The Agricultural Infrastructure and Value Chain Development Project (AIVDP) is an agricultural production and value chain development NGO that mainly focuses on exploiting the agricultural sector to generate income and create jobs for the rural population particularly the youth and women. The design is centred on developing the value chain of cocoa, oil palm, cassava and rice through improved production, processing/transformation techniques as well as efficient and organized marketing channels. It will also support the production of plantains, groundnut, potatoes and citrus. These diverse set of crops are intended to buffer the farmers from external shocks (climate and market related) and also enhance their nutritional security. To facilitate the transportation of farm inputs and produce, as well as a harmonious human development, significant support will also be accorded to the agricultural and social infrastructure. The project structure comprises of four technical components and a Project Management and Support component. Project activities will be carried out through various implementation partners, service providers and beneficiaries.

The NGO’s overall goal is to contribute to inclusive growth through enhanced agricultural productivity and value chain development. The development objectives are to: i. increase incomes of smallholder farmers and agriculture service providers; ii. ii. Improve access to basic social/public infrastructure and services (water and sanitation, basic education and basic health); iii. iii. Facilitate the development of rural enterprises and institutions involved in the crop value chain; iv. iv. Enhance the capacity (operational and institutional) of smallholder farmers and cooperatives in undertaking rural development projects.

The realization of the objectives of AIVDP will be through the implementation of the following five components: a) Value Addition and Market Access b) Agricultural Productivity Enhancement c) Basic Social/Public Infrastructure and Services d) Capacity Building and Institutional Development and e) Project Management and Coordination

Activities will be implemented in the South-West Region of Cameroon, which is predominantly an agricultural area of the Country. The intervention of AIVDP will be concentrated in the production basins along the principal road corridors of the Region. These corridors are: the Bamenda – Mamfe – Ekok, the Kumba – Mamfe, the Mutengene – Kumba; Mutengene –Idenau, the Loum- Tombel – Kumba – Mundemba and the isolated rice and potatoes production basin of Akwaya and Nkongle respectively. The project area has been carved out into nine production basins. The total surface area of project intervention is estimated at about 14,500 km2 with a population of about 1.5 million inhabitants and touching about 600 communities out of the 960 that make the South West Region. The Project area has an active youth, representing about 60% and 52% of the overall population are women.

-Fako Mountain Basin -Lakes Basin -Mungo Basin -Ndian Basin -Nguti Basin -Cross River Basin -Mbio Basin -Nkongleh Basin -Akwaya Basin

At the global level, the Project is aligned with the agenda of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) and will significantly contribute in the achievement of several of these objectives for the Country, notably: SDG-1 (extreme poverty eradication SDG2 (End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture), SDG-3 (Ensure healthy lives and promote well-being for all at all ages) SDG-4 (Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all), SDG-5 (Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls), SDG-6 (Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all), SDG-8 (Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all), SDG-9 (Build resilient infrastructure, promote inclusive and sustainable industrialization and foster innovation). At the national level, the Project is also aligned with Vision 35 and will significantly contribute in the achievement of several of its objectives in the Region, notably sections II.3.1 (Reducing poverty to minimal levels with sector objectives as: making the population a real factor for development, promoting the generation of a critical mass of decent jobs) II.3.2 (Becoming a middle-income country with sector objectives as: improving economic productivity, stepping up investments in infrastructure and productive sectors) and II.3.3 (Becoming an industrialised Country with sector objectives as: developing a sound, competitive and diversified manufacturing sector, collecting savings, financing growth and development)

Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD) ,PAMOL Plantations Plc (PAMOL), South West Association of Village Banks (SWAVIB), Cocoa Coffee Seedling Project (CCSP), NGOs

The initiative will take place over a period of 5 years.