US embassy cable - 05ROME2555

UNCLAS  ROME 002555 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
FROM U.S. MISSION IN ROME 
 
STATE FOR IO/EDA, AF/W, NEA/ENA, OES/ENV; PASS EPA 
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, SENV, XI, XY, UN, FAO 
SUBJECT: DESERT LOCUSTS: FAO'S WORK ON PESTICIDES AND OTHER 
ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES 
 
REF: (A) 04 ROME 0722; (B) 04 ROME 3979; (C) 04 ROME 3581; 
(D) 05 ROME 0764 (E) 05 ROME 1451 
 
1. Summary: In a letter dated April 16, 2005, the United 
Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) 
Director-General Jacques Diouf alerted the international 
donor community to a potential problem with pesticides 
overstocks in Sahelian and North African countries currently 
embattling desert locusts.  In this letter, FAO, as the lead 
UN agency combating desert locusts, requested better 
coordination and communication of pesticides donations, 
noting that excess stocks potentially could pose an 
environmental problem.  Since the alert, FAO has been 
actively monitoring pesticides stocks in affected countries 
and is developing programs to protect pesticides operators 
from health risks.  Through informal and formal 
consultations, USUN/Rome received an updated FAO pesticides 
monitoring matrix for the Sahel, container crushing 
programs, health monitoring teams, and farmer field school 
modules on pesticides.  End Summary 
 
--------------------------------------------- 
Pesticides in the Sahel and Maghreb 
--------------------------------------------- 
 
2.  As of an FAO inventory updated July 31, a stock of 2.107 
million liters is available in the Sahelian countries of 
Chad (119,583), Mali (261,613), Mauritania (580,392), Niger 
(232,495), and Senegal (913,905) to cover more than a worst- 
case scenario.  The total amount used during the 2004-2005 
campaign was estimated at 2.176 million liters. During a 
July 21st desert locusts donors' meeting, FAO DG Diouf 
repeatedly stated that the coordination of pesticides 
delivery was much harder than expected at the beginning of 
operations due to numerous bilateral donations that were not 
being communicated to FAO, including the 250,000 liters 
Morocco's King Mohamed VI donated to Senegal in March 2005. 
If excess pesticide overstocks cannot be used, either for 
desert locusts or other pests, or solutions for their long- 
term storage cannot be found, FAO may be forced to return 
some bilateral donations to donors.  In the interim, FAO is 
working with donors to modify budget lines from `pesticides 
purchases' to `pesticides storage construction/management' 
and/or meeting other urgent needs. 
 
3. According to a March 31 inventory, FAO indicated that 
3.517 million liters are available in the Maghreb as 
follows:  Algeria (1,622,600); Morocco (1,545,002); and 
Tunisia (350,000).  Libya's inventory is not yet complete. 
 
---------------------------- 
Storage Facilities 
---------------------------- 
 
4. FAO is working on long-term pesticides storage solutions. 
For example, the Government of Mauritania donated five acres 
for FAO to build new facilities in Nouakchott.  FAO began 
the tendering process and hopes to begin construction of a 
pesticide storage facility in August/September, with a 
December 2005 completion date.  This facility will be a 
model for the construction of similar facilities in 
 
 
neighboring countries. 
5. Meanwhile, older storage facilities are being refurbished 
in Chad (3), Mali (5), Mauritania (5), and Senegal (4) where 
FAO is working with the Direction de la Protection des 
Vgtaux (DPV) to rehabilitate two former fumigation 
facilities at Dakar's port.  The DPV is acquiring land six 
kilometers outside Dakar to construct a national pesticides 
center. 
 
---------------------------- 
Bio-friendly Pesticides 
---------------------------- 
 
6. Large-scale trials on the bio-pesticide metarhizium, more 
commonly known as "Green Muscle," concluded successfully in 
Algeria, with a 100 percent efficacy rate in a five-to- 
seven-day period.  A similar trial also took place in 
Mauritania.  Another follow-up trial taking into account 
less favorable weather and environmental conditions is 
currently being set up in Niger. 
 
7. At the July 21 desert locust donors' meeting, the 
director of FAO's Plant Production and Protection Division 
(AGP) reported that additional ecological studies are being 
conducted in Khartoum, Sudan. 
 
---------------------------- 
Container Crushing 
g 
---------------------------- 
 
8.  FAO reported on a large regional program to rehabilitate 
pesticide containers.  In Niger and Senegal, the collection 
of empty pesticide drums for rinsing, crushing and recycling 
has been completed, while drums are being collected in Mali, 
where there may be a risk of leakage.  In side meetings with 
USUN/Rome, FAO staff stated that it is in consultations with 
the 1) World Bank to split the costs of approximately 
$300,000 for a clean-up program in Mali, and 2) the European 
Commission on reallocating $350,000 in four or five country 
programs for pesticide disposal. 
 
9.  During the week of July 15, two FAO staff members 
traveled to Mauritania to operationalize a new container 
crusher, which had arrived from the United States earlier 
this summer.  The crusher will be able to crush the 27,000 
barrels in Mauritania within six months (approximately one 
every five minutes).  FAO plans to purchase additional 
crushers for Mali, Senegal, Niger and Chad, with the option 
that they be shared with neighboring countries. 
 
10. From August 2-5 in Nouakchott, Mauritania, FAO will host 
a regional workshop on the management of empty pesticides 
containers and pesticides stocks.  Representatives from 14 
affected countries have been invited for a 1) practical 
demonstration on cleaning and crushing empty containers; 2) 
review of risk evaluation and security measures; and 3) an 
overview of the implementation of national pesticides 
management programs. FAO has identified a couple places in 
Mauritania and Senegal where crushed barrels could be 
recycled, and plans to hold a recycling workshop in Dakar 
 
 
later this year.  In addition, FAO is identifying a possible 
metal and plastics recycler in Cote d'Ivoire. 
 
---------------------------- 
Health Monitoring Teams 
---------------------------- 
 
11.  FAO is also deploying special teams to monitor the 
health of workers using pesticides, the efficacy of spray 
applications, and the possible side effects on water, soil, 
flora and fauna.  The collection of the workers' basic 
health data and blood sampling has already begun in Chad, 
Mali, Mauritania and Niger, and training will 
 be conducted 
in these countries as well as Burking Faso and Senegal from 
August 5-31. In conjunction with the training, FAO will 
launch a publicity campaign targeted at local communities by 
disseminating an information brochure in local languages. 
 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
Farmer Field Schools and Pesticides Education 
--------------------------------------------- -- 
 
12.  The Farmer Field School (FFS) method is a non-formal, 
participatory educational approach developed in the 1990's 
in Indonesia to educate farmers on ecology, soil fertility, 
and plant biology.  Based on the U.S. model of adult 
education, FFS is an iterative method, working with farmers 
to investigate and supplement their knowledge of farming 
methods. An Integrated Pest Management (IPM) component was 
incorporated to FFS to relieve farmers of any misconceptions 
they have on insects.  For example, not all insects crawling 
in a rice paddy are bad, and thus farmers are taught how to 
defoliate without harming the crop. 
 
13. During the previous desert locust campaign, it is 
believed that pesticides made it to the Senegal River basin. 
River populations were quite vocal about the need to be more 
involved in combating desert locusts.  FAO is working to 
include desert locust modules within FFS so as to protect 
both crops and farmers in a responsible and safe way.  FAO's 
AGP division has committed $450,000 for a pilot project, and 
is currently exploring a letter of agreement with one of the 
largest nongovernmental organizations in West Africa to 
interview farmers and develop a curriculum and training 
materials.  The pilot hopes to train 100,000 farmers in four 
years in eight countries, including Senegal, Mali, 
Mauritania, Niger and Burkina Faso. USUN/Rome will continue 
to report on the desert locust component of FFS. 
 
14. Minimize considered. 
 
Hall 
 
 
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	2005ROME02555 - Classification: UNCLASSIFIED