The objective of this component is to improve agriculture productivity and increase crop diversification through the adoption of Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA) practices improved off farm and on-farm water management and developing commodity markets.
This subcomponent will support the adoption of CSA and will focus on (a) demonstrating the effectiveness of CSA practices in farmers’ fields through Farmer Business Schools (FBSs) and leveraging information and communication technology (ICT) for peer-to-peer learning and (b) supporting the uptake of CSA practices by establishing Producer Societies (PSs). The key activities of this component are (a) Technical assistance (TA) to carry out appropriate technologies relevant to each mini-watershed,; (b) TA to develop and deliver training on climate-resilient practices and technologies , including the requirements for adoption; (c) the delivery of agronomic extension services to PGs through effective extension approaches (for example, field demonstrations and training events) and ICTs to facilitate adoption of climate-resilient practices and technologies; and (d) capacity development of PSs and support to investments associated with technology transfer to PGs on a pilot basis.
This subcomponent aims to strengthen the links between PSs and the agriculture commodity markets by: (a) upgrading and/or rehabilitating critical market infrastructure and (b) supporting farmers to access markets and develop sustainable links to agribusinesses. The key activities would be (a) development of common infrastructure for agri-commodity marketing (markets, storage, and access roads) and the construction and/or upgrading of Common Service Centres (CSCs); and (b) TA to support PGs to commercialize and link with agribusinesses.
The objective of this component is to facilitate (a) planning for water and other infrastructure necessary to support climate-resilient irrigated agriculture, (b) construction of the planned infrastructure, and (c) co-management of this infrastructure by central/provincial governments and the local community.
This subcomponent will support the rehabilitation of irrigation systems based on plans derived from hydrologic modelling accounting for projected climate change in the project areas. The key activities include: (a) TA to support hydrology modelling at three levels: hot spots (about 25,000 ha); mini-watersheds within the hot spot areas (about 4,000 ha), including tank cascade systems, stand-alone irrigation systems, and rain-fed agriculture systems;; (b) rehabilitation, modernization, and repair of existing cascade tanks and individual village tanks; construction of recharge wells in the tank beds; drainages and flood protection infrastructure; and (c) Field implementation of watershed treatment and water harvesting works.
This subcomponent aims to ensure the sustainable operation and maintenance (O&M) of tank systems at the individual tank level and systemwide. The main activities to be financed are to: (a) establish Cascade Management Committees (CMCs) for each of the cascades of minor irrigation tanks within the watershed-based boundary of the hot spot areas; (b) strengthen FOs that have been set up to manage each tank; and (c) design and implement a monitoring system for water use and availability.
The objective of this component is to ensure the quality of overall project management, while ensuring smooth coordination of activity implementation by various agencies and strategic partners at national and subnational levels.
This emergency response component will allow for rapid reallocation of project proceeds in the event of a natural disaster or crisis that has caused or is likely to imminently cause a major adverse economic and/or social impact.
