TAAT signs $.1 million agreement to boost food production in Comoros
The Government of Comoros has engaged Technologies for African Agricultural Transformation (TAAT) to provide technical assistance to the government through the African Emergency Food Production Facility (AEFPF).
In an agreement worth $107 096, signed on the 11th of June 2023, TAAT is expected to provide technical expertise capable of increasing local food production and enhancing food systems resilience with a particular focus on maize, potato, sweet potato, and poultry.
The project’s objective is to increase local food production and build the resilience of food systems to mitigate short- and medium-term risks due to the war in Ukraine. Specifically, it aims to intensify maize, potato and sweet potato production using certified seeds of climate change-resilient varieties; address priority needs for the revival of poultry production to increase the availability and accessibility of eggs and white meat; and create favourable conditions for production and for the productivity of the targeted value chains.
TAAT, through its partnership with the International Institute of Tropical Agriculture (IITA) and the International Potato Centre (CIP), and the national agricultural research and extension systems, will introduce climate-smart technologies for maize and potato production. Through this partnership, leading experts from Comoros and international institutions will collaborate to integrate proven TAAT innovations into the Comoros emergency project.
The direct beneficiaries of the project are estimated at more than 14,000 households or about 70,000 people living in the country’s three islands (Grande-Comores, Anjouan and Moheli) with 10 rural economic development centres (CRDEs) and 400 farmers’ organisations (FOs) of which 55% are women’s organisations.
The indirect beneficiaries include a large proportion of the Comorian people who will benefit from the improvement in the availability and quality of agricultural and poultry production.
Sponsored by the African Development Bank as part of its Feed Africa Initiative, TAAT aims to double the productivity of crops, livestock and fisheries by making proven technologies available to more than 40 million agricultural producers by 2025. This will produce an additional 120 million tonnes of food and lift 130 million people out of poverty.
