10-05-2021 | di COOPI

RDC. UE Ambassador visits the project in Bili

On 30th March 2021, EU Ambassador for the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Jean-Marc Châtaigner, together with his Delegation, went to the Bili-Mbomu area to visit our “Project to combat food and nutritional insecurity among the populations living in the Upemba National Park (PNU) in Mitwaba territory and the Bili-Mbomu Conservation Area (BMCA)”, funded by the EU itself.

The project, started in July 2021, addresses the structural causes of food and nutrition insecurity by strengthening the capacity of communities in the project intervention areas, through households and civil society organizations, to reduce the negative impacts of food/nutrition crises and shocks and to promote the protection of natural areas in a sustainable manner.

The day of the visit was full of presentations by partners and actors involved in the project. After the words of welcome by the Director of the ICCN (Institut Congolais pour la Conservation de la Nature) regional site and the intervention of AWF (African Wildlife Foundation), there followed a presentation of the activities that COOPI is carrying out for the conservation of the natural areas presided over by ICCN and AWF in the Bili-Mbomu area.

Bondo Territory’s Administrator congratulated COOPI, ICCN and AWF on their efforts to conserve biodiversity and support food security. The president of the civil society added that there is great expectation for the planned interventions, because the project really meets the needs of the community.

During its stay in the Bili area, the EU Delegation visited various communities and groups involved in the project’s activities. In particular, it visited the seed breeding camps installed by COOPI at some producer organisations in the Bili-Mbomu conservation area. 

The rapid assessment conducted by COOPI revealed that, in the Bili-Mbomu protected conservation area, the provision and scarce availability of seeds represents a major problem that negatively affect the agricultural production and, as a result, food and nutrition security. Therefore, in the whole project area, COOPI supports seven Producers' Organisations for the multiplication, production and local dissemination of improved agricultural seeds. This activity will improve availability and access to improved cereal and vegetable seeds at a local level and will increase households’ revenues by creating Income Generating Activities and job opportunities in villages adjacent to nature conservation areas.