Last week, an Inter-Governmental Authority on Development’s mission (IGAD) took place in Casablanca, Morocco, on the topic of Effective Management of Obsolete Pesticides and Empty Pesticide Containers: Mapping and Establishing Regional Stockpiles for Rapid Response. The mission was co-organized by CropLife Africa Middle East, the World Bank , and the IGAD Climate Prediction & Applications Centre ICPAC .
Countries part of the mission were: Djibouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia, South Sudan and Sudan.
Various topics were addressed, notably:
• Introduction to Challenges and International Best Practices: This session covered the root causes and contributors to obsolete pesticides, global and regional trends in obsolete pesticide management, and the harmonization of regulatory strategies for pesticide management across borders.
• Strategic Stockpile Mapping and Management: Discussions focused on key risks and challenges in pesticide management across the IGAD region, the root causes of obsolete stocks, challenges of obsolete stock management, and strategies to prevent the accumulation of stockpiles.
• Regulatory Frameworks and Cross-Border Cooperation: The dialogue included Morocco’s experience in managing obsolete stocks and the need to develop a draft framework for regional cooperation on stockpiles and rapid response.
These discussions were complemented by field visits to a disposal facility near Casablanca – Geocycle Maroc – as well as to University Mohammed 6 Polytechnic in Ben Guerir – organised by AgriEdge -, which CropLife AME wishes to deeply thank for their collaboration!