Description and objectives

The module advises the Ministry of Agriculture of Niger in the design and implementation of an agricultural policy that develops the economic potential of small-scale irrigation by strengthening the individual and institutional capacities of state and non-state actors active in small-scale irrigation (SSI) for the implementation of strategies, measures and instruments for the sustainable development of water and soil resources. Its overall objective is to contribute in a sustainable way to the improvement of agriculture, economic growth and food security and it operates in three regions: Agadez, Tahoua and Tillabéri. ECO has implemented the previous 3 phases, phases 3 and 4 in a consortium with AFC and Iram.

Our contribution

• Advise The Agricultural Extension Agency (APCA) on future cooperation with service providers and on its organisational development so that it gradually takes ownership of the implementation of funds provided by the Nigerien state (via the Food Security Investment Fund FISAN), the project and other actors for agricultural extension services in other regions as well. 
• Continued renewal of land rights legislation on the basis of the land rights policy adopted in 2021 with partners involved in a division of labour.
• Train, advise and support SNCA and APCA implementers at national and regional levels.
• Improve the coordination function of IP actors, integrating sustainable agricultural development (ecological-economic-social).
• Advise APCA on the operationalisation of the SNCA.
• Supporting the establishment and functionality of other APCA regional directorates.
• Identification, adaptation and dissemination of climate-friendly and agro-ecological technologies, farming practices and farming systems in the IP, in cooperation with regional institutions in charge of promoting innovations (research, extension and farmers' organisations' umbrella organisations)
• Development of appropriate training modules and materials for agricultural extension with a focus on the two themes of agroecology and nutrition-sensitive agriculture (food system approach).
• Promote the use of existing and newly developed modules to training institutions, associations and chambers of agriculture and extension service providers.
• Develop the skills of actors in the various SNCA advisory mechanisms.
• Develop a needs-based approach to vocational education, especially for youth and women.
• Disseminating the use of digital services in agriculture (in cooperation with the Digital Centres Flagship project).
• Implementation of qualification training for rural professions and institutionalisation of training in selected training centres.