Project to Support Food Production and Build Resilience (PAPVIRE-ABC)

Start & End Date: 2010-2021

Country/Countries: Benin

Multilateral Institution(s) Involved: African Development Bank

In the Alibori, Borgou, and Collines Departments, the prevalence of food insecurity ranges from 10% to 27%. These areas are also subject to climatic hazards, which cause drought and floods with serious consequences: 70% of villages in Alibori Department, 50% in Borgou Department, and 40% in Collines Department have experienced recurrent floods that have caused serious damage to crops and dwellings.

PAPVIRE-ABC targets the most fragile and economically, socially, and environmentally disadvantaged municipalities in the Alibori, Borgou, and Collines Departments of Benin, covering more than 2.5 million people. By allocating $24 million to enhance food and nutritional security, the project boosts food production in these selected areas by improving productivity, building resilience to climate change, ensuring sustainable management of agricultural and natural resources, and increasing household incomes to alleviate the impact of poverty and to strengthen the resilience of populations, particularly women and youth. The project improves food supply and accessibility by developing agricultural value chains through improved farm productivity, technological innovations, sustainable management of natural agricultural resources, promotion of agricultural entrepreneurship, youth and women’s employment, support for improved nutrition, and stakeholder capacity development. Activities include improving and managing agricultural infrastructure (e.g., irrigation schemes, farm-to-market roads, storage and processing facilities), strengthening crop distribution and marketing systems, and ensuring access to certified seeds and quality fertilizer and pesticides. The project also promotes the dissemination and adoption of sustainable land conservation and regeneration techniques and of climate change adaptation and natural resource management measures for small-scale farmers (e.g., inclusion of grain legumes and soil improvement plants into the crop rotation system).

As of December 2020, the project has benefitted 51,111 people, surpassing the project target of 50,000 people. Out of those reached, 37 percent were women. Through the PAPVIRE-ABC project, 29,181 hectares of land have received improved production support, while 23,260 smallholders have received productivity enhancement support. Additionally, 600 producer-based organizations have been supported. Through its nutrition agenda, the project has provided 160 people with improved nutrition services and products, surpassing the end of project target of 150. With 15 out of 40 post-harvest facilities constructed and/or rehabilitated, the project has helped process 5,300 tons of agricultural produce by these post-harvest facilities established with support by the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP).