Kerry in partnership with Concern Worldwide focuses on improving food and nutrition for niger communities
Kerry, the world’s leading taste and nutrition company, and Concern Worldwide, the Irish humanitarian organisation, have revealed that through their partnership in Niger nearly 500 farmers have been trained over the last year and this has resulted in significant improvements to the region including clean water access, increased food production and improved health and nutrition practices. The Realigning Agriculture to Nutrition (RAIN) program focuses on improving food and nutrition security while enhancing the livelihoods of the most vulnerable households in Tahoua, a region in the south of Niger. This announcement is to mark World Hunger Day and reflects the significant success that the partnership has delivered over the last three years
As part of the programme farmers are trained in climate smart agriculture techniques, which includes promoting water conservation and improving soil protection and as a result 98.6% of RAIN households have now adopted at least one new conservation agriculture technique. There has also been a marked improvement in crop yields, with the average yield of millet in 2020 reaching 796kg per hectare compared to 568kg in 2019. For the first time, farmers were in a position to sell some of their millet harvest to a local flour mill, generating a source of revenue and creating sustainable livelihoods. Meanwhile, two community tree nurseries supported the cultivation of fruit and forest trees, with over 15,000 local trees preserved and nurtured and a further 2,600 planted in 2020. The programme has also delivered improved access to clean and portable water, which is now up to 39% of households in the villages RAIN is operating in, compared to 9% before the project started.
Catherine Keogh, Chief Corporate Affairs and Brand Officer of Kerry Group, added: “Access to healthy food and good nutrition remains difficult for too many people, with the pandemic and climate change making it even more challenging. We are proud to see the positive impact of this programme, enabling farmers and communities to grow more nutritionally diverse food and build more sustainable livelihoods.” Kerry Group’s partnership with Concern Worldwide in Niger builds on the success of the previously funded RAIN project in Zambia which concluded in 2015. Concern Worldwide has been working in Niger for the last 18 years, implementing both humanitarian and development programmes in order to provide basic needs and at the same time, improve the resilience of local communities.
