Its purpose is to identify replicable and scalable projects that can be disseminated to interested developing countries as examples of best practices in the fight against poverty and hunger. It was established in 2004 and became operational in 2006.
This project reduces poverty and enhances food security by rehabilitating low-lying coastal lands for rice cultivation and supporting food processing, which permits its conservation and facilitates its marketing. This initiative is advancing hydraulic infrastructure works that improve lowlands, such as small dams, canals, drainage and plot levelling. Among other benefits, these will reduce and compensate for increases in the salt content of the soil, thereby enabling the continuous use of these lands for rice production. These anti-erosion measures also constitute an effort at climate-change mitigation. In addition, this project provides equipment and training in simple food processing and conservation techniques. It further supports commercialization of agro-products by facilitating transportation to markets beyond the village of production.
The project was initiated in July 2011 and completed in July 2014. Read more about the project.
Achievements:
- Significant improvement for 13,000 rural inhabitants in food security, quality of their diet and poverty reduction.
- Broadened and improved livelihood opportunities available in 24 villages through sustainable natural resource management, enhanced farming and processing of agro-products.
- Rehabilitation of 700 hectares of lowland, which continue to be used for farming activities. Increased self-reliance of rural populations and reduced vulnerability to weather conditions.
- Technical expertise: Partner communities, working closely with the project’s technical assistants, improved their knowledge of agricultural techniques, thereby enhancing their production methods and diets.
- Equipment: Tools for food preservation, transformation and transportation were supplied to partner villages, including 24 rice peeling machines, 24 mills, 24 fruit driers and 80 donkey carts. Three motorcycles and one 4x4 vehicle were purchased in support of project activities.
- Rehabilitation of agricultural fields: Limited-productivity lowlands were improved through PVC tube-based, small-scale hydraulic enhancements that assist the management of water and saline content.
- Knowledge products: A water management plan was developed for partner villages’ rice fields, based on an assessment of local soil, climate and water conditions.
- In addition, through a survey, data were collected in the 24 partner villages on current agricultural practices, yields of cultivation, and village needs, priorities and challenges. These data serve to better target IBSA cooperation and benchmark the project’s progress.
Challenges encountered:
- Delays in obtaining government participation for the signing of this project were overcome.
- This project has an ambitious scope of activities ranging from water management to agro-processing. Technical shortcomings of project staff across this array of expertise had to be partly compensated for through short capacity-building activities in specific areas and with support from technicians.
Click here to read the Full evaluation report.
Replication: The project demonstrated the possibility to reduce poverty through concerted efforts, resulting in positive outcomes at all levels that can be replicated in other countries.
Budget: 1.550.000 USD
Contact details:
IBSA Fund Secretariat
United Nations Office for South-South Cooperation in United Nations Development Programme
New York, NY, 10017
Ms. Ines Tofalo, Programme Specialist
Telephone: 212 906 5123
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
