Investment program in irrigation and rural roads for an impoverished indigenous region
Ecuador will receive a $15 million loan from the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) for an investment program to increase agricultural productivity and improve market access for rural families in one of its poorest provinces.
The Investment Program for the Rural Development of Chimborazo will benefit a region with a mostly indigenous population. Although half of its labor force is involved in farming, agriculture accounts for only 12.5 percent of the province’s total economic output.
The program will finance investments in 19 small irrigation systems and provide technical assistance to water user associations on production, system management, nutrition, and protection of micro-watersheds. In addition, it will improve and rehabilitate about 50 km of rural roads.
With a total budget of $18.8 million, including $3.8 million inlocal counterpart funding, the program will benefit 34,000 persons that include about 2,720 small farmers and 3,000 rural families, with a special focus on women.
The IDB loan has a 20 year maturity, with a grace period of 5 ½ years and a LIBOR-based interest rate.