The President of Cape Verde, José Maria Neves has asked all residents to plant fruit trees. He was speaking at the University of Cape Verde as part of The World Day to Combat Drought and Desertification, which was on 17 June. President Neves referred to the difficulties of drought in the country. The lack of rainfall in recent years has led to greater desertification. Consequently, he stated making Cape Verde greener and tree planting was important.
Alongside the issues of draught is the reduced ability to grow crops within the country. There are currently more than 50,000 people suffering from malnutrition. Therefore, the President suggested that planting fruit trees would help with both of these problems. The islands on the east side of the country – Sal, Boa Vista and Maio are the ones that currently have more desert areas. However, all the islands have suffered from less rainfall in recent years.
The United Nations started The World Day to Combat Drought and Desertification in 1994. It is intended to form a connection between the environment, development and the sustainable management of the world. Its aim is to increase awareness of increasing desertification. It is an initiative of the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD).
[23 June 2022]
