As part of its activities, the Programme for Food System Resilience in West Africa and the Sahel (PRSA-TD) organised a four-day training course at the Sesame Grain Innovation Platform in Tapol, in the province of Logone Occidental. The initiative, in partnership with the Institut Tchadien de Recherche Agronomique pour le Développement (ITRAD), brought together 25 participants, including 15 women, to tackle the key issues of managing post-harvest losses and drawing up business plans.
The programme included theoretical sessions and practical case studies, enabling participants to gain a better understanding of the issues involved in conserving agricultural produce and structuring their activities. The training focused on climate-smart, gender-sensitive and nutrition-sensitive agricultural technologies, as well as pest and disease control strategies.
Managing post-harvest losses is a major problem for farmers in Chad, where the climate and inadequate infrastructure make it difficult to store and preserve crops. Thanks to this training, farmers have acquired practical conservation and storage skills to reduce losses, improve product quality and increase farm profitability.
Drawing up business plans is essential for structuring producers' activities and facilitating access to finance. By learning how to design business plans tailored to market realities, participants will be able to better manage their resources, attract investors and develop their activities on a larger scale. This strategic tool should make Chad's agricultural sector more competitive.
It should be emphasised that this training, although specific, is part of an overall approach to the sustainable development of agriculture in Chad, aimed at equipping small-scale producers with the technologies and strategies they need to meet the country's socio-economic challenges.
