Communication Analyst, West and Central Africa Division
[email protected]Nouakchott, 24 April 2024 – To strengthen the capacity of Mauritanian smallholder farmers to face the increasingly extreme effects of climate change, such as unpredictable flooding and drought, the Government of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) have launched a new project to reduce the vulnerability of 47,500 households in five wilayas [regions] in the country’s south and east: Brakna, Gorgol, Assaba, Hodh El Gharbi and Hodh Ech Chargui.
The African Climate Integrated Risk Management Project (AICRM) is part of the Great Green Wall Initiative and is being implemented in seven Sahelian countries – Burkina Faso, Chad, Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal – over a six-year period (2023–2029).
With close to 75 per cent of its territory affected by desertification, Mauritania is one of the Sahelian countries most vulnerable to climate change. Recurring drought, unpredictable flooding, soil degradation and mass rural exodus are some of the consequences that have a direct impact on the country’s food security, livelihoods and ecosystems.
“Besides introducing new technologies, training and adapted inputs to increase productivity and production in rural areas, this project will also introduce an innovative instrument that has always been lacking and is much needed – agricultural insurance”, says Marcelin Norvilus, IFAD Country Director for Mauritania.
Financed in part by the Green Climate Fund, the project has three complementary components. First, it calls for strengthening early warning and climate data management systems to better anticipate extreme climate events. Then, it focuses on promoting sustainable farming practices and renewable energies to reduce risks over the long term. Finally, it introduces climate insurance facilities, a first for the country, at both farm and national level, to protect smallholder producers against climate-related losses. These measures will secure the livelihoods and strengthen the food security of rural communities.
The project will be implemented by the Mauritania-IFAD cooperation programme team in partnership with the African Development Bank, World Food Programme, African Risk Capacity Group and national institutions. The Sustainable Management of Natural Resources, Communal Equipment and the Organization of Rural Producers Project (PROGRES), now included in the country programme, will ensure consistency and sustainability in IFAD’s climate interventions in Mauritania.
Since 1980, IFAD has invested more than US$414 million in 16 projects in Mauritania, benefiting more than two million people.
For more information on IFAD’s work in Mauritania.
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Press release IFAD PR/28/2025
IFAD is an international financial institution and a United Nations specialized agency. Based in Rome – the United Nations food and agriculture hub – IFAD invests in rural people, empowering them to reduce poverty, increase food security, improve nutrition and strengthen resilience. Since 1978, we have provided more than US$25 billion in grants and low-interest loans to fund projects in developing countries
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