The Regional Project for the Promotion of Climate-Smart Agriculture was initiated by ECOWAS in collaboration with the West African Development Bank (BOAD) with a view to supporting the implementation of the ECOWAP/CAADP Intervention Framework for AIC by providing a mechanism for consultation, coordination, convergence, capitalisation and monitoring of the various initiatives.
This action forms part of the operationalisation of the alliance and the implementation of commitments to protect the environment and support States in their efforts to combat climate change. It enabled the mobilisation of resources for the initiative. The resource mobilisation process was part of a call for proposals for regional projects launched by the Adaptation Fund (AF) in 2015.
ECOWAS benefited from the support of BOAD, which is a regional implementing entity of the Adaptation Fund (AF), in carrying out the project, submitting it and signing the Grant Agreement. The project was selected by the Board of Directors of the Adaptation Fund by Decision No. B31-32/16 and notified to BOAD by letter No. 2018/420 dated 18 July 2018. The amount of the project is a grant of fourteen million US dollars (USD 14,000,000).
The general objective is to reduce the vulnerability of farmers and livestock breeders to increased climatic risks
Specific objectives
01.02.03.The AIC-WADB project is structured around three (3) components:
Project components :
Component 1:Component 2Component 3Specifically, the AIC-WADB project will finance twenty-five (25) climate-smart agriculture sub-projects, with five (05) sub-projects per beneficiary country. This funding will be based on a call for proposals.
Outcome 1
- Climate services adapted to farmers' needs are available with the support of national and regional institutions and can be used by farmers.
- Knowledge and climate-resilient agricultural practices are improved.
Outcome 2
- Agricultural and livestock practices contribute to the resilience of populations with a view to improving productivity, income and carbon sequestration.
Outcome 3
- Strengthening and sharing of knowledge on the best climate-resilient agricultural practices.
Target beneficiaries
- 153,720 direct beneficiaries (50% of whom are women) of site development activities,
- 3,000 livestock farmers benefited from activities aimed at improving the mobility of transhumance livestock,
- 300,000 indirect beneficiaries, at least 50% of whom are women, of activities to share lessons learned and knowledge about the projects,
- 120 managers and staff from local communities/municipalities (at least 30% of whom are women) trained using the workshop and integration project approach and in formulating micro-project proposals,
- 520 people have been trained in the development and implementation of climate-smart projects,
- 100 farmers' organisations and plant breeders trained in integrated approaches to adapting to climate change,
- 250 farmers trained in techniques for adapting to climate change in agriculture.
Key indicators and targets :
- Expansion of the weather observation network (600 direct-reading rain gauges, thermometers and anemometers have been installed in all the communes and prefectures in the project area),
- 25 sub-projects selected as part of the implementation of the Regional AIC project (5 sub-projects selected in each of the five countries, Benin, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria and Ghana),
- 3,000 ha of crops grown using the best climate-resilient techniques and technologies adapted to each zone,
- 1,000 km of cross-border transhumance corridors or tracks demarcated,
- Realisation of 500 runoff water collection points,
- Procurement of 1000 motopumps for supplemnetary irrigation with the runoff water collection points.
- 80 solar-powered boreholes for supplementary irrigation with the runoff water collection points.
- 10 spreading thresholds with downstream development.
- 80 runoff water collection points along side crossborder transhumance corridors,
- 80 human-powered boreholes along side crossborder transhumance corridors.
