Capacity building to implement the Local Development Fund approach in the strengthening of the rice and corn sectors
In the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Integrated Programme for the Restoration of Agriculture in the Province of Maniema (PIRAM in French), funded by IFAD and implemented by UNCDF, provides a crucial support to the strengthening of the rice sector in the Maniema province, in particular in the territories of Kasongo and Kabambare which are the most important areas of rice and corn production in the province.
The specific objectives of PIRAM articulate around two major axes:
- Increase the revenues of the communities living in the area, thanks on one hand to the renewal of agricultural, fish farming and livestock production, and on the other hand to the improvement of the access to the market of agricultural products;
- Enhance the population access to the basic social services (health, clean water).
A concrete support to the sectors
Given the weakness of the level of data of the farmers’ umbrella organizations and the technical services on issues met with the rice and corn sectors, it has appeared crucial to make a complete diagnosis in the two territories. This has enabled PIRAM, the local authorities and the farmers’ organizations to dispose of reliable quantitative and qualitative data on the rice and corn sectors, enabling them to plan and make realistic business plans. On this basis, a support plan of the two sectors from 2015 to 2018 has been designed with relevant and encrypted recommendations enabling agricultural guidance and the organization of the rural world, the organization of the systems of agricultural production, processing and product marketing.
Specific emphasis has been put on processing and marketing, which constitute areas of support for PIRAM through the Local Development Fund (LDF).
