EU Delegation in Eritrea participated in the validation meeting

EU Delegation in Eritrea participated in the validation meeting of the baseline survey in support of the ‘Support to the Agricultural Sector/Food Security in Eritrea’ project

The Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Agriculture called for a meeting to validate the baseline survey in support of the ‘Support to the Agricultural Sector/Food Security in Eritrea’ project.

The Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Agriculture called for a meeting to validate the baseline survey in support of the ‘Support to the Agricultural Sector/Food Security in Eritrea’ project. The meeting was well attended by representatives from different departments in the Ministry of Agriculture (MoA), institutions linked to the MoA, such as the national agricultural research institute, the national central laboratories and Hamelmalo Agricultural college, as well as local administrations. The EU Delegation participated with three staff from the Cooperation section.

The socio-economic baseline survey was conducted by the Eritrean Bureau of Standards and Evaluation. It contains a wealth of information on the areas that are targeted by the ‘Support to the Agricultural Sector/Food Security in Eritrea’ project, addressing needs in all six Eritrean regions. The study combines existing information with fresh input collected through household interviews, group discussions and field observations.

During the meeting the many contributors to the study presented the findings in their respective area of expertise: socio-economics and livelihoods, crop and livestock production (including irrigation), natural resources management and sector governance. The richness of the information allowed for a diverse and dynamic discussion round. Relevant feedback will be integrated in the final version of the survey – to be completed shortly so that it is available to feed an upcoming project implementation review mission.

The project ‘Support to the Agricultural Sector/Food Security in Eritrea’ is funded under the 10th European Development Fund and has a total budget of 40.7 million euros. The project seeks to enhance food security through increased agricultural production and productivity and to improve food access at household level. Its main components are capital investment for sustainable agriculture, access to food, and sector governance. The implementation is on-going and is expected to run until October 2019. The baseline survey will serve as a benchmark and provide essential information to evaluate the results of the project.

EU Delegation in Eritrea participated in the validation meeting of the baseline survey in support of the ‘Support to the Agricultural Sector/Food Security in Eritrea’ project