UN agency working with EU Food Facility to improve rice production in the country

Rome, 7 October 2011 – The President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), Kanayo F. Nwanze will meet with Senegal President Abdoulaye Wade to discuss the country’s goal to be food sufficient by 2015.

While in the capital city of Dakar, Nwanze also will meet the Minister of Agriculture, Khadim Guèye, to review the government’s strategies for long-term investment in smallholder agriculture to reduce rural poverty. This will be the first official visit to Senegal by the President of IFAD since he entered office in 2009.

“IFAD sees promise in the initiatives Senegal has made over the past few years  creating conditions for profitable agricultural production thereby attracting young people to remain in rural areas to build their future,” Nwanze said prior to his visit.

After riots in Dakar in 2008 over rising food prices, the government announced several initiatives to bolster agriculture in the country including developing more opportunities for young people in rural communities. In Senegal, about 200,000 young people join the labour market annually, many of which are from farming families and unskilled.

While agriculture remains the main source of employment and income for about 60 per cent of the population, most of Senegal lies within the drought-prone Sahel region, with dwindling natural resources. With only about 5 per cent of the land irrigated, the heavy reliance on rain-fed cultivation results in large fluctuations in production.

Nwanze said that given these challenges and that the country is a net importer of rice with a demand of about 800,000 tonnes each year, it is noteworthy that the government has made strides in boosting its production by investing in simple technologies that farmers can use to manage water resources and improve seed varieties.

IFAD implements the European Union (EU) Food Facility in cooperation with the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT). In December 2008, the EU’s €1 Billion Food Facility was set up, to provide support and bridge the gap between emergency aid and medium-to long-term development aid. The programme has invested EUR20 million across West Africa in countries such as Mali, Ghana, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, Benin and Niger. In Senegal, the programme has invested EUR3.985 million and aims to enable smallholder farmers to increase their agricultural production, especially of rice and groundnuts, by providing them with training and improved seed varieties. Beneficiaries reported that they were able to almost double their production this year and are more self-sufficient because of the support they received from the programme.

During his visit, Nwanze will travel to the Kaolack region where he will meet with smallholder farmers who are working with IFAD and the EU Food Facility to produce improved seed varieties. Also while in the country, Nwanze will be inducted into the Senegal Academy of Sciences and Technology for his work in agricultural research and development.

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Press release No.: IFAD/69/2011

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) works with poor rural people to enable them to grow and sell more food, increase their incomes and determine the direction of their own lives. Since 1978, IFAD has invested about US$13.2 billion in grants and low-interest loans to developing countries through projects empowering about 400 million people to break out of poverty, thereby helping to create vibrant rural communities. IFAD is an international financial institution and a specialized UN agency based in Rome – the United Nation’s food and agricultural hub. It is a unique partnership of 167 members from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC), other developing countries and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).