General

The project aims to support indigenous peoples and local communities and their grassroots organisations in up to seven countries inAfrica (Kenya, Tanzania, DRC, Nigeria, Senegal, Uganda and Madagascar) in their efforts to resist and be protected against such threats as they defend their collective lands and territories of life. The actions and forms of support will be both defensive and preventative in nature and will respond directly to their self-determined needs and priorities, including, inter alia, awareness campaigns, trainings, digital and physical security measures, legal support, and communications platforms for regional and global advocacy. The project relates most closely to the impact themes of “improved access to resources and employment” and “open up spaces for political participation and to promote citizen engagement”. For the former, the project supports indigenous peoples and local communities to remain on their customary lands and territories and continue their self-determined ways oflife and livelihoods. For the latter, the project supports indigenous peoples and communities, especially those who are routinely marginalised and discriminated againstand face multiple intersectional inequalities, to advocate for legal and political recognition for their contributions to conservation and sustainable development and for their rights and collective responsibilities to defend their lands and territories. Natural Justice: Lawyers for Communities and the Environment, a not-for-profit organisation registered in South Africa and Kenya with hubs in Cape Town, Nairobi and Dakar, is the project applicant and passes the online eligibility test. The project will be undertaken by grassroots organisations in up to seven countries in Africa with focused support within the region from Natural Justice and local/regional and global support from the ICCA Consortium, a non-for-profit association registered in Switzerland with more than 175 Member organisations in 80 countries, including Natural Justice. The project is based on mini proposals prepared by grassroots organisations about specific situations and priority actions of indigenous peoples’ and communities’ territories of life and their defenders under threat. These include local and national plansfor the projected 2020 global mobilisation on land and environmental defenders (2-9December 2020), which provides an important and timely opportunity to advocate for their rights through local-to-global collective action. Their plans also outline priority actions to build momentum towards this global mobilisation and address emerging threats that may arise thereafter. Importantly, whereas many campaigns on environmental and human rights defenders focus solely on individuals, this project will include astrong focus on collective community and intersectional dimensions of defenders’ work. The proposed timeline is May 2021 - April 2022 and the requested budget is EUR 200,000. The project will also build on the African Environmental Defenders Fund implemented by Natural Justice in partnership with the International Land Coalition (ILC) and the ICCA Consortium, bringing in further synergies and opportunities for collective local-regional-global action. The goal is to minimise and manage the risks faced by Environmental and Land Rights Defenders in Africa by standing with them in solidarity through increased support to enhance their resilience in terms of protection and increased visibility of the struggle of Defenders.

General

The Agriculture and Livestock Value Chains Development Support Project in Burundi (PADCAE-B) is in line with the PND (2018- 2027) which aims to promote intensive and modernised agriculture to ensure food security and foster market agriculture. The project is in line with the ADF-15 operational and strategic priorities which aim to create a conducive environment for inclusive and sustainable transformation, decent jobs and stronger resilience. It will be implemented in Gitega, Kirundo and Muyinga Provinces in northern Burundi, with a total population estimated at 2,956,784 people (24% of the national population), a land area of 1,671 ha (or 18% of the national total) and a population density of 553 inhab/km². Project interventions will focus on a limited number of value chains (rice, maize, goats, pigs and fish) identified by beneficiaries, articulated around 4 components: (i) land development, integrated land management, land restoration and security; (ii) development of climate-resilient agriculture and support for nutrition (iii) institutional, capacity building and agricultural entrepreneurship support; and (iv) project management and coordination. PADCAE-B will be implemented over a period of 5 years (2020-2025) for a total cost of UA 16.39 million. When implemented, the project will help to fight food and nutrition insecurity, promote youth employment and gender, boost agricultural output through resilient and sustainable agriculture, encourage the structuring, organization and capacity and building of cooperatives, private sector stakeholders and operational State structures, and improve land management.

Objectives

The sector objective is to help to sustainably strengthen food and nutrition security and build the resilience of the rural populations of Ngozi, Kirundo and Muyinga Provinces. The specific objectives are: (i) land development, integrated land management, land restoration and security, (ii) development of climate-resilient agriculture and livestock value chains and support to nutrition and (iii) institutional, capacity building and agricultural entrepreneurship support.

Target Groups

The project area (PA) covers Kirundo, Muyinga and Ngozi Provinces situated in northern Burundi with a total estimated population of 2,743,366 people, making 24% of the national population, and covering a land area of 1,671 ha (or 18% of the total land area of the country). The project has several beneficiaries at the central and decentralised levels. It will benefit directly 138,060 people, 56% of them women, and indirectly all 2,743,366 inhabitants of the 3 provinces. At central level, the key beneficiaries are the Ministry in charge of Agriculture and its technical departments and allied structures such as R&D and training institutions. At the devolved and communal level, project implementation will benefit provincial departments of agriculture and livestock, sector cooperatives and value chains stakeholders’ organisations, agricultural households, particularly very vulnerable groups including young people and women, hill-agriculture supervisors/monitors, animal health workers as well as private enterprises.