Sierra Leone - Rice Agro Industrial Cluster (RAIC)

Project Summary

Approval Date	12 Nov 2021
Planned Completion Date	31 Mar 2027
Last Disbursement Planned Date	31 Dec 2025
Sovereign / Non-Sovereign	Sovereign
Sector	Agriculture and Rural Development
DAC Sector Code	31110
Commitment	U.A 11,920,000
Status	Approved

Project General Description

The Sierra Leone Rice Agro-Industrial Cluster (SL RAIC) Project, in the rural floodplain areas of Pujehun and Bonthe Districts of Sierra Leone, will help advance GoSL’s renewed commitment to sustainably transform the agricultural sector, under its New Direction Agenda and the National Agricultural Transformation Program (NAT 2023). The SL RAIC project is needed to address a major and traditional production challenge of reliance on floating rice cultivation in one of SL’s major rice production areas by introducing solutions that allow for dry-season, modern cultivation and processing of quality rice. The key expected outputs of the Project include more than 3-fold per hectare, increase in Rice production figures (currently 1-5-2.0 tons/ha), commercialisation of rice production and increased wealth for rice producing communities. The SL RAIC Project will be implemented over five years at a total cost of UA 23.29 million.

Project Objectives

The goal of the Rice Agro-Industrial Cluster Project (RAIC) is to contribute to rice self-sufficiency in Sierra Leone and improve the livelihoods of rural households. The specific objectives are to: (i) increase the productivity and production of rice by providing farmers access to quality inputs, land and water management, mechanization and extension services; (ii) improve the value chain through the processing of high-quality rice; (iii) promoting the consumption and marketing of locally processed rice.

Beneficiaries

The direct beneficiaries of the Project are the estimated 35,000 active smallholder farmers and other SME operators along the rice value chain in the Project area. It is expected that this Model project will be expanded into other SL rice production clusters, for a wider impact. Farmers will experience a demand-driven multiple increase in rice yields through input support via linkages to large scale operators, targeted and demand-driven skills development and entrepreneurship support, and the provision of enabling infrastructure and common user facilities. Rice processors will have access to modern processing facilities and methodologies. Arranged marketing channels are expected to guarantee overall wealth creation, food and nutrition security, poverty reduction, and improved livelihoods for the farming communities and their households. Women and youth are specifically targeted to increase their participation and benefits from the project especially through the sustainable creation of jobs.

Participating Organization

Funding

African Development Fund

Funding

Fragile States Facility

Implementing

MINISTRY OF AGRICULTURE, FORESTRY AND FOOD SECURITY

Information

IATI identifier	46002-P-SL-AA0-021
Last Update	21 Jan 2022

Export

Contact Details

Name	EGHAN Mark
Email	m.eghan@afdb.org

Geographic Location

Country	Sierra Leone

Project Classification

Finance Type	Aid Grant Excluding Debt Reorganisation
Flow Type	ODA
Aid Type	Project Type Interventions

Commitments

U.A 11,920,000

African Development Fund

U.A 1,540,000

Fragile States Facility

U.A 10,380,000

Document Type	Language	Document
Environmental Study	en	viewer

Indicator	Indicator Measure	Target Year	Target Value
Reduced percentage of food insecure population	%	2021	45
Reduced post-harvest loses	%	2021	3
Income from paddy value chain activities	$	2021	1500
Improve productivity of rice	Ton/Ha	2021	3,5
Increased youth and women with employability and entrepreneurship skills in agribusiness	Number	2021	1000
Increased youth and women with employability and entrepreneurship skills in agribusiness - of which women	Number	2021	500
Number of farmers supported with agricultural inputs and technical services	Number	2021	5000
Volume of Certified seeds multiplied	Ton/Ha	2021	500
Number of Private Certified Seed companies trained	Number	2021	3
Area of arable land irrigated	Ha	2021	5000
Number of Water Users Associations created/strengthened	Number	2021	100
Number of sustainable land and water management plans developed	Number	2021	2
Number of SME rice mills established	Number	2021	20
Number of SME rice mills established - of which owned by women	Number	2021	10
Number of Aggregation centers established	Number	2021	3
Number of Quality and Safety Standards management systems established	Number	2021	1
Volume of rice produced	Ton	2021	437500
Number of climate smart rice production technologies promoted	Number	2021	50
Number of storage structures Constructed/rehabilitated	Number	2021	12
Number of landing craft supplied	Number	2021	1
Number of fabricators trained on production of axial flow thresher -cleaner	Number	2021	20
Number of fabricators trained on production of axial flow thresher -cleaner - of which women	Number	2021	10
Number of processors trained on current Good Manufacturing Practices, quality management, Branding/marketing, High value rice products, mainstreaming and managing climate risks	Number	2021	35
Number of women and youth entrepreneurs trained and coached to manage their businesses and to mainstream climate risk management in their business plans	Number	2021	100
Number of agricultural producer organizations strengthened in technical and managerial capacity	Number	2021	8
Number of agricultural producer organizations strengthened in technical and managerial capacity - of which are women groups	Number	2021	4
Number of beneficiaries of matching grant	Number	2021	500
Number of processors trained on current Good Manufacturing Practices, quality management, Branding/marketing, High value rice products, mainstreaming and managing climate risks - of which women	Number	2021	17
Number of women and youth entrepreneurs trained and coached to manage their businesses and to mainstream climate risk management in their business plans - of which women	Number	2021	50
Number of good Agricultural and irrigation good Practices disseminated	Number	2021	500