Niger has launched the Phase II of the Small-Scale Irrigation and Food Security Program (PISA) that is set to improve access to water for irrigation in the regions of Agadez, Tahoua and Tillabéri.
Issa Moussa, the governor of the Tahoua region in southern Niger presided over the ceremony. Through PISA II, Nigerien authorities want to strengthen the resilience of small-scale farmers in the face of drought that degrades the land, accentuating food insecurity.
In Niger, more than 80% of the population lives from agriculture according to the World Bank. Over the next five years, water infrastructure will be built to supply irrigation systems throughout the country.
Conservation works
In Tahoua, the construction of water reservoirs is planned, as well as in the regions of Agadez and Tillabéri, located in central and southwestern Niger respectively. The program promotes small-scale irrigation through the implementation of “water and soil conservation works, and soil defence and restoration (CES/DRS) in watersheds with irrigation potential; rural infrastructure in the vicinity of developed areas and perimeters to promote support for the marketing of agricultural products; infrastructure for opening up (service roads) and infrastructure for storage and processing,” says the Niger Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.
The realization of PISA II will require an investment of about US $52M. The Nigerien government is financing the work with a loan from the Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau (KfW). The German development agency is the main donor to the program.
PISA II comes just after Phase I of the program, which will be completed in 2020. The first part of the program has allowed the development of 1,036 hectares of plantations and their development, the realization of water and soil conservation works and soil defense and restoration on more than 1,240 hectares, the realization of 22 weirs and the construction of several related facilities at a total cost of more than 17.5 million dollars.
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