AICS/MAE
Despite strong economic growth in recent years, after 50 years of political instability, Mauritania still has high levels of food insecurity, especially in the eastern and southern regions. Because of its food deficit, the country has to import 70% of its food and price fluctuations have a heavy impact on families fighting chronic poverty.
In the last 15 years, Mauritania has made some progress, but very slow both in reducing malnutrition and infant mortality.
Environmental degradation and the adverse effects of climate change affect rural productivity and food security, which continues to fluctuate according to the season. According to the most recent data available, collected in June 2015, 26.8% of the population are in conditions of food insecurity during the dry season, which in some areas may last even five or six months. In some areas of the country - three quarters of which are deserted or semi-deserted - people live on less than US $ 1.25 a day. Vulnerable groups such as women, the elderly, young people and people with disabilities are the most affected by poverty.
The PLIACEM (Projet de Lutte Contre l'Insécurité Alimentaire au Center et Est de la Mauritanie) project, carried out between 2011 and 2013 by Terre des Hommes - Italy in collaboration with Horticity, was carried out to fight moderate malnutrition among children and of their mothers on the Tagant plateau, Mauritania. The horticulture group of the Department of Agricultural Sciences of the Alma Mater Studiorum University of Bologna, has devised the project and offered scientific advice. The Bologna group took care of the training of local staff involved in the project, the realization of hydroponic gardens in the intervention areas and training courses for the beneficiaries of the project. In addition the group carried out a sustainability analysis of the simplified hydroponic production in the areas of intervention.
Collaborations:
The project funded by the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Mauritanian Government allowed the construction of four community simplified hydroponic gardens in the cities of Tidjikja, Lehweitat, Oumaoueid and Nouakchott.
