- Burkina Faso, Chad, Kenya, Niger, Senegal and Sudan will receive funding to support the production of gums and natural resins and protect the environment as part of the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation's Operation Acacia, a project funded by Italy and worth approximately US$ 3.5 million.
The project aims to increase the quality and quantity of acacia gum produced to help the rural poor who live in the semi-arid zones of the countries bordering the Sahara to achieve self-sufficiency, according to a FAO statement published today.
Acacia is one of the most common trees found in the arid zones of sub-Saharan Africa. A highly versatile plant, it offers several forms of income. Acacia trees also represent a vital barrier against desertification, whilst their roots are highly effective at reducing soil erosion and enriching the soil by capturing nitrogen.
The plant's foliage and pods are a precious source of fodder during dry periods and the stems are used as firewood and as a material for building. The lack of firewood and fodder in poor communities is one of the principal reasons for deforestation in semi-arid areas.
Commercially, the most important product from acacia is Arabic gum, used widely in the pharmaceutical, food and cosmetic industries. Given this useful, commercial by-product, acacia trees are particularly protected from deforestation.
According to FAO, the organisation's acacia project focuses on "local people as women and children are those who collect the resin and process the raw materials." Women and children are especially vulnerable groups in poor communities.
The project is to be funded by the UN organisation's Trust Fund for Food Security. The US$ 500 million Trust Fund was created by FAO's Director-General Jacques Diouf following the 2002 World Food Summit to provide new impetus to the global fight against hunger.
Italy has been the first among member countries to respond to this appeal and has committed itself to providing 100 million euros of which 50 million euros have already been received. Italy has already financed projects in the Caribbean and Central and Eastern Europe, FAO informs.
afrol News - It is called "financial inclusion", and it is a key government policy in Rwanda. The goal is that, by 2020, 90 percent of the population is to have and actively use bank accounts. And in only four years, financial inclusion has doubled in Rwanda.
afrol News - The UN's humanitarian agencies now warn about a devastating famine in Sudan and especially in South Sudan, where the situation is said to be "imploding". Relief officials are appealing to donors to urgently fund life-saving activities in the two countries.
afrol News - Fear is spreading all over West Africa after the health ministry in Guinea confirmed the first Ebola outbreak in this part of Africa. According to official numbers, at least 86 are infected and 59 are dead as a result of this very contagious disease.
afrol News - It is already a crime being homosexual in Ethiopia, but parliament is now making sure the anti-gay laws will be applied in practical life. No pardoning of gays will be allowed in future, but activist fear this only is a signal of further repression being prepared.
afrol News / Africa Renewal - Ethiopia's ambitious plan to build a US$ 4.2 billion dam in the Benishangul-Gumuz region, 40 km from its border with Sudan, is expected to provide 6,000 megawatts of electricity, enough for its population plus some excess it can sell to neighbouring countries.
front page
| news
| countries
| archive
| currencies
| news alerts login
| about afrol News
| contact
| advertise
| español