Component 1. Agricultural productivity and adaptation to climate change:
The expected outcome is “Improved smallholder farmers’ productivity through the adoption of sustainable and climate-resilient and nutrition-sensitive technologies and practices”.
Sub-component 1.1, the Project will: (i) consolidate 1,300ha of existing poorly performing tidal irrigation and develop 2,800ha of new tidal irrigation on existing agricultural lands(average size per community land between 25 and 75ha); (ii) develop 200ha new wet-season valley water control cascaded dykes; (iii) develop 800ha new microcatchments runoff control dykes; (iv) establish and strengthen Water User Management Units; and (v) upgrade 20km of causeways to access 800harice-growing swampy areas.[2] In addition, the Project will upgrade 40 vegetable gardens and develop 30 new ones. Around the production sites, ecosystem preservation activities such as the rehabilitation of 1,300ha of mangroves and 1,400ha of community forests will be financed.
Sub-component 1.2 will support (i) the access to various agricultural services (extension, input provision, financial education) with the focus on the promotion of Farmers’ Field Schools for rice and vegetables; (ii) the emergence of 240 youth-led businesses that will mainly focus on the provision of services to the value chains; and (iii) capacity development of grassroots farmers’ organizations (FOs) so that they develop services for their members, particularly women-led farmers organizations.