Chad

Project overview

The Chad Food Systems Integrated Program project supports the Government of Chad’s efforts to transition toward sustainable, resilient, and inclusive food systems in alignment with national priorities, including the Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC), the National Adaptation Plan (NAP), the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), and Chad Vision 2030.

The project focuses on Tandjilé Province, a semi-humid agricultural region where land degradation, inefficient water management, biodiversity loss, and high climate vulnerability undermine agricultural productivity and rural livelihoods. The area overlaps with the globally significant Ramsar site “Plaines d’inondation du Logone et les dépressions Toupouri”, a landscape that provides essential ecosystem services yet faces severe pressure from unsustainable land-use practices.

The project promotes integrated, nature‑positive food systems approaches that restore degraded land, improve soil and water management, strengthen local institutions, and scale climate‑smart agriculture—particularly the System of Rice Intensification (SRI) and diversified value chains for rice, sesame, and groundnut. It expands access to finance through gender‑responsive financial services and crop insurance pilots to enhance resilience for smallholder farmers, especially women and Indigenous and Local Communities. By advancing regenerative agriculture, strengthening governance, and building inclusive value chains, the project aims to improve food security, increase incomes, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and protect the ecological integrity of Tandjilé’s landscapes while supporting long‑term food systems transformation in Chad.

Our approach

The project applies an integrated food systems and landscape approach that links policy, production, ecosystems, and markets to address the interconnected drivers of land degradation, low productivity, and climate vulnerability in Tandjilé Province. 

It strengthens food systems governance through cross‑sectoral platforms and a provincial natural resources management plan, while promoting nature-based and climate‑smart practices such as SRI, agroecology, sustainable grazing, and wetland conservation. These actions reduce emissions, improve soil and water management, and support more resilient production systems. 

The project also enhances value chains for rice, sesame, and groundnut by improving access to finance, developing investment strategies, and piloting crop insurance and other risk‑mitigation tools. Knowledge platforms, monitoring systems, and digital tools support learning, innovation, and evidence-based planning. 

Restoring degraded landscapes, improving community-based natural resource management, and building local capacities are central to ensuring sustainable adoption of regenerative practices. The project prioritizes gender equality and inclusion, ensuring women, youth, and Indigenous and Local Communities benefit equitably from food systems transformation.

Sites

The project is implemented across ten pilot sites in Tandjilé Province, including Boumou, Sadegui, Djougue, Déressia, Tokabrang, Djoun, and Dallé. These sites represent irrigated, partially irrigated, and rainfed rice systems, as well as mixed agroforestry and livestock areas. The landscapes also intersect with ecologically significant zones within the Logone basin, making them priorities for restoration and sustainable food system transformation.