Enhancing Food Security and Livelihoods through Sustainable Agricultural Practices in West Africa
This program aims to improve food security, reduce poverty, and enhance human nutrition while protecting the environment in West and Central Africa. It focuses on intensifying cereal-legume-livestock systems in collaboration with farmers, NGOs, and research institutes. Key outputs include developing improved crop varieties, optimizing soil management practices, and implementing efficient post-harvest technologies. The program addresses constraints such as poor soil fertility, limited resources, and market access, ultimately promoting sustainable agricultural practices that benefit rural communities.
Enhancing Food Security and Livelihoods through Sustainable Agricultural Practices in West Africa
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Presentation Transcript
Key constraints • Drought • Poor soil fertility • Soil erosion • Low organic matter in intensified systems • Insect pests, diseases & Weeds • Overgrazing • Lack of feed resources for livestock • Lack of appropriate tools • Lack of processing technologies • Poor product quality • High post harvest losses • Poor storage facilities • Poor access to markets • Poor infrastructure • Inappropriate policies • Limited access to credit • Low labour productivity
Program goal & Purpose Goal • Food security and livelihoods enhanced, poverty reduced, and human nutrition improved and environment protected in West and Central Africa Purpose • To improve and intensify cereal-legume-livestock systems and promote their adoption in partnership with multiple stakeholders (farmers, consumers, the commercial sector, NGOs, NARES, and advanced research institutes) in west and central Africa.
outputs • Researchable issues in response to stakeholders’ needs formulated, targeted and prioritised through identification of key drivers of intensification • Management practices for the optimisation and stabilization of intensified production systems developed through enhanced understanding of soil processes, crop and weed interactions • System and end-user constraints and opportunities addressed through the development of high yielding, dual-purpose maize hybrids and open-pollinated varieties, soybean breeding lines, cowpea breeding lines, and promotion of improved varieties of other important crops in savanna
Outputs • Improved post harvest technologies, production and processing equipment for expanded utilization and commercialisation in food, feed and industrial sectors developed • Intensified, farmer acceptable cereal-legume and livestock systems developed, validated and promoted through participatory, integrated, income-generating crop, resource management, pre/post harvest, and IPM “best-bet” strategies • NARES ‘s capacity to generate and transfer technologies enhanced