Abidjan, The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has made available to the countries of the Sahel, plows called Delfino, for an innovative mechanization of agriculture and better restoration of degraded lands in the region.

Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Senegal benefit from this FAO donation, part of the implementation of its “Action against desertification” program, according to a press release published on Sunday January 23, 2022.

The program aims to make life easier for farmers in this desert region and to rehabilitate degraded land, estimated altogether at around 700 million hectares in Africa.

According to the Program Coordinator, Moctar Sacande, “the restoration of degraded lands to productive and healthy lands is a huge opportunity for Africa and the social and economic benefits for farming communities are enormous”.

The Delfino plow is a technological innovation in the agricultural world that effectively turns damaged soil over 50 cm deep and 15 to 20 hectares on average, per day. It has the ability to dig furrows in the shape of larger half-moons, ready to receive seeds and plants.

This plow collects ten times more rainwater and makes the soil more permeable than the traditional and archaic method of digging by hand. It thus alleviates the suffering of men who, even at a hundred, can only plow about one hectare a day, and that of women who are required to take over at a specific time of year, notes the press release. .

The importance of bringing degraded land back to life also lies in the fight against the transformation of forest land (deforestation) into productive agricultural land to meet the food requirements of Africa, which is losing four million hectares of forest. per year.

Source: Agence Ivoirienne de Presse