A 20M-euro loan will boost Dominican agroforestry

Santo Domingo.- The Chamber of Deputies on Wed. approved a 20 million-euro credit from the French Agency for Development, to finance and refinance an agroforestry and comprehensive management project of natural resources implemented by the Plan Sierra in the middle and upper basin of the Yaque del Norte River.

The Executive Power’s proposal establishes that the program would be executed through the Ministry of Agriculture, within a period of 7 years.

“The main objective of the agreement is to support the Government to promote the sustainable management of water, soil, forest and biodiversity resources so that the mountains and the entire middle basin fulfill their regional function of producing clean water for human consumption, industrial use, irrigation , and generation of hydroelectricity, and other environmental benefits; in conjunction with the continuous improvement of the quality of life and the participation of the inhabitants of the area,” the Presidency said in a statement.

It is also intended to reinforce activities that were addressed in previous programs such as: reforestation, strengthen family agricultural systems, build lagoons to prevent drought in the area, train producer organizations to professionalize the subsector, favoring its integration into the local market and strengthening the economy of the region.

It will also serve to continue working on the resilience of the basin in the face of climate change.