UN project boots African farmers incomes

 New York, 21 Dec – (ANA) - A project executed by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in West Africa has succeeded in slashing the use of toxic pesticides, increasing yields and incomes, and diversifying farming systems.

Around 100,000 farmers in Benin, Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal are

participating in the community-driven training programme, which promotes good agricultural practices through small groups called Farmer Field Schools.

The project includes issues such as soil improvement and alternatives to

chemical pesticides, as well as marketing and food safety, according to a news release by the Rome-based FAO.

“Trends in agriculture over the past decades in West Africa have seen an

increasing use of highly toxic pesticides in higher-value, frequently irrigated crops. There is a general lack of knowledge in the region on the negative impacts of pesticides on the production, economy and health of communities and the environment,” said FAO Senior Technical Officer William Settle. (ANA)

FA/ANA/21 December 2010------