IFAD photo by Kellens Liesbeth. Design mission of National Programme to Support Agriculture Value Chain Actors. A group of women winnow rice after harvesting.

 
   

Guinea: National Programme to Support Agriculture Value Chain Actors

Programme area. This nationwide programme will initially be implemented in the Forest Region and in Middle Guinea. It will subsequently be expanded to cover Upper Guinea and Lower Guinea through additional funding to be provided under future performance-based resource allocation cycles and other donor funding.

Target group. The target group consists of approximately 50,000 households, representing about 300,000 people in the Forest Region and in Middle Guinea. This includes smallholders and other actors engaged in the selected value chains and grouped into professional organizations.

Programme objectives. The programme's overall objective is to increase the food security and incomes of the rural poor in a sustainable manner. In particular, it aims to promote the development of economically viable value chains by improving the productivity and competitiveness of the activities conducted by the rural poor and professionalizing their organizations. Value chains that have a substantial and immediate impact on food security, incomes and poverty reduction in the Forest Region include those of rice, palm oil and rubber. In Middle Guinea, such commodities include potatoes, maize and onion.

Programme description. In addition to project management, the project has three components:

  • Supporting professional agricultural organizations and their investments. The programme will: (i) support Guinea's National Confederation of Farmers' Organizations (CNOP-G) in addressing cross-cutting issues related to value chain development such as strategic planning, sector policy dialogue, monitoring and evaluation, and provision of specialized training to members; (ii) assist professional agricultural organizations (federations and unions) in planning, implementing and monitoring economic activities related to value chain development; and (iii) facilitate programme beneficiaries' access to critical infrastructure, inputs and equipment necessary for the development of the targeted agricultural value chains.
  • Providing financial and institutional support. The objective of this component is to create an enabling environment for value chain development. The programme will: (i) provide institutional support to public services and facilitate the provision of technical assistance to implement activities related to value chain development; (ii) promote the development of specific financial services; and (iii) finance the consolidation of existing financial service associations.
    • Promoting knowledge management and programme coordination. The programme will: (i) raise awareness among target group beneficiaries about the programme's objectives; (ii) introduce a system to capture and disseminate knowledge; and (iii) facilitate the coordination and management of the programme.
       
     

    IFAD photo by Kellens Liesbeth. Design mission for the National Programme to Support Agriculture Value Chain Actors. The woman is boiling palm nuts in preparation for palm oil extraction.

    		 
       

    Important features. The programme is consistent with the objectives of Guinea's poverty reduction strategy paper - Phase II (PSRP-II) and its National Agricultural Development Policy - Vision 2015. It is also key to implementing the new IFAD results-based country strategic opportunities programme (COSOP) for Guinea (2009-2014). In addition, the strategy and activities of the National Programme to Support Agriculture Value Chain Actors build on the experience of IFAD and other agencies in Guinea, and are aligned with the objectives of the COSOP and the IFAD Strategic Framework 2007-2010.

    The programme has several innovative features worth noting. In particular, it: (i) transfers responsibility to farmers' organizations for the direct implementation of activities; (ii) develops advisory capacity within the farmers' organizations; (iii) facilitates and institutionalizes dialogue among the different value chain actors; (iv) incorporates a knowledge management strategy to be implemented by CNOP-G and the National Coordination Unit, in collaboration with other IFAD-supported projects and the FIDAFRIQUE network; (v) improves access to inputs by introducing a financing mechanism into the farmers' organizations; (vi) encourages partnerships between the private sector/large commercial firms and smallholder farmers; and (vii) operationalizes sectoral policy dialogue through apex farmers' organizations, especially CNOP-G.

    Other financing sources: The domestic contribution is expected to amount to US$5.0 million (US$3.5 million from the Government and US$1.5 million from beneficiaries). About US$11.2 million has been made available through an ongoing IFAD loan (most recently replenished in April 2009). The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has earmarked US$7.0 million to cofinance the project. The Islamic Development Bank and the African Development Bank have indicated their interest in cofinancing the programme. Other interested cofinanciers are invited to contact IFAD.

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