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Good communication is vital to small farmers who
need better access to markets and to reliable information about
prices, product quality and market conditions. Can new
information and communication technologies (ICTs), especially
the Internet, help? The First Mile is a two-year pilot project
supported by the Government of Switzerland. It is
implemented in collaboration with the Agricultural Marketing
Systems Development Programme of the Government of the
United Republic of Tanzania. Technical assistance is being
provided by the International Support Group.

Over the past 25 years, there have been at least 80 wars around the world. While the places may vary, today’s violent conflicts have some striking similarities: almost all are civil wars and the majority of victims are civilians, not combatants.
Most of these internal conflicts have taken place in poor countries, impeding their development. In fact, more than half the
countries where international development agencies currently operate are affected by war.
Unfortunately, the majority of these conflicts are ongoing events, not temporary emergencies.
Today’s average conflict lasts about eight years – twice as long as conflicts before 1980. And many
more people are killed in conflicts by hunger and disease than by actual fighting.

Land degradation – often caused by human activities such as overcultivation of soil, deforestation, overgrazing and population growth – affects more than one billion people and 40 per cent of the Earth’s
surface.When this degradation occurs in the drylands where the earth is particularly fragile, rainfall is minimal and weather is harsh, desertification results.

Desertification directly affects the lives of more than 650 million people in 110 countries. Contrary to popular belief, desertification is a process that can often be reversed.There are many ways of combating desertification, including applying appropriate land-use technologies and water-use strategies. However, one of the most effective methods of combating desertification is by eradicating poverty.