The Futa Initiative

This was the first of Rainbow Development in Africa’s projects in the Mid-Gorgol region of southern Mauritania, begun in 2002.

The first aim of the project was to create a local development partner (ADMAPE) with whom to work, as at that time there were no suitable local development groups available. In fact, southern Mauritania was notable by the absence of any meaningful development work taking place at all.

A second aim of the project was to provide some basic services to the agricultural community. At that time, as now, the agricultural sector was suffering from the combined effects of frequent droughts, poor agricultural know-how amongst farmers, poor market prices, and a general and debilitating marginalisation of farmers and farming communities. Agriculture was on its knees as were the communities that depended on it. Farmer training, access to reliable tractor hire and assistance with various logistical problems were some of the primary needs identified.

A third aim of the project was to research and instigate new and meaningful development projects. This was now possible not only because we had the local skills and resources available via our new local partner, but also because, by working so closely with the farming community by providing agricultural services to them, our partners had now gained the trust and knowledge required for development projects to be successful.

The following are examples of some of the activities which have taken place during the project:

• Local partners attending training courses in Senegal and Mauritania.
• Construction of a centre from where development activities can take place.
• Purchase of a tractor, truck, service vehicle and rice-de-husking machine.
• 4332 hectares of land worked with a tractor including the rehabilitation of 2300 hectares of previously abandoned rainfed fields and 500 hectares of irrigated rice and vegetable land.
• Transportation of many hundreds of tons of merchandise, agricultural produce, dried fish, building materials and many other items for local communities to markets as far afield as the capital, Nouakchott.
• Farmer training conducted for 75 people from 25 cooperatives in 12 different modules from basic vegetable growing to crop protection, suppression of weeds and compost making.
• 10 water catchment barrages dug for impoverished Harratin and Peul villages.
• On-going advice, seed and on-site training in compost making and organic systems provided to about 40 separate women’s market garden cooperatives.
• Public awareness tours conducted in 25 villages promoting environmental protection (not cutting trees down) and herder/ farmer cooperation to reduce conflict over resources.
• Community participation initiated and transport provided for locust and bird pest control over large areas.
• Various sectors of the community have been represented in, and participated in numerous state and NGO seminars, workshops and public meetings.
• Local and regional government have been assisted to access sectors of the community both practically with transport as well as consultatively.
• Many humanitarian missions conducted, such as taking emergency cases to hospital and looking for lost people.
• Research, design and logistics assistance in implementing all other projects (this being by far the most significant and time consuming aspect of ADMAPE’s work).

The larger part of all this work has involved a large-scale and on-going consultative process with most of the 50 or 60 villages (and one town) that form the core of the target community. Advice had been given on forming committees, holding meetings and pooling resources.

Results

The qualitative results of all these activities can be found in the raised awareness in the community of the need to organise and manage itself and its organisations more effectively, to adapt farming practices to current resource and market contexts and to protect the environment that provides most of its resources.

Some of the more quantative results are as follows: 70 tons of compost created by women’s cooperatives; improved yields and cropping techniques amongst some irrigation farmers; many extra tons of agricultural produce being created on land that was previously abandoned (e.g. 5600 tons of sorghum and 1400 tons of watermelons in one year); improved yields amongst many other rainfed farmers; and increased local private investment in agriculture.

Although the official, budgeted phase of the Futa Initiative is now at an end, this is an on-going project in that local partner ADMAPE, supported by Rainbow Development in Africa, continues to provide agricultural, logistical and representative services to the community as well as help to research and implement new projects.