Reviving agricultural production in areas affected by the Ebola outbreak in Guinea
Government, World Bank and FAO launch field activities in favour of households affected by the Ebola outbreak
30 April, Conakry -- The Government of Guinea, the World Bank and FAO have successfully started their activities aiming at reviving agricultural production and incomes of households affected by the Ebola outbreak. This joint initiative aims to reduce the negative impact of the epidemic on livelihoods and improve the nutritional status of populations affected in Conakry and the Prefectures of Gueckedou, Macenta, Kissidougou, Kouroussa Siguiri N'Nzérékoré, Forécariah Kérouané Coyah, Beyla and Kindia.
A total of 18 660 households will receive maize, rice and vegetable seeds, as well as fertilizers and agricultural tools for the next planting seasons. The expected rice and corn production, estimated at 9 000 and 4 800 tonnes respectively, will allow producers and their families to meet their food needs and earn much needed income to cover health and education expenses, among others.
The identification of beneficiaries and the distribution of inputs and related equipments have started in April 2015. In Kissidougou, a town 600 km from Conakry, a technical training workshop was held on 17 April and gathered twenty-four implementing partners including agents of decentralized services of the Ministries of Agriculture and Livestock, non-governmental organizations and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Partners are now fully skilled to provide technical and operational support to smallholder farmers during the next crop seasons. They also received the tools needed for the implementation of the project on the ground including for the registration of beneficiaries, the storage of agricultural inputs, germination tests, and the role of monitoring village committees, among others.
In addition to support to agricultural production, this joint initiative funded by the World Bank for a total of USD 5 million includes the implementation of social mobilization campaigns to sensitize up to 30 000 households on prevention measures to stop the transmission of the disease in rural areas.
Contact: [email protected] (Communication)