Project to Support Food Security in the Region of Maradi (PASADEM)
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NIGER Project to Support Food Security in the Region of Maradi (PASADEM) The Global Environment Facility (GEF) brings together 183 countries, the private sector, civil society organizations and international institutions to address global environmental problems. The GEF-IFAD partnership promotes win-win solutions to deliver both global environmental benefits as well as significant gains for rural poor people. The designations employed and the presentation of the material in the map do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of IFAD concerning the delimitation of the frontiers or boundaries, or the authorities thereof. ISSUES Niger is a landlocked country in Western Africa, with the southern third of its land area PROJECT SUMMARY situated in the Sahelian zone. Annual rainfall varies between 150 and 600 mm, Total cost: US$35.9 m concentrated in just three months of the year. Owing to its dependence on agriculture Approved IFAD loan: (26 per cent of GDP in 2009), Niger’s economy is highly vulnerable to climate shocks as evidenced by the food crises of 2005 and 2010, and frequent droughts in previous US$22.2 m years. GEF: US$340,000 The Maradi region is at the epicenter of food insecurity in Niger, due to a combination Other contributions: of geographic, demographic and economic factors including: i) high poverty levels Government of Niger among the rural population; ii) dependence on rain-fed agriculture; iii) high birth rate; iv) US$5.6 m; degraded ecosystems exacerbated by climate change; and v) volatile food prices. World Food Programme: US$ 2.7 m; Coping strategies among the local population typically involve a drastic reduction in Beneficiaries US$1.3 m; food consumption, decapitalization of livestock and other assets, accelerated Project period: migration, and serious consequences for the level of malnutrition, especially among 6 years (2012-2018) young children, pregnant women and the elderly. When not affected by extreme Executing agency: climate events, production levels are sufficient to provide good food availability and Ministry of Agriculture in the potential for exports. However, in years of low rainfall, production declines precipitously Republic of Niger and the population must resort to grain purchases and food aid. Beneficiaries: 65,000 households ACTIONS Project objective: Improve living conditions and strengthen the The project objective is to improve food and nutrition security of rural people resilience of rural households in Maradi around 5 centers of economic development (Tessaoua, Tchadoua, Sabon Machi, to avoid recurrent food crises. Guidan Roumdji and Djirataoua) in 18 communes in the Maradi region. The project will focus on activities under the following components: Mainstreaming sustainable land management in development planning at the local and departmental levels. This component is designed to facilitate the integration of sustainable land management activities through i) the establishment Reversing the trend of land and operation of a regional sustainable degradation through sustainable land land management platform; ii) CONTACTS management investments on the strengthening institutional capacity for Vincenzo Galstro ground. sustainable land management in the Country Programme Manager decentralized administrative units; and iii) Thus far, the project has helped IFAD improving knowledge management on recover 8,130 hectares of degraded Via Paolo di Dono, 44 sustainable land management and land, treated 7,387 hectares Rome, Italy colonized by the invasive Sida dissemination of information. Tel: +390654592609 cordifolia, and cleared 159 hectares Reversing the trend of land [email protected] of land colonized by eucalyptus. degradation through sustainable land Naoufel Telahigue management investments on the Recovery of degraded land is Climate and Environment ground. This component is designed to conducted through the Cash for Specialist (WCA) encourage rural communities to put Assets Programme, which pays cash IFAD sustainable land management into to farmers who practice land Via Paolo di Dono, 44 practice while restoring and strengthening rehabilitation techniques. So far, Rome, Italy Tel: +390654592572 the productive capacity of pastoral, 15,042 vulnerable households in Maradi have benefitted from assisted [email protected] forests or agricultural land, through natural regeneration. community-based land use and investment planning, and recovery of The project has organized training degraded lands. sessions for assisted natural Promotion of conservation agriculture regeneration operators and NGO and sustainable alternative income partners in all seven departments of Maradi. sources. This component supports alternative land management practices Promotion of conservation agriculture for storm water capture and sustainable and sustainable alternative income farming in arid areas through i) the sources. demonstration of tools and techniques for conservation agriculture; ii) the 73 farmer field schools have been identification and promotion of alternative established where about 2,190 beneficiaries have received technical livelihoods opportunities; iii) the training on various themes including production of technical manuals for tilling methods, selected seed sustainable income generating activities; varieties, administration of mineral iv) the strengthening of technical and and organic fertilizers and pest managerial skills to stimulate income control. generating activities; and v) technical Assisted natural regeneration has support for the implementation of micro- projects. been promoted in 15 communes, with 23,332 adopters and 69,436 hectares of land currently under restoration. EXPECTED IMPACTS Mainstreaming sustainable land In 2015, 4 micro-projects were supported, including stocking ponds, management in development planning support for traditional beekeepers and at the local and departmental levels. support to groups involved in the The project supported the commercialization of non-timber establishment of a multi-stakeholder forest products. Due to widespread platform on sustainable land demand and success of this International Fund for Agricultural Development management in the Maradi region, intervention, micro-projects will Via Paolo di Dono, 44 continue to be prioritized. chaired by the Governor and hosted by 00142 Rome, Italy the Regional Directorate of the Tel: +39 06 54591 Environment (DRE). The platform Fax: +39 06 5043463 E-mail: [email protected] builds and disseminates good www.ifad.org sustainable land management www.ruralpovertyportal.org practices in the region. ifad-un.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/ifad The project has met its goal of instagram.com/ifadnews supporting community investment www.twitter.com/ifadnews plans (with activities to recover www.youtube.com/user/ifadTV degraded land) in 18 village areas. June 2015 .