First Call for Proposals

Eight countries submitted proposals for the June 14 deadline: Bangladesh, Cambodia, Haiti, Mongolia, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Tajikistan and Togo. The total amount requested was US$377 million.

 

 

Bangladesh, Haiti, Rwanda, Sierra Leone, and Togo were awarded grants in June, 2010 totaling US$ 224 million from GAFSP Trust Fund.

 

 

Bangladesh ($50 million): To enhance productivity and resilience of smallholder farmers against tidal surges, flash floods and frequent droughts, the fund will finance the adoption of improved seed varieties and better water management techniques.

 

Haiti ($35 million): To raise the productivity of smallholder farmers, especially women, by improving access to seeds, fertilizers and technology.

 

Rwanda ($50 million): To transform hillside agriculture by reducing erosion and bolstering productivity in an environmentally sustainable manner.

 

Sierra Leone ($50 million): To finance commercialization of smallholder farmers through better inputs, farm management training and linking farmers to market. 

 

Togo ($39 million): To bolster yields in rice, maize and cassava through provision of improved seed varieties, technical assistance for smallholder farmers, and better smallholder access to affordable credit.

There were 21 countries that submitted proposals for the October 1, 2010 deadline: Benin*, Bhutan, Cambodia, Ethiopia, The Gambia, Ghana, Kenya, Kyrgyz Republic, Liberia, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Nicaragua, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, Tajikistan, Uganda, and Yemen. The total amount requested was US$  930 million.   

 

  

_{* Benin submitted a completed proposal, but withdrew their application before being considered for allocation.}

 

The GAFSP Steering Committee allocated grants to three countries in November, 2010 for a total of $97 million, based on the recommendations of an independent external Technical Advisory Committee that reviewed all proposals received. The selected proposals were: Ethiopia ($51.5 million), Mongolia ($12.5 million), and Niger ($33 million).

Ethiopia ($51.5 million): To develop the untapped potential of well-endowed areas, including strengthening key advisory services, encouraging farmer organizations, and improving small scale infrastructure.

 

Mongolia ($12.5 million): To support the Integrated Livestock-based Livelihoods Support Program, which increases access to markets for livestock commodities, improves market information systems, and improves access to veterinary services, improved animal breeding, and technical assistance.

 

Niger ($33 million): To support water harnessing infrastructure and small scale irrigation in the particularly vulnerable regions of Maradi, Zinder, and Tahoua, as well as to protect against erosion in watersheds upstream of any developed structures.

 

Decisions on the 17 remaining proposals were deferred pending donor replenishment of GAFSP funding.

The GAFSP Steering Committee selected an additional four proposals from this call in 2011: Cambodia, Liberia, Nepal, and Tajikistan.

 

Cambodia ($39.1 million): To increase productivity and diversity of agriculture in selected highly food-insecure and economically depressed areas.

 

Liberia ($46.5 million): To enhance the income of smallholder farmers, particularly women and youth, through sustainable irrigable land expansion, land husbandry improvement, and improvement of market access. It will also build capacity for adaptive agricultural research and improve agricultural advisory services.

 

Nepal ($46.5 million): To enhance household food security in the poorest and most food-insecure regions by increasing crop production, food availability, and awareness about health and nutrition in the mid-western and far-western development regions.

 

Tajikistan ($27.9 million): To increase crop production by developing sustainable irrigation and drainage infrastructure and improving water resource management policies.