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practices. And we support applied technical research to develop and test new approaches. 



LESSONS LEARNED 



We now have enough experience as an Agency to know what works. Some of the 

 key lessons learned include: 



• The importance of an enabling environment that is environmentally friendly. If laws, 

 policies, and incentives are not environmentally sensitive, desired results are unlikely. 

 That is why we have actively supported and funded the adoption of NEAPs and other 

 environmental strategies, for example. These strategic frameworks have often served 

 to identify the impediments to environmental sustainability and then to identify the 

 specific changes needed. 



• The need for collaborative strategic planning is also clear. None of the problems we 

 have discussed today can be resolved if those involved in attempting to address them 

 fail to cooperate. Nor will solutions be sustainable unless they reflect priorities 

 established by Africans themselves. As donor resources decline, coordination 

 becomes even more critical for success. USAID currently works closely with the 

 World Bank, UN Agencies and bilateral donors in implementing environmental 

 programs in Africa. 



• Agriculturalists and environmentalists must work together, in recognition that the 

 rural dweller often makes no clear distinction between the environment, agriculture, 

 forestry or pasture. In Mali, over 18,000 farmers are improving their agricultural 



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