A new €81.9 million project will help more than 1 million vulnerable small-scale farmers in Chad improve their incomes and food security and boost an underperforming agricultural sector hampered by recurrent droughts and rain-fed farming practices.
The Strengthening Productivity and Resilience of Agropastoral Family Farms Project (RePER) includes €49.3 million grant and €5.3 million loan from IFAD, as well as co-financing from the Green Climate Fund grant (€17.1 million), the Government of Chad (€7.6 million) and by the beneficiaries themselves (€2.6 million).
Despite the challenges posed by the decline of economic growth and the impacts of climate change, the Chadian agricultural sector offers significant development opportunities for smallholder farmers.
RePER will raise the performance and resilience of agropastoral family farms by strengthening agricultural water infrastructure; rehabilitating rural feeder roads; intensifying and diversifying family farming production systems; supporting value addition for agropastoral products; improving nutrition; improving adult literacy; supporting farmers’ organizations and improving access to financial services.
The new project also supports the Government’s National Development Plan towards the modernization of the agriculture sector, the diversification of the country’s economy and the improvement of people’s quality of life.
It will be implemented in Chad’ Sahel region, mainly in the Guéra, Batha, Hadjer Lamis, Chari Baguirmi and Salamat regions. The new project will complement the activities of the ongoing PARSAT in Chad and extend activities to four new administrative areas.
Since 1992, IFAD has cofinanced nine rural development programmes and projects in Chad at a total cost of $ 244.6 million, with an IFAD investment of $ 176.4 million. These projects have directly benefitted 294,350 rural households.
Original source: IFAD
Published on 21 October 2019