SENEGAL – RTI International, a non-profit research and global development institute, has been selected by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to lead a new program aimed to sustainably reduce poverty and malnutrition in Senegal through growth in the agriculture sector.

The five-year Feed the Future Senegal Value Chain Services Activity will continue and build upon the successes achieved through the RTI-implemented and USAID-funded Feed the Future Senegal Naatal Mbay (flourishing agriculture) project, which ran from 2015-2019, as part of Feed the Future, the U.S. government’s global hunger and food security initiative. 

“Despite sustained growth in Senegal’s economy over the past five years, there remains a gap between agricultural production and the food security needs of a growing population.

“We’re excited to work with USAID and Senegalese farmers and businesses to build on our previous partnerships and expand income-generating opportunities — particularly for women and youth — that can help increase communities’ access to safe and nutritious food,” said Tania Brunn, RTI’s senior director for Food Security & Agriculture.

Over the next five years, Feed the Future Senegal Value Chain Services is expected to provide technical services that increase incomes, employment, resilience to climate shocks, and food availability and affordability, particularly in rural populations.

Leveraging the relationships and tools created through the Naatal Mbay program, the new project will expand its scope to reach more commodities, farmers and communities.

Along with RTI, the project will be implemented by Association Sénégalaise pour la Promotion du Développement par la Base (ASPRODEB), a national farmer-based advocacy and development organization; Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rural (IPAR), a rural development think tank; Fédération des Producteurs de Maïs du Saloum (FEPROMAS), Fédération des Périmètres Autogérés (FPA), and Entente de Diouloulou, three local farmer organizations.

 TechnoServe; Partners in Food Solutions, an alliance of U.S. NGOs; Market Share Associates, a woman-owned small business; and Dimagi, a social enterprise will also take part in the project.

“Working with RTI and other partners here in Senegal, we made so much progress under the Feed the Future Senegal Naatal Mbay program

“With the support of USAID, we’re looking forward to continuing that progress and leveraging the power of inclusive agriculture-led growth to improve Senegalese lives and livelihoods,” said Malick Ndiaye, executive director of La Banque Agricole (The Agricultural Bank) in Senegal.

Meanwhile in Ghana, USAID has dished out US$2.5 million to intensify efforts to directly mitigate the impacts of growing food insecurity, which has been exacerbated by Russia’s unprovoked aggression in Ukraine.

The funding will enable the West African nation to focus on developing and marketing inorganic and organic fertilizer products, and support fertilizer importers and blenders/manufacturers, including private sector partners, to bring more fertilizer into the country and ensure they reach the most vulnerable farmers.

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