Senegal | < Sub-Saharan Africa

See also:
- Biodiversity and Tropical Forestry Assessment
- Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM)
- Technical Assistance for Reforestation Project


Casamance Integrated Rural Development
Funding source: USAID

The project provided professional support teams for three regional organizations
responsible for agricultural development in the Casamance region: SOMIVAC,
PIDAC, and ISRA. SECID supported domestic and international technicians that
were integrated into the staff of these agencies, and worked in close collaboration
with Senegalese counterparts and professionals from other donor agencies. Their
responsibilities included research, extension, training, and developing the agencies'
managerial capabilities to continue the programs beyond the completion of the
project. Following are a few of the activities which SECID's 13-member technical
assistance team undertook:

• Design and construction of gravity-fed irrigation system for a 15-ha banana
  plantation financed by the World Bank;
• Construction of anti-salinity structures to permit saline land reclamation;
• Development of a regional program of well-digging to support vegetable
  gardening and livestock activities;
• Design and implementation of a permanent standardized system for
  collecting agricultural statistics;
• Training and placement of female extension agents in villages to instruct
  village women in vegetable and fruit preservation techniques;
• Establishment of a field demonstration trial program in rice production for
  all extension agents and zone chiefs;
• Installation of a crop protection laboratory at PIDAC, with a mandate to
  carry out research and training; and
• Research in vegetable marketing in the Casamance, including information
  on the consumption, pricing, and distribution of produce.