Cariri and Seridó Sustainable Development Project (PROCASE-Paraiba)

The Cariri and Seridó Sustainable Development project will help poor rural people living in the semi-arid region of Paraíba to improve their livelihoods by developing the region's rural economy. The project will focus on:

• Developing human and social capital
• Improving smallholder production
• Combating desertification and promote sustainable natural resource management
• Strengthening the institutional framework and extension system

Over the last 20 years the promotion of productive activities for rural smallholders in the project area have been relegated because priority was given to improving social infrastructure. In addition, environmental problems in the region and desertification present further challenges for the region. Finally, the lack of formal education and technical training opportunities, especially for rural youngsters, is a relevant constraint for the development of the productive and social development potentials.

In this framework, the project will be oriented to promote employment and income generation through productive activities, to enhance youngsters' skills to develop farm and off-farm activities, and to increase the awareness and the capacities needed to address environmental issues and desertification threat..

The project will directly benefit about 18,500 poor small households: 14,000 through the productive development component which will provide technical assistance and investments, 4,000 youngsters will benefit from a fellowship programme oriented to increase their capacities to develop their own rural businesses, and 500 households through the environmental component aimed to the natural resources sustainable management. In addition, 150 school teachers and 10,000 pupils will participate in educational activities oriented to enhance the knowledge and capacities to coexist with the semi-arid conditions.

Source: IFAD