| ID: | 76786 |
|---|---|
| Country: | Mauritania |
| Title: | Mauritania - Rural Poor Stimulus Facility (RPSF) - June 2022 |
| Description: |
Sidi Ould Ahmed Jeddou farms together with his family in the small village of Awje Mewssae in the Kankossa Municipality in Essaba, in southwestern Mauritania near the border with Mali. Before the arrival of IFAD’s Rural Poor Stimulus Facility project (RPSF) implemented through the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, Communal Equipment and the Organization of Rural Producers Project (PROGRES), Sidi and his family had a host of problems, including the lack of irrigation water and good seeds. They also had no fencing to protect their garden from animals that destroyed their crops. They also lacked the proper tools they needed to work with. “Before RPSF came here, no one had ever offered us any help. We used to do our farm work with our bare hands, stopping in March because the summer sun made the soil too hot for our hands. Now we have proper tools.” The project also provided them with a solar power system and water pump, a water tank and hoses for irrigation, as well as fencing that allowed them to protect their gardens from foraging livestock. Now, with irrigation, they can produce throughout the year, not just in the winter rainy season as before. Even in the middle of June, during the hottest and driest part of the summer, their water tank is full, and their watermelons, carrots and onions are thriving. “Gardening and some livestock production is our only livelihood. Thanks to the support we received from the RPSF, our vegetable production has multiplied many times over. In the past we produced only 200 kilograms of vegetables per year. But this past winter alone, we produced enough to feed our family and donate vegetables to our poor neighbours before selling 2,3 tonnes of produce in the market. That helped me keep my livestock, which I used to be forced to sell to get money to buy food for my family. But this year, I supported my family with just my garden production.” Small-holder producers like Sidi encounter obstacles to their development, in particular climatic conditions or the lack of logistical means. IFAD’s Rural Poor Stimulus Facility (RPSF) helped reduce the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on their farming activities and safeguarded their livelihoods, making sure that weaker groups like youth, women and persons with disabilities were included. The RPSF was implemented through the Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, Communal Equipment and the Organization of Rural Producers Project (PROGRES) during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. It helped small-scale producers improve their agricultural productivity by ensuring quick access to inputs, such as certified climate-resilient seeds and farming equipment, that were impossible to get because of COVID-related lockdowns and movement restrictions. With the project’s support, community groups were formed to help organize market connections and transport. Acting in a group, farmers were in a stronger position when negotiating prices. They also learned how to produce their own high-quality seeds instead of buying them, which they will be using for the next cultivation season. This will help them to become more resilient against future shocks. PROGRES aims to improve food security and nutrition, increase the incomes of poor rural households, create jobs and reduce the country's dependence on food imports. Activities target poor rural households with a special focus on women and young people. The people in the region have struggled for years to stop the desert from taking over arable land. Climate change is making things worse. IFAD is working with communities to create a Great Green Wall to hold back the Sahara Desert. |
| Size: | 7.91 MB; 6184 x 4128 pixels; 524 x 350 mm (print at 300 DPI); 1636 x 1092 mm (screen at 96 DPI); |
| Show more details: | Ibrahima Kebe Diallo |
| Copyright: | ©IFAD/Ibrahima Kebe Diallo |
| Categories: | New from West and Central Africa |
| URL: | ifad.org |
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