring food security and nutrition, and strengthening the resilience of the national economy," said Ms. Fatouma Seid, the FAO Representative in Ethiopia.

Vaccine production equipment in line with national commitment to eradicate PPR

Ethiopia has developed a National PPR Progressive Control and Eradication Strategy, which aligns with the international and Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD)'s PPR control and eradication strategies. The Strategy targets explicitly to progressively reduce the incidence and spread of PPR infection through risk-based vaccination and other control approaches, thereby enhancing small ruminants' productivity and production, improve trade, and eventually leading to the eradication of PPR. It also aims to enhance the national veterinary services by addressing the gaps identified during the Performance of Veterinary Services Evaluation and lessen the negative impact of other small ruminant diseases through complementary risk-based vaccination.

The PPR vaccine filling and labelling machine was purchased as part of the implementation of FAO's Project. The Project aims to contribute to increased food security and build a more robust livelihood for pastoralists in Ethiopia's lowlands by supporting animal health services, developing, and implementing a strategy to control and eventually eradicate PPR. It was implemented in Afar, Tigray, and Amhara, Somali, the southern lowlands of Oromia and Southern Nations, Nationalities and Peoples’ regional states.

 

SAHEL

Science combatting desertification in the Sahel

 

Woman collecting from the ground

MALAWI

Strengthening Community Resilience to Climate Change in Blantyre, Zomba, Neno and Phalombe Districts

 

The project aims at strengthening resilience of vulnerable communities to climate variability and change through sound safety nets and productive investments. It is based on the holistic approach of Climate Change Adaptation (CCA), addressing multiple threats to livelihoods with short- and medium-term interventions. A transformative community empowerment outreach process is put in place to help community members to diversify and accumulate assets. Read the full story here.

 

KENYA

Helping refugees in Kalobeyei Settlement to grow their own food

WFP and FAO, with funding from the EU Trust Fund for Africa, have introduced dryland farming methods as a first step to in improve food production and nutrition and increase self-reliance among refugees. Since its opening in 2016, 38,000 refugees have settled in Kalobeyei, which is supported by WFP cash transfers, called Bamba Chakula, Swahili slang for ‘get your food’. Refugees use the cash to buy food at the local market where host and refugee communities trade side by side. Find out more here.

 

NIGERIA

150 bulls distributed to Borno’s youth to provide them with a much-needed source of income and prevent radicalization

Youth in Borno – Nigeria’s worst affected northeastern state – have had their livelihoods uprooted due to a decade-long crisis. In response to the overwhelming recovery needs of livestock-based households in the State, FAO is collaborating with the European Union to reestablish livelihoods in the sector. On 13 February, UN Organization distributed 150 bulls to youth in Jere and Konduga local government areas (LGAs) of Borno State as part of a plan to provide 1 600 youths with bulls between 2018 and 2019. Read the full story here.

 

MADAGASCAR

Nirina – A Malagasy small-scale businesswoman

 

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Madagascar’s communities support wildlife conservation - #SWM Programme

 

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SENEGAL

Conserving wetlands and migratory water birds in Senegal

 

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Assane – An inspiring Senegalese conservationist

 

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Asia

INDONESIA

Forest Law Enforcement Governance and Trade Action Plan

 

YEMEN

Solar Powered Water Pumps In Yemen

 

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CAMBODIA

Consultations at core areas of the Tonle Sap Biosphere Reserve to strengthen conservation and sustainable livelihoods

Europe

GEORGIA

The Kapanadze family quadruple eggplant yield in Kakheti

 

Man showing a piece of vegetable to a woman

Under the EU initiative, the Kapanadze family completely changed their land cultivation practices, shifting from traditional farming to modern approaches appropriate for local environmental conditions and needs. The family started with growing eggplant on a half-hectare demo plot. With the help of the FAO experts, they introduced modern approaches for irrigation, use of fertilizers and pest management. The focus was on utilization of methods, such as mulching, that would protect the crops from drought, rain and various pests. Find here the full story.

 

MACEDONIA

Land consolidation - benefits for farmers and rural communities

 

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