Support Project for Small Producers in the Semi-arid Zones of Falcon and Lara States

Support Project for Small Producers in the Semi-Arid Zones of Falcon and Lara States

The availability of water has always been a major concern in the semi-arid zones of Flacon and Lara states. The project proposed a series of solutions to the problem of supplying water for human and animal consumption and for irrigation of small areas of intensive cultivation of cash crops.

Technical training increased agricultural and livestock productivity, and credit and financial services supported adoption of proposed investments and technologies. The target group included the households of poor small-scale farmers and artisan fishers, and special attention was given to women. Organization of the participants into producers’ groups was a priority of the project, and had the aim of making activities sustainable.

The project worked to improve soil and water management by providing infrastructure such as cisterns, wells and ponds for capturing and storing water for consumption by humans and animals. It was particularly successful in motivating and establishing grass-roots organizations, which had not previously existed in the area. The project also established rural banks as a valid alternative for mobilizing resources and improving poor people’s access to financial services.

Through its activities, the project achieved the objective of contributing to improving participants’ real incomes, and it had positive impact on the social well-being of rural poor people in the areas involved.

Source: IFAD