Mauritania - Promotion of Gender-Sensitive Agricultural Value Chains to Support the Agricultural Transformation Support Programme (PCVASG-PATAM)

The proposed project will support the activities of the Agricultural Transformation Support Programme in Mauritania (PATAM), particularly agricultural production (market gardening) in Brakna-West region as well as strengthen women’s inclusion and the development of women’s institutions. Overall, it will help to improve food security and the quality of life for the target population through inclusive and sustainable gender-sensitive value chain development. The project is aligned with Mauritania’s Accelerated Growth and Shared Prosperity Strategy (SCAPP), which aims among other things to consolidate the role of the agro-pastoral sector and make it a source of economic diversification and growth. This is a climate change adaptation project that supports the transition towards inclusive sustainable growth. It will finance (i) the establishment of irrigation infrastructure (women’s market gardening areas over 420 ha and harnessing renewable energy); (ii) the promotion of value chains and women’s entrepreneurship and establishment of an inclusive microfinance mechanism (network of locally-managed micro-credit funds complementary to the funding measures planned by PATAM, including the opening of an agricultural guarantee and insurance fund); and (iii) institutional capacity-building and project coordination. The total project cost of 208.5 million new Ouguiyas (MRU), equivalent to UA 4 million, over a period of four years (2022-2025), will be financed by an NTF loan of UA 3.6 million.