Women's Resilience and Empowerment in Agriculture Project (PRAFA)

Rural households in the program area are largely dependent on agricultural production for food security and basic needs coverage. The fact is that the growth of agriculture is more and more unstable and appears to be insufficient to significantly raise the standard of living of the rural population. Such a situation can be explained at different levels:

  • agricultural productivity is still insufficient;
  • production systems that are highly affected by poor production practices (use and low resilience to the effects of climate change).

Beyond these constraints, agriculture, which is a niche in terms of job creation for young people and women, is struggling to mobilize its potential due to several constraints related to a socio-economic environment that is unfavorable to the development of economic initiatives.

Our action

The UNI4COOP program in a partnership with Eclosio / Louvain Cooperation supports rural families and more specifically young people and women to improve their socio-economic conditions, health, and the exercise of their rights.

It is for that reason that:

  • rural households in Natitingou (Atacora Department), Parakou, Tchaourou and Ndali (Borgou Department) strengthen and balance their family farms around agricultural activities and income-generating activities;
  • the food and economic security of the populations in the intervention zones is durably improved through a diversified and adapted offer of support services for agriculture and entrepreneurship;
  • financial access to quality, safe, and effective essential health services for the informal and rural populations of Tanguiéta-Cobly-Matéri (Atacora) and Comé (Mono) be improved through the community mutual system, which forms part of the universal health insurance scheme (UHIP) set up by the State.

Project duration : 4 years – January 2017 to January 2021

Total budget of the project :
493.508 euros, including 394.800 euros financed by the DGD (Belgian Development Cooperation)

Intervention areas :
Natitingou, Abomey, Bohicon Parakou, Tchaourou and Ndali
Department of Mono Communes de Comé, Bopa and Houeyogbé

Beneficiaries of the project:

This program should touch:

  • 192 families whose members involved in the process of diversification / enhancement of production, promotion of agroecology and integration of entrepreneurship young and women on family farms and 240 additional families in the context of support to the valorization of productions and nutritional awareness
  • cooperatives and farmers’ organizations to ensure the food and economic security of the population of the Department of Mono
  • about 80% of Atacora and Mono residents with access to health care