The Climate-Friendly Agribusiness Value Chain Sector Project supports implementing the government’s Agriculture Development Strategy (ADS), 2018-2023 and the National Export Strategy(NES),2015-2019 by boosting competitiveness in value chain for rice, beans, pulses and oilseeds in Magway, Mandalay and Sagaing regions in the Central Dry Zone(CDZ). The project will increase climate resilience for critical rural infrastructure, promote quality and safety testing capacity, strengthen technical and institutional capacity for climate smart agriculture (CSA), and create an enabling policy environment for climate-friendly agribusinesses. The project will reduce food insecurity and rural poverty, increase smallholders’ incomes and access to markets and improve resource efficiency and environmental sustainability for agribusinesses.

Project activities include the following

1. Critical agribusiness value chain infrastructure improved and made climate-resilient

1.1) Upgrading infrastructure in ten Department of Agriculture (DOA) seed farms for production of improved and climate resilient seed

1.2) Rehabilitating irrigation and water management infrastructure (tertiary canals, community reservoirs, and shallow tube wells) to climate resilient condition

1.3) Improving connectivity and farm mechanization through climate resilient farm road networks

1.4) Strengthening infrastructure for agricultural quality and safety testing

2. Climate smart agriculture and agribusiness promoted

2.1) Deploying climate resilient varieties of rice, beans, pulses and oilseeds

2.2) Strengthening capacity of farmers and agribusinesses in climate friendly production practices and technologies

2.3) Facilitating access to inputs (seeds, fertilizers and other agrochemicals), farm mechanization services and off-farm rural livelihood opportunities through agricultural digital finance service (ADFS)

3. Enabling environment for climate-friendly agribusiness enhanced

3.1) Establishing an agribusiness policy unit within MOALI’s Department of Planning (DOP) to formulate agribusiness policies and standards

3.2) Raising awareness and capacity of financial institutions to support climate friendly agribusinesses

3.3) Enhancing weather, market and credit information networks

3.4) Improving the delivery of land administration services