Multisectoral support for food and nutrition security in Atacora (AMSANA)

The Atacora zone, in western Benin, is characterized by very difficult agroclimatic conditions, particularly poor soils with low rainfall, a local economy dominated by subsistence agriculture and an unfavorable entrepreneurship development; with consequent food insecurity and drastically lower income levels for farmers and entrepreneurs.

As of January 2014, about 10% of Benin’s population (1.1 million people) lacked proper nutrition. Atacora, with 25% of food insecure households, is ranked among the departments with the highest rates of food insecurity.

Among the main causes of this food insecurity, we can cite more particularly: the rudimentary state of tools and production methods, the increasing degradation of soil fertility, the low yields of seeds and animals, the weakness of organization level and professionalization of producers.

Our action

The “Multi-sectoral Support to Food and Nutrition Security in Atacora” (AMSANA) program aims to ensure stable availability of food and vegetable products, increase and diversify incomes, and enable better prevention of malnutrition, especially for vulnerable populations (women and young people) in this area.

Eclosio in partnership with Louvain Coopération and Local Economy Guichet (GEL) North Benin, each depending on its specialty and experience, focus on part of the project. The different components distributed are:

  • Eclosio for the fonio component, in particular the production sub-component, exclusively in the municipality of Boukombe;
  • Louvain Coopération is directly responsible for processing and marketing this cereal;
  • GEL North Benin for the Income Generating Activities (AGR) and Entrepreneurship component in the 4 communes.

Intervention areas

The program intervenes in 4 communes of the western Atacora of North Benin: Cobly, Material, Tanquiéta and Boukombe

Project duration :  60 months – October 2015 -October 2020

Beneficiaries of the project

3300 producers of fonio distributed in 25 villages of the commune of Boukombé;
the AGR component and support for entrepreneurship supports 850 farmers and entrepreneurs spread over all 65 villages in the 4 communes

In total there are 8,000 households.