By Faridat Salifu
The African Development Bank (AfDB) $17m grant given over 22,000 rural women farmers and 205 women’s cooperatives is set to transform the lives of rural dwelling women in Mauritania.
This initiative, part of the Project for the Promotion of Gender-Sensitive Agricultural Value Chains and Women’s Entrepreneurship (PCVASGEF-PATAM), aims to bolster agricultural productivity and enhance the livelihoods of women in the Brakna and Trarza regions of the Southwest Africa country.
The AfDB’s commitment will significantly impact women market gardeners by strengthening their resilience, increasing agricultural value, and boosting rural women’s incomes.
Malinne Blomberg, AfDB’s Country Manager for Mauritania, emphasized that the project will establish local market garden production centres, ensuring year-round production and minimizing national-level disruptions.
The funding will facilitate structural improvements and the development of market garden areas specifically for women, covering 1,014 hectares divided into 321 small modular units, and 4,500 hectares of improved flood recession basins.
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In addition, two vegetable packaging and storage units will be constructed, along with six local vegetable markets equipped with solar-powered innovative and efficient irrigation systems.
Part of the grant was also meant to tackle food security challenges by promoting female entrepreneurship.
The AfDB plans to establish twelve agricultural savings and credit cooperatives to support 205 women’s market gardening cooperatives. These cooperatives will play a crucial role in fostering innovative start-ups and young entrepreneurs in the agricultural sector.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) has highlighted the severe risks of food insecurity in Mauritania, particularly in the impoverished rural southeastern regions where women and young children are most vulnerable.
However, recent improvements have been noted, and the European Council has commended Mauritanian President Mohammed Ould Ghazouani for his leadership in agriculture and security.
This AfDB-backed project is set to make a significant contribution to improving food security and promoting sustainable agricultural practices in Mauritania, ensuring a brighter future for its rural women farmers.
