Combat the Food Crisis in Northern Senegal – Phase Two

Implemented since 2012, the project to support the reinforcement of food security aims to reduce the vulnerability of the population affected by food insecurity in the Matam region and Podor department, located in northern Senegal.

The aim of the project is to support affected households by securing cereal and vegetable production through the supply of agricultural inputs, rehabilitating wells, providing training and meeting household needs through cash transfers.

During the first phase of the project, CECI supported the livelihoods of the most vulnerable men, women and children living in nine villages in Matam and Podor, by providing cereal seeds, tools and vegetable gardens, as well as unconditional cash transfers to 424 households.

In its second phase, the project supported cereal and vegetable producers in neighboring villages not covered in the first phase. It also provided support for digging and rehabilitating wells. 

In its third phase, the project addressed the food security needs of the most vulnerable households living in the 74 villages and hamlets located in the Saint-Louis and Matam regions, through the distribution of drought-resistant seeds, improved cultivation techniques and the distribution of fodder for livestock.

But the low rainfall recorded during 2014 severely affected agricultural production, which fell by 40% compared with the previous year. To help very poor households cope with the 2015 lean season, which is early due to the poor agricultural season, CECI is supporting 80,490 producers in the Kanel department of the Matam region. This support is aimed at building community resilience to reduce their vulnerability to recurrent droughts through the provision of seeds, livestock feed and the creation of market gardens.