Project Leader:
Dr. Pedro Sanchez
Earth Institute Contact: Dr. Pedro Sanchez
EI Collaborators:
Vijay Modi
Richard Deckelbaum
Cheryl Palm
Additional External Researchers:
Awash Teklahaimonot, Center on Global Health and Economic Development
Bashir Jama, World Agroforestry Centre, Nairobi, Kenya;
Locations: Africa, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Malawi, Mali, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Uganda
Description:
Overseen by the Tropical Agriculture Program, the Millennium Villages Project is a major new initiative to help communities in Sub-Saharan Africa achieve the Millennium Development Goals. Two villages have been started in Sauri, Kenya and in Koraro, Ethiopia, with plans in place to start 10 additional villages. Earth Institute specialists in agriculture, nutrition, energy, water, health, environment, and information technology will work in partnership with select communities to implement effective strategies for meeting the MDGs at the village level. These will include soil fertility restoration to double or triple food production; nutritional programs for undernourished children and mothers; drinking water and sanitation facilities; appropriate energy and transportation initiatives; and prevention and treatment for malaria and HIV/AIDS. By simultaneously improving the health, education, and livelihoods of select rural communities, the project will demonstrate the importance of an integrated approach to achieving the MDGs, and will work with policymakers and donors to scale up this approach to the national level.
EI Unit:
Tropical Agriculture Program
Cross Cutting Themes:
Poverty
Core Disciplines:
Earth Sciences
Project Web Site:
http://www.earth.columbia.edu/mvp
Collaborating Institutions:
World Agroforestry Centre, numerous international and local NGOs
Funding Agency:
Lenfest Foundation, Terri LeCamp
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