Mid Term Review of Rural Diversification Programme in Mauritius and Rodrigues Islands - International Fund for Agricultural Development, Rome – May 2005
At the instance of IFAD, AFC carried out a Mid-term Review of Rural Diversification Programme (RDP) in Mauritius. The project aimed at boosting rural employment, enhancing income generation and food production to address the problems of poverty. The RDP was designed to exploit further the production potential of the country’s scarce irrigable land, marine fisheries and considerable human resource skills, while building up the grassroots capabilities of the rural poor and their communities through self-employment and local initiative. Cane planters with small landholding, artisanal fishermen and women labourers, landless and women heads of household constituted the programme’s target group, located in the northern and eastern areas of Mauritius and in the outlying island of Rodrigues.
AFC reviewed and examined all plans and programmes related to irrigation and community development for both Mauritius and Rodrigues including the identification of implementation constraints and specific measures needed to resolve them; assisted the Irrigation Authority in drawing up a specific plan for integration of Water User Associations with the irrigation operations of the programme including initiation of a full consultation process; helped the Government of Mauritius in identifying a specialised NGO which would be responsible for the formation, identification and formulation of IG activities including lagoon and off-lagoon fisheries activities, organization and training of Water User Associations; assessed the work programme and performance of NGOs and gave appropriate guidance to make them more responsive to farmers’ needs and priorities.
Based on AFC’s report, IFAD extended the project period and granted additional finance for project completion.
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