Kindamba Food Crops Development Project

Kindamba Food Crops Development Project

Kindamba district is the country’s largest agricultural area, with 22 per cent of the country’s agricultural area. The district’s network of dirt roads and tracks were severely deteriorated and need extensive rehabilitation. The majority of the population is among the poorest of the country’s poor. In 70 per cent of the farm families, at least one member has migrated to the city in search of employment. Farming is practiced at the subsistence level, and cassava is the dominant crop.

The objective of the project was to raise production and income through extension, road rehabilitation, credit and institutional support. The project, which was appraised and supervised by the World Bank, was a regional component of a nationally coordinated extension programme.

It had the aim of strengthening cassava production at the national level by introducing improved planting materials.

Specific objectives included:

• increasing food crop production through development of programmes related to biological control, demonstrations, extension, training, input supply and crop processing
• supporting the formation of livestock associations
• developing adaptive research programmes
• improving market access by rehabilitating rural roads, and improving rural health by providing clean water supplies.

The project initiated a market support programme that supported local groups and provided credit for marketing.

Source: IFAD