Rural Development Project in the Zanzan Region

The project covered the departments of Bondoukou and Bouna in the savannah zone and Tanda in the forest zone, all in the Zanzan region. It focused on a target group composed of smallholder farmers and particularly on women and young people. The goals were to contribute substantially to food security in the region, to increase and diversify incomes and to improve health conditions.

The project’s main activities included:

• installation of micro-irrigation infrastructure and technical and organizational support for its management by farmers’ groups
• establishment of new drinking water sites and rehabilitation or repair of existing ones, in addition to sensitization of women’s groups on health and sanitation
• rehabilitation and spot repair of feeder roads to improve market access
• creation of a network of credit and savings cooperatives and village banks primarily targeting women

The combining of a mutualistic and Grameen-type approach in the same microfinance institution was an innovative feature. It was designed to reach a range of clients through development of financial services tailored to their specific needs and financial capabilities.

Source: IFAD