Deadline: 2 September 2019

The International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) has launched an open call for a total amount of up to US$3.5 million to implement a project titled: Integrated fish-rice-vegetable food systems for improved livelihoods, food and nutrition security and climate resilience in Malawi, Ghana and Cote d’Ivoire: Scaling-up lessons learnt from Cambodia (or south Asia).

The overall goal of this project is to improve livelihoods, food and nutrition security, and climate resilience in Malawi, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire. The objectives are to increase incomes; increase the supply, access to, and consumption of fish, vegetables and rice; and to increase the efficiency of water and land use among rural-poor households through the adoption of IFRV systems

The competitively selected implementing institution must be an international organization with experience and operations in Africa on integrated fish and rice systems.

Intensive testing and promotion of integrated fish-rice (+ vegetable) food systems has taken place in several Asian countries. Some of the lessons learned in Cambodia (or in Asia) include: 1) small fish in aquaculture should target both commercial and small household fish ponds for optimal impact, 2) investments should focus on a) increasing the capacity for the management of the brooding population and b) simple infrastructure, which is key for the sustainability of the system in the long term, and 3) when managed, both wetlands and seasonal flood plains can provide a source of fish for nutrition throughout the year.

The proposed project aims to transform expanding rice farming systems to include both fish and vegetables in Malawi, Côte d’Ivoire and Ghana to a) increase productivity and incomes and b) improve food and nutrition security. It will do so in collaboration with the National Agricultural Research and Extension Systems (NARES), the private sector and other IFADfunded projects such as the Sustainable Agricultural Production Programme (SAPP).

This proposal addresses several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs, 1,2, 5, 8) and contributes to Malawi, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire meeting their country targets. The project will increase the availability of and access to fish (supplying essential fatty acids, multiple, highly available micronutrients and animal protein), vegetables (increasing the dietary diversity and micronutrient contribution) and rice (an energy-rich staple food), reducing hunger and improving nutrition and health. In doing so, it contributes directly to long-term capital development.

Expected Outcomes

• Increased participation of women and youth from smallholder farming households in implementing IFRV food systems;
• Increased availability of, access to, income from and consumption of fish, vegetables and rice in the targeted population groups;
• Improved water management and soil health in targeted geographies, leading to increased adaptive capacity and resilience to the impacts of climate change ;
• Increased capacity of local and district actors/institutions to plan, implement and monitor IFRV systems;
• Greater understanding of the benefits of IFRV systems through robust, evidence-based assessments;
• Increased understanding of partners and policy makers to guide policies and boost investments in IFRV food systems at national/regional level

Components

• Component 1: Building capacities and resources of smallholder farmers/institutions for the adoption of IFRV food systems
• Component 2: Developing context-specific IFRV food systems for improved productivity, climate resilience, and food and nutrition security
• Component 3: Assessing the benefits (to people, productivity and ecosystems) of improved IFRV systems
• Component 4: Building strong national and regional collaborations for scaling

Direct and Indirect Target Group

• The project will directly target 10,000 smallholder farmers in Malawi, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire who generally cultivate rice and are willing to extend their range of production to fish and vegetables. Of the target group, at least 60% will be women and at least 40% will be youth.
• Through secondary adoption and outreach activities, especially to neighbouring locations, the project indirectly targets an estimated 100,000 smallholder farmers in each country.
• Other indirect target groups include local and national staff, community leaders, village development committees, natural resources management committees, national NGOs within the area of rural development, youth groups and service providers (i.e. input providers, buyers, and other actors along the IFRV value chains).

How to Apply

All proposals, communications and requests of clarifications should be submitted via email at the address given on the website.

For more information, please visit https://www.ifad.org/en/web/latest/news-detail/asset/41241760