Project area. Project activities will be focused on the Maradi region, where 20 per cent of the nation's population lives.

Target group. The project will complement the IFAD-financed Agricultural and Rural Rehabilitation and Development Initiative Project (ARRDI) and reach the same target group - altogether about 340,000 individuals, with a special emphasis on women and young people.

Project objectives. The project's overall aim is to help the Government achieve the Millennium Development Goals in the Maradi region by strengthening regional delivery institutions (both private and public). This will be achieved within the context of ARRDI, which is working to improve the living conditions, incomes and food security of the poorest rural populations. The new project will  focus on: (i) strengthening the capacity of local public institutions (communes, decentralized public services) and private institutions to take charge of local development; and (ii) supporting ARRDI's efforts to reduce household-level vulnerability to food insecurity.

Project description. The project will have three components:

• Support to the decentralization process. The project will strengthen the capacity of public institutions to provide essential support for the planning and implementation of grass-roots development actions. It will underpin the decentralization process by: (i) enhancing local ownership of decentralization law and rules, and mobilizing local actors for their own development; (ii) strengthening commune-level governance; (iii) promoting sustainable local investment through the establishment of a community development fund; (iv) guiding, monitoring and evaluating the decentralization process; and (v) strengthening the capacity of local private-sector service providers to carry out works needed by the local population. The project will also strengthen locally based public technical services.

• Promotion of household food security. Through this component, additional funds will be allocated for financing ARRDI's efforts to improve local food supplies, both quantitatively and qualitatively, thereby reducing the poorest households' vulnerability to food shortages and improving their nutritional status. Specifically, the project will focus on: (i) establishing cereal, seed and fertilizer banks, especially for women's groups; (ii) promoting bulk buying of inputs by networks and federations of crop and livestock farmers' associations; and (iii) supporting inventory credit as practised by the so-called Projet Intrants (the Promotion of the Use of Agricultural Inputs by Producer Organizations Project), currently implemented in Maradi by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations.

• Coordination and management. The new project's coordination will be integrated with ARRDI's in order to increase interagency coordination, complementarities and synergies.

Important features. To improve IFAD's overall impact on the livelihoods of the rural poor in the Maradi region, the new project will be integrated into ARRDI as a new component. The project is well aligned with IFAD's country strategic opportunities paper, which recommends strengthening public and private institutions in order to ensure the sustainability of IFAD's interventions. It is also consistent with the objectives of the country's strategy for poverty reduction and its rural development strategy. In implementing the new project, IFAD will exploit opportunities for complementarity and synergy with the initiatives of the Government and other donors, capitalizing on their experiences. In November 2005, at IFAD's request, the Maradi region was designated as a pilot region by the United Nations Development Assistance Framework.

Potential cofinanciers and domestic contribution. Discussions are ongoing with the United Nations Development Programme and  the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency. The domestic contribution is expected to be around US$2.0 million.

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Photo caption 1: IFAD photo by L. Rosa - Niger - Second Maradi Rural Development Project - Storing millet at a cereal bank in the district of Aguié. During poor seasons, farmers can borrow from this 'bank' and return the 'loan' after the next harvest.

Photo caption 2: IFAD photo by Robert Grossman - Niger - Special Country Programme - Women remove stems from peppers in Zarwaram, west of Diffa. Their 'wages' are two full bowls of peppers, which they resell for a profit. Off-season, they make artisanal items and buy kola nuts and sugar to resell.

Facts and figures Region: Western and Central Africa Project ID number: 1443 Nature of project: Rural development Project cost (provisional): US$22.57 million Estimated IFAD grant: To be determined Cofinancing gap: See section on potential cofinanciers Domestic contribution (provisional): US$2.0 million Stage of project cycle: Under formulation Next step in project development: Appraisal scheduled for end of March/April 2008, preceded by  a country meeting in March. Tentative date for consideration by the Executive Board: September 2008 Project duration: Five years Tentative project start-up date: First quarter of 2009 Implementing agency: Ministry of Territorial Management and Community Development Borrower: Republic of the Niger Hot links Rural poverty in Niger IFAD operations in Niger Planned project activities disclaimer Contact information Mr M. Béavogui Director, Western and Central Africa Mr H. Boirard Country Programme Manager e-mail: h.boirard@ifad.org International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) Via Paolo di Dono, 44, 00142 Rome, Italy Tel: +39 0654591 e-mail: ifad@ifad.org