25 October 2012: A financing agreement for $21.46 million has been signed between the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD) and the Government of Niger to improve food security of smallholder farmers.

The agreement will help to increase the area of irrigated land, which currently makes up 5% of cultivated land in Niger. The project will reach over 65,000 poor rural households of which nearly 60% are women and young people. The project also aims to: increase the income of rural women and youth through viable microenterprises integrated to the local agricultural economy; and build the capacity of smallholder farmers to improve post-production and marketing of the products generated by the irrigation schemes. [IFAD Press Release]