The project aims at tackling issues of food insecurity, malnutrition and social exclusion by: Involving 250 women -giving priority to those at risk of social exclusion- in specific agricultural trainings and introducing new agricultural machineries and products' conservation techniques. Complementary it aims at introducing nutritional programmes for 720 students and at educating the local community on the theme of waste recycling, thus promoting environmentally sustainable lifestyle.
Benin's economy relies on cotton production and subsistence agriculture. The country's dependency on Cotton production alone has for decades discouraged investments in agricultural activities, generating constant food insecurity and poor nutrition that today affects 51% of the population. With the expansion of the city, waste disposal has become a real problem: tons of waste are dumped in the outskirts without any form of treatment, damaging the environment and people health.
The purpose of the project is to strengthen food security and enhancing the local agricultural supply chains in their economic-productive and socio-educational dimension. The targets are: 1.Improving the agricultural production at local level; 2.Supporting the female social entrepreneurship in the local agricultural sector; 3.Renewing the nutrition education, enhancing the role of family farming and local organic produce; 4.Promoting education to environmental sustainability and eco-citizenship.
The project has the long term aim of: a) Empowering women affected by HIV with new skills and means of supporting themselves. b) Improving agricultural techniques to reduce food insecurity. c) Carrying out educational activities in schools in Benin to teach the importance of good nutrition and of waste recycling.
This project has provided additional documentation in a PDF file (projdoc.pdf).
