With the aim of promoting the mass adoption of innovative agricultural practices and technologies that are resilient to climate change, the Food System Resilience Programme in West Africa, Togo project (FSRP-Togo) has initiated, since 2022, a series of training courses on good agroecological practices and the dissemination of climate-smart technologies for the benefit of targeted producers.
Thanks to the support of its partner organisations, in particular the Coordination togolaise des organisations paysannes et de producteurs agricoles (CTOP), the Institut de conseil et d'appui techniques (ICAT) and the Conseil interprofessionnel de la filière riz au Togo (CIFR), The FSRP Togo has facilitated practical training in a number of agroecological techniques, including compost making, seed coating, improved fallow, crop association and rotation, and the simple lowland management technique known as ‘smart valley’.
Three years after this support was provided, a survey of farmers carried out as part of the mid-term evaluation revealed perceptible socio-economic changes. On average, 87.65% of beneficiaries have seen their yields increase by 60% and their incomes by around 76%.
This is the case for Kouzotou Baomondom and her colleagues, who swear by the technique of summary management of low-lying rice fields:
‘This year, with smart valleys, we had to set up baskets, plant nurseries and transplant in rows. We saw that with the little rainfall that arrived, the traps were able to collect water, and the water was used. The fertiliser we used was retained. The run-off water couldn't wash away. The rice really used this fertiliser to grow. This system saved me a lot more money, by using less seed. With the old conventional method, we gained 2.5 tonnes per hectare, but with the smart valleys approach we gained over 5 tonnes per hectare.’
FSRP Togo's support has also enabled many farmers who had abandoned their fields for lack of financial resources to get back on their feet, thanks to the project's support.
These various training and support programmes have reached 84,014 farmers, 35% of whom are women, who are practising the techniques they have learned on more than 248 Planned Agricultural Development Areas (ZAAP) and other undeveloped agricultural plots.
