Intervention(s)
The project that we intent to evaluate, “Project to Support Food Production and Build Resilience in departments of Alibori, Borgou, and Collines (PAPVIRE-ABC)” is designed to help come up with solution to food production’s problems we are facing in its intervention zone. In fact, Benin has faced low productivity in agriculture for decades, mainly in food production. For example, agronomic research shows that maize yield could reach seven tons per hectare, but in reality, we barely get 1.4 ton/ha (Hodonou, A, 2014; MAEP, 2014; MAEP, 2015). Also, maize varieties used in Benin are most of the time not climate smart as the production cycle may last more than 105 days. As a results, maize may not come to the end of it production cycle before drought or flood hits. Therefore, loss of production due to non-resilient variety of maize will have a negative impact on household income. Other problems faced by food producers in Benin are lack of credit to purchase high yield food crop seeds, access to market not well organized; as a result of that, it is difficult to come up with a sustainable mechanism of agricultural credit. The other crucial problems are lack of training for use of climate smart technologies in agriculture, farm management in context of climate change. Their consequences on productivity and food security are well-known.
In general, the Republic of Benin used to be a non-critical food and nutrition security situation country. In fact, the global hunger index at Benin level showed that a big effort has been made in that more than 50% reduction have been observed in the value of this index between 1990 and 2014. However, due to severe climatic hazards which cause drought and floods with serious consequences since 2010, some parts of the country have reached an alarming level of food and nutrition security. The three Departments of Alibori, Borgou and Collines, being supported by the project, are the most stricken (CFSVA, 2014). As a results, household income was affected, and precarious living conditions have increased, rural exodus and social conflicts over the use of land and transhumance corridors have been exacerbated.
According to the project documentation, “The overall goal of PAPVIRE-ABC is to help improve food and nutrition security, as well as to help reduce poverty. The specific project objective is to boost food production in the three administrative departments of Alibori, Borgou and Collines in a sustainable manner by improving productivity, building resilience to climate change, ensuring sustainable management of agriculture and natural resources, reducing gender inequalities, and increasing household incomes, particularly the income of the most vulnerable segments of the population in the project impact area.” (African development bank, 2015). The project will be implemented over a five-year-period, and comprises three components: (i) Support for rural infrastructures; (ii) Development of Agriculture Value Chains and Resilience; and (iii) Project Management. The second component “Development of Agriculture Value Chains and Resilience” is the main goal of this experimental study. This component aims to increase agricultural productivity, engender more added value, stimulate entrepreneurship among youth and women, alleviate food and nutrition insecurity, and reinforce the household resilience. It will mainly focus on the following activities: (a) improve farm productivity and technological innovations; (b) build stakeholder capacity; (c) develop agricultural value chains; (d) promote youths and women agricultural entrepreneurship and employability; and (e) support nutrition-oriented activities.
The project will directly benefit 50,000 people (40% of them will be women), including 25,445 smallholder farmers who will receive support to cultivate corn, rice and vegetables. On average, each smallholder farmers will get support for 1.5 hectares for corn, 0.5 hectare for rice, and 0.25 hectare for vegetables through an innovative model of agricultural extension.