Signing of new project will benefit over 200,000 poor and marginalized farmers in Andhra Pradesh

The Government of India, the Government of Andhra Pradesh and the World Bank signed the loan agreement for a $172.20 million project to enhance agricultural productivity, profitability, and climate resilience of poor and marginalized farmers in the state of Andhra Pradesh while ensuring that farming continues to remain a financially viable activity.

The Andhra Pradesh Integrated Irrigation and Agriculture Transformation Project (APIIATP)will be implemented in rural areas largely dependent upon rain-fed agriculture. It will strengthen the resilience of poor and marginalized farmers against adverse climate events by improving access to irrigation, drought seed varieties and post-harvest technology that are aimed at improving soil health, water-use efficiency, and crop productivity.

The project will benefit over 200,000 families of poor and marginalized farmers, agro-entrepreneurs, women and other vulnerable groups in Andhra Pradesh. It will work with 1000 Small-Scale Community-Based Irrigation (SSCBI) systems spread over an area of 90,000 hectares (ha), covering over 1000 villages across 12 most climate vulnerable districts of Andhra Pradesh.

“Strategic shifts are needed for India to transform its agriculture into a modern and resilient system, where rural poor, largely dependent on rain-fed agriculture, is able to use more climate-resilient farming technologies and conserve water, a scarce resource,” said Junaid Ahmad, World Bank Country Director in India. “The project will support the state’s strategic shift that puts climate resilience at the core of agricultural growth and rural development in Andhra Pradesh,” he added.

The project will take up a series of activities at the farm level to make agriculture both climate-resilient and profitable. By adopting climate-resilient seed varieties which have a short maturity, are drought and heat resistant, and salt tolerant, the project will help reduce risks of climate-related crop failure and help enhance farmer’s income.

The $172.20 million loan from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), has a 6-year grace period, and a maturity of 24 years.

Original source: World Bank
Published on 5 November 2018