FAO AND THE NEXT DESERT LOCUST INVASION

UNCLAS ROME 000764

SIPDIS


FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME

STATE FOR IO/EDA, AF/W, NEA/ENA
USAID FOR DCHA, OFDA GOTTLIEB AND AFR LAVELLE
USDA FOR FAS HUGHES
GENEVA FOR NKYLOH/USAID
BRUSSELS FOR PLERNER

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: EAID EAGR PREF SENV XI XY UN FAO
SUBJECT: FAO AND THE NEXT DESERT LOCUST INVASION

REF: 04 ROME 0722, 04 ROME 3979, AND 04 ROME 3581


1. Summary. USUN Rome has been actively engaging the
United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization
(FAO) on the desert locust emergency in Sahelian West
Africa and the Maghreb to determine FAO's preparedness
for the next spring and summer 2005 locust control
campaign. It has learned that FAO's funding situation for
desert locust control is in a reasonably healthy state;
locust breeding and maturation have been inhibited by
cold weather and targeted control operations; country
pesticides stocks are deemed adequate; equipment has been
and is being pre-positioned; field data and communication
are being improved; a corps of national desert locust
control trainers is being trained and mobilized; country
contingency plans are being finalized; and more
transparent communications to donors, affected countries
and other partners are being made. FAO appears to be on
good footing as it prepares for the spring-summer 2005
desert locust campaign. Comments are invited from posts
in affected countries relating to any problems with or
shortcomings of FAO's locust control operations.


2. FAO is and will be carrying out the following steps
from the present until June 2005 to ensure a timely and
effective response to the upcoming invasions:
A) Continued survey, control operations and technical
assistance;
B) Conducting an internal evaluation to review progress
and target weaknesses;
C) Re-examining the deployment of aircraft through a
"lessons learned" workshop;
D) Establishment of a pesticides monitoring system;
E) Intensive regional training on desert locust control;
F) Operationalizing Emergency Prevention System for
Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases
(EMPRES) in the Western Region;
G) Pre-positioning resources including equipment and
materials;
H) Improving the roster of locust experts and deploying
more experts to the field; and
I) Improving outreach to donors. End Summary.


3. Background. The summer 2004 locust upsurge, which
affected Sahelian West Africa and the Maghreb, was
characterized by locust experts as the worst invasion in
15 years. The last plague of this magnitude occurred
1986-89. FAO's lagged response during the 2003/2004
crisis was criticized highly by donors and affected
countries. In 2004, the USG identified the following
weaknesses within the FAO system as areas that needed a
great deal of improvement: 1) insufficient transparency
and delays in use of donated funds; 2) delays in
establishing a coordination structure/process; 3)
inadequate staffing in the field; 4) lack of quick
response mechanisms; and 5) absence of a comprehensive
and up-to-date information system on donor contributions
and project expenditures.

--------------
Locust Funding Situation
--------------


4. According to FAO's Project Management Information
System (FPMIS),which was launched in September 2004
following the USG's recommendations, this is the funding
picture as of February 25:


A. FAO Appeal$100,000,000
--------------

B. Received from donors$ 65,052,291
291

C. FAO contribution$ 6,209,598

D. Committed$ 8,842,279

E. Under Negotiation$ 2,068,750
--------------
TOTAL (B-E)$ 82,172,198


5. To date, $39,673,987 has been spent or committed on
purchasing 2,641,871 liters of pesticides; 2,530
sprayers; 5,685 units of protective clothing; 1,803 units
of communication equipment such as radios; and
contracting 3,704 flying hours.


6. Of the remaining $42,498,931, FAO is revising spending
plans currently, but has tentatively earmarked funds as
follows: $18.4 million for the 2005 Sahelian summer
campaign for pesticides, equipment, flying hours,
training and technical expertise; $7.3 million for
ongoing field operations in Algeria, Mauritania, Libya,
Morocco, and Tunisia; $9.2 million for technical support;
and $4.8 million for project implementation.


7. During the 2004/2005 campaign, five Sahelian countries
(Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal) and Morocco
have benefited the most from donor support:
$15.5 million to Mauritania
to Mauritania
$ 7.8 million to Senegal
$ 3.9 million to Niger
$ 3.5 million to Morocco
$ 2.9 million to Mali
$ 1.3 million to Chad

In addition, FAO spent $1.6 million on its Regional
Office for Africa. The remaining $3.2 million was spent
on other countries (Algeria, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde,
Egypt, Eritrea, Gambia, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Sudan,
Tunisia and Yemen) and inter-regional support.


8. Funding by Donor:
European Commission $30.31 million
France $ 5.85 million
The Netherlands $ 5.66 million
Canada $ 5.03 million
Italy $ 3.44 million
United States $ 3.40 million
Saudi Arabia$ 3.00 million
Japan$ 2.98 million


9. USG Bilateral Funding for Locusts: Total USG
humanitarian assistance to combat desert locusts in
fiscal years 2004/2005 is $17,714,388. An additional
$2,500,000 is being processed to support Mali and non-
presence countries in western Africa. This will bring
the USG's total contribution to the locust operations to

$20,214,388 ($16,814,388 bilateral and $3,400,000
l and $3,400,000
multilateral/FAO),making it the highest contribution by
a single country.


10. FAO's Emergency Center for Locusts Operations (ECLO)
and senior FAO management have been holding a series of
meetings recently to review the current desert locust
situation. They have concluded that current funding is
sufficient and that FAO is in a tremendously better
position at present compared to last year when it only
had several hundred thousand dollars from USAID to kick-
start the 2004 campaign.


11. Should the situation require less money than
currently available, the excess donor funds could be
moved to an emergency (contingency) fund for locust
control. FAO is drafting a document on the establishment
and operation of the fund for tabling at the joint
FAO/World Bank Donors' meeting to be held in Niamey,
Niger, from May 2-4, 2005.

--------------
Locust Breeding Situation
--------------


12. FAO reviewed the current situation in countries where
outbreaks occur. Although major locust breeding from
February to June 2004 produced lots of swarms, no large-
scale second-generation breeding has occurred, due to
unfavorable weather. Swarms were further diminished by
targeted control operations since September 2004.
Considering these factors, FAO concluded that: 1) there
will be fewer swarms in the Maghreb in the spring
breeding season, and 2) the intensity of the swarms
migrating south into the Sahel may be less than in 2004.

--------------
FAO Preparation for Summer 2005 Campaign
--------------


13. To prepare for the upcoming summer locust campaign,
FAO is undertaking the following measures:
A) Continued survey, control operations and technical
assistance;
B) Conducting an internal evaluation to review progress
and target weaknesses;
C) Re-examining the deployment of aircraft through a
"lessons learned" workshop;
D) Establishment of a pesticides monitoring system;
E) Intensive regional training on desert locust control;
F) Operationalizing Emergency Prevention System for
Transboundary Animal and Plant Pests and Diseases
(EMPRES) in the Western Region;
G) Pre-positioning resources including equipment and
materials;
H) Improving the roster of locust experts and installing
experts in field; and
I) Improving outreach to donors, each of which is briefly
described below.

-------------- --------------
Continued Survey, Control Operations and Technical

Assistance
-------------- --------------


14. Major control activities continued well into February
in Algeria and limited control activities were seen
elsewhere in the region, but no spray operations were
launched in Mauritania, Mali and Niger over the past
several weeks. During the second dekad (10 days) of
February, Algeria sprayed 11,000 hectares. The
Government of Algeria (GoA) requested FAO's assistance to
improve technology. Correspondingly, FAO's presence
there is assisting to improve the quality of information
coming out of Algeria. FAO has sent consultants to
install 50 high-frequency (HF) radios and global
positioning systems (GPS),a satellite specialist to
install the Reconnaissance and Management System of the
Environment of the Schistocerca (RAMSES) database, and
other experts to provide machine maintenance and
calibrate sprayers. Algeria has designated 40 aircraft
for locust control operations, an increase of 28 over
last fall's spraying.


15. FAO reports there is a targeting program in place
among nations affected. A group from Algeria went to
Mauritania to review the ground situation and found very
few swarms left. Morocco has been very good in spraying.
Libya and Tunisia are also undertaking some control
measures. Senegal is still spraying residual populations
in the southern part of the country. Some locust activity
has been noted in the Red Sea area, with patchy breeding
in Sudan and limited activities in northwestern Somalia.


16. In Egypt, FAO is conducting field trials on bio-
pesticides, similar to the mycopesticide Green Muscle."
Two trials originally conducted on 400 hectares each
produced mixed results, but further trials were halted
due to lack of second-generation hopper bands.


17. In addition, FAO is collaborating closely with the
World Bank, which has made $60 million available to seven
Sahelian countries (Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania,
Niger, Senegal and The Gambia) as a loan to combat
locusts. Several of these countries have opted that
World Bank funds go through FAO to avoid their own
bureaucratic hurdles and take advantage of FAO's
procurement networks. FAO is ensuring that the use of
these funds is technologically appropriate. In April,
FAO locust experts and the World Bank will conduct a
joint regional workshop on developing contingency plans
for the Sahelian countries.

--------------
Internal and External Evaluations
--------------



18. FAO will conduct an internal evaluation, which will
be moderated by an independent person and held on March
21-22, with the aim of improving ECLO operations in 2005.
(The experience and success of ECLO is being drawn upon
to assist FAO in setting up a similar center for its
tsunami rehabilitation campaign.) In addition, the

SIPDIS
Permanent Representation of the Netherlands, through its

Ministry of Foreign Affairs, is formally requesting an
independent evaluation to be headed by Dutchman Lucas
Brader, ex-FAO staff member and former Director General
of International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, with
the participation of other donors.

--------------
Re-examining the Deployment of Aircraft
--------------


19. Recognizing mistakes were made in deploying aircraft
last year, during the first week of March FAO is
conducting a "lessons learned" workshop to review last
season's aerial spraying efforts. Participants include
FAO procurement and technical officers; international
consultants involved in implementing contracts; pilots,
who expressed concern over spraying distances covered;
aircraft companies contracted by FAO; and a
representative from the World Food Programme (WFP),whose
air services were used when there was a critical lack of
pesticides in affected countries. FAO hopes to fine-tune
its aerial contracting mechanisms and issue special
recommendations on the efficient use of aircraft for
aerial spraying.

--------------
Pesticides Situation and a Monitoring System
--------------


20. FAO at one time considered establishing a pesticides
bank. However, FAO concluded that, as current country
stocks are now adequate, or more than adequate as in the
case of Senegal, a pesticides bank may not be necessary.
Instead, FAO developed a pesticides monitoring system
whereby each country is expected to produce a daily table
of how much pesticide has been produced, used, and
received bilaterally and/or multilaterally for an up-to-
date look at where each country stands on pesticides. FAO
will monitor to ensure that no country goes below its
respective minimum level (e.g., Mauritania will have to
maintain a stock of 200,000 liters). Senegal reports more
than 480,000 liters as a strategic stock available in the
country. It has so far sprayed close to 760,000 hectares
with almost the same quantity of pesticides since the
beginning of the 2004 campaign. If the locust situation
in 2005 is far less severe than the 2004, then Senegal
may not need large stocks of pesticides and will have to
find a way to avoid unnecessary overstocking.

--------------
Intensive/Coordinated Regional Training
--------------


21. Since control activities have slowed down in the
Maghreb, FAO is concentrating on gearing up the Sahelian
countries. To strengthen national capacities, an
intensive "Train-the-Trainer" workshop for mainly Sahel
field teams will be held in Niamey, Niger, from March 14-
April 5. In addition to planning a national locust
control program, upon return to their countries the 21
participants [three from each of the frontline countries
of Mauritania, Mali, Niger, Chad, and Senegal; one from
Cape Verde, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Burkina Faso, and

Gambia; and, by special request, one from Djibouti
(Central Region) to take advantage of the training
offered in French will be expected to train a total of
600 persons by June.


22. FAO also is coordinating a "Train-the-Trainer"
workshop on human health and environmental issues to be
held in Nouakchott, Mauritania, from April 13-23. The
workshop will cover quality control of desert locust
control operations, human safety monitoring, and
environmental pollution monitoring. Trainers and experts
together will formulate a quality and safety control work
plan for each country.


23. From April 25-29 in Niamey, Niger, FAO's ECLO and
Commission de Lutte Contre le Criquet Pelerin dans la
Region Occidentale (CLCPRO) will host a joint workshop
with the World Bank to work on contingency planning for
affected countries in the Sahel. Locust control
authorities from each country will attend. Expected
outputs include finalizing 2005 national plans,
consolidating needs by country, detailing procurement and
execution plans, and providing guidance for cross-
regional coordination. The workshop will be followed by
the May 2-4 donor coordination meeting.

--------------
Policy on Training Village Brigades
--------------


24. Village brigades: One area in which FAO and donors
hold divergent views is the use of village brigades (VBs)
FAO's view is that VBs make very little meaningful impact
considering the alarming health risks posed to farmers.
FAO contends that training and properly equipping VBs
does not guarantee the farmers' protection, illustrating
the example of Niger, where 900 villages had local
farmers trained for VB duty. The VBs were provided with
new protective gear, which they subsequently put away to
be used for "special occasions," according to FAO.
Instead, the VBs sprayed in their ragged clothes and
sandals, unknowingly contaminating themselves from head
to toe.


25. The view of donors like the U.S. is that VBs form
part of a larger organized effort overseen by crop
protection officers. VBs are useful to collect ground
information, mobilize equipment and materials, and be
involved in carefully crafted control interventions.
Despite this, the overwhelming consensus at FAO is that
VBs are not part of a preventive control strategy and FAO
does not want to be in the business of providing
pesticides to local farmers. At present, a FAO
subcommittee is drafting a policy on the use of VBs as
follows: FAO will assist in providing information to
villagers to protect themselves; FAO will use Farmer
Field School (FFS) training; and FAO will continue to
investigate quicker acting bio-pesticides that do not
pose health risks to humans.

--------------
EMPRES Being Launched in the Western Region
--------------


26. Because information coming out of the Sahel is still
highly variable, FAO is launching its Emergency
Prevention System for Transboundary Animal and Plant
Pests and Diseases (EMPRES) in the Western Region to
cover Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Mauritania, Mali,
Niger, Chad and Senegal. EMPRES, which is partially
funded by USAID/OFDA's Assistance for Emergency
Locust/Grasshopper Abatement (AELGA) Project, will help
to improve the collection and exchange of information on
local conditions and locusts, leading to better
coordinated control measures through early warning, early
reaction and applied research. (For more on EMPRES, visit
http://www.fao.org/ag/AGP/AGPP/EMPRES/Default .htm.)

--------------
Pre-positioning and Maintenance of Equipment
--------------


27. FAO has sent consultants to various countries to
ensure that the cleaning and maintenance of vehicles,
sprayers, and related equipment is being readied for the
next phase. It is also ensuring that aircraft it will
contract will be properly equipped and functioning for
spraying activities.

-------------- -
Developing Roster of Desert Locust Experts and
Strengthening Field Capacity
-------------- -


28. FAO has established an international roster of desert
locust experts, and is refining it based on specific
qualifications, including language proficiency. The major
problem encountered is the lack of French language
skills. FAO plans to expand this roster in early March.


29. At FAO's Regional Emergency Locust Coordination Unit
(ECU) in Dakar, which was established with funding from
USAID/ODFA, two experts are in place: an aerial spraying
expert, whose contract is due to expire in March, and an
eco-toxicologist, whose contract is due to expire in
June. If there is no reinvasion, FAO most likely will
close down the ECU as there is no justification for
maintaining the unit in Dakar. Because locusts are a
migratory problem, FAO believes it is more practical to
detail experts from Rome or Algiers (CLCPRO) to maintain
the information link with an affected country instead of
maintaining one person in Dakar all the time. FAO states
the donor community is well aware of this. However, if
the situation erupts and a reinvasion is possible, FAO
will expand the office and may wind up posting a staff
member in Dakar long-term.

--------------
Improving Outreach to Donors
--------------


30. FAO reports that pilot testing of the donor-
restricted section of FAO's Project Management
Information System (FPMIS) Web site was completed
successfully in January. The donor-restricted FPMIS
provides real-time information on programs such as desert

locusts. Donors will be able to access progress reports,
financial information, and review program implementation
activities on their respectively funded projects. Also
in January, to improve external relations, FAO hired
Stephen Jones as the ECLO Public Information Officer.

--------------
Constraints or Weaknesses?
--------------


31. When asked about constraints or weaknesses to its
locust operations, FAO staff evaded the questions
respectfully. FAO is ensuring that the resources needed
for locusts survey are in place well in advance. If
resources are there then FAO has no foreseeable
constraints. FAO's aim is to deploy survey ground teams
right away in areas of green vegetation. However, there
are not enough resources in some countries and quite
enough in others. Thus, weaknesses are in a sense topical
to the affected country. At present, FAO lists the
weakest country in terms of teams and resources as Chad,
followed by Niger (support of the locust program is
through the Ministry of Agriculture in Niamey, but the
field office covering locusts is in Agadez, and the two
offices do not communicate well). Next is Mali, which is
not well organized. However, there is a state of
evolution in Mali where the government is taking decisive
action to establish an autonomous locust control unit,
which FAO encourages. FAO believes Mali will get in as
good shape as possible. FAO has the most confidence in
Mauritania, as it has received the most FAO training and
technical assistance, and has used its funds correctly.


32. FAO states it is still difficult to obtain accurate
information from certain countries because the countries
simply are not providing it. The case of Tunisia was
illustrated. There are some locusts swarms in Algeria
close to the border with Tunisia. The Government of
Tunisia (GoT) is not providing information to FAO on
whether it has sent teams to the area to check the status
of swarms. To assuage the situation, FAO sent an expert
from the ECU in Dakar to work with the GoT. However, as
of February 25, there has been no improvement in the
information link.

--------------
Final Thoughts on FAO and the Locust Campaign
--------------


33. Conclusion: The unusually cold weather and
aggressive control operations launched over the past
several months prevented further breeding and
significantly reduced locust populations in the winter/
spring breeding areas. Hence, it is very likely that the
next spring/summer invasions could be less intense than
last year. If that proves to be the case, existing funds,
equipment and materials and other resources will enable
FAO and affected counties to better prepare and launch
control operations in time during the upcoming spring-
summer campaign and avert any potential major crisis. It
is worth noting that, as part of its preparatory process,
FAO is reviewing last year's efforts to determine where
improvements are needed, and it is making a concerted

effort to ameliorate various components by holding
internal and external evaluations in areas such as
deploying aircraft, improving information, regional and
field level coordination, etc. It is engaging in an
aggressive training program and improving the quality of
information and technology in the field, thereby
strengthening national and regional capacities. In the
fight against desert locusts, FAO's strengths include
tapping into the collective intelligence of technical
experts, providing tailored technical assistance and
education to affected countries, and procuring and
delivering necessary materials and equipment. FAO appears
to be on good footing as it prepares for the spring-
summer 2005 desert locust campaign.


34. Comments from posts in affected countries on any
shortcomings on the part of FAO are invited. USUN Rome
would like to raise concerns with FAO's senior management
very early on in the locust control campaign. USUN Rome
will continue to engage FAO further on mechanisms and
measures to prepare the organization for efficient and
effective responses to emergencies such as desert
locusts.


35. Khartoum, Tripoli minimize considered.
HALL


NNNN
2005ROME00764 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED