IFAD funds to benefit 55,000 rural households

Food security in the Democratic Republic of Congo's Orientale Province is set to improve following a US $15.5-million loan from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), which is set to benefit at least 55,000 rural households - comprising mostly farmers, fishermen and livestock owners. "IFAD wants to improve food security in the Democratic Republic of the Congo's poor rural communities so that the country can move away from emergency assistance and concentrate on long-term development programmes," Leopold Sarr, IFAD's country programme manager for the DRC, said in a statement issued on Wednesday from Rome, Italy. "This programme will help farmers and fishers to improve their livelihoods and increase their incomes," he added. IFAD is an agency of the United Nations dedicated to eradicating poverty and hunger in rural areas of developing countries. Through low-interest loans and grants, it develops and finances projects that enable rural poor people to overcome poverty themselves. According to IFAD, the latest programme in the DRC would enable poor farmers, fishermen and livestock owners to increase their incomes and become more food secure. "The programme will assist in the rehabilitation of the agricultural and fishery sectors by making financial services and new technology more accessible to poor farmers and fishers," IFAD said. Under the programme, IFAD will provide the $15.5-million loan and a $300,000 grant to support the $26 million Agricultural Rehabilitation Programme in Orientale. IFAD said the Belgian Survival Fund would cofinance the programme with a 5.2 million euros ($6.2 million) grant while the DRC government would contribute $3.4 million. IFAD President Lennart Båge and the charge d'affaires of the Congolese embassy, Innocent Mokosa Mandende, signed the loan agreement on Wednesday at IFAD headquarters in Rome. Years of civil conflict and economic mismanagement have taken their toll on the country, IFAD reported, making it one of the poorest in the world. "Transportation, communication and basic infrastructure have been destroyed; in many cases lack of maintenance has also led to deterioration," IFAD said. Most rural households depend on agriculture for their survival. "Continuous conflicts have also had a negative impact on the development of the country's agricultural sector," IFAD said. "Despite vast natural resources, less than 2 percent of the arable land is cultivated and the country imports a substantial amount of food to meet national demand. Low agricultural productivity and lack of access to markets and financial services have exacerbated poverty in rural areas." Under the IFAD programme, farmers would be provided with seeds, pesticides, fertilisers and small tools so they can plant new crops and restore agricultural production. Farmers' groups would receive technical support and funding to build infrastructure and to develop economic activities such as fish farming and processing. Moreover, some 120 km of new trunk roads would be built and 300 km of feeder roads reopened, making it easier for farmers and fishers to access markets where they can trade and sell their goods. According to IFAD, transportation along the river would also be improved. New boats - better adapted for the pickup and delivery of goods - would help fishers and farmers to transport their goods efficiently. IFAD said, with this programme, it would have financed five programmes and projects in the DRC for a total $60 million in loans and grants.