Malanje Smallholder Sector Rehabilitation Project

Malanje Smallholder Sector Rehabilitation Project

This project was part of the special programme for Sub-Saharan African countries affected by drought and desertification. The Malanje area was once a major producer of maize, but because of neglect of the agricultural sector and deteriorating economic conditions, including the virtual disappearance of markets, farmers have reverted to a subsistence economy. Extensive cultivation has turned this once-forested area to savannah, and there are clear signs of diminishing soil fertility. The project goal was to stimulate productivity in the agricultural sector and ensure the sector’s economic growth. In addition to helping small-scale farmers overcome the difficulties they faced and recover a good level of productivity, the project worked to provide incentives to resume production. For example, it enabled the introduction of pricing policies.

Project activities included:

• strengthening grass-roots institutions to enable them to better serve smallholders
• introducing technical innovations that raise productivity and are also environmentally sound
• organizing farmers and small-scale enterprises to best exploit the government’s new policy initiative
• supporting the government in providing inputs and strengthening extension services

Source: IFAD