Component Objectives, Strategy, Target Population, Gender & Environmental Issues

Target Population and Target Area

The definition of the target group of any cash and export crop development project must identify the area of convergence of three major sets, namely, (i) the number of households living below the poverty line, which are the target of the GoR and IFAD poverty reduction strategies, (ii) within that group, the number of households willing and capable of meeting the conditions required to join financially sustainable development activities in the sub-sectors, and (iii) the number of households of the latter group that can be accommodated, taking into account the suitability of natural conditions for quality production, and the market constraints and opportunities that would make such sustainable development activities possible. Within the smaller set, gender-targeting issues would be addressed.

With respect to the development of tea production in the reformulated tea component, the project will maintain its objective of targeting 4,800 households in the Nshili district and another 4,800 households in the Mushubi district. The project will ensure that poorest of the poor households benefit in priority of each intervention planned in the component. In addition, the implementation of a local and provincial smallholder tea growers’ association, of a national federation of smallholder tea growers and of the smallholders’ financial holding will directly benefit to members of the 13 tea producers’ associations already formed by smallholders in the 5 provinces where tea is grown, namely Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi and Kibuye