FARM and “4 per 1000” mobilize for the restoration of forest soils in West Africa
The FARM Foundation traveled to Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire) from May 15 to 17 to participate in a seminar organized by the "4 per 1000" Initiative, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Côte d'Ivoire, and CIRAD. The main objective was to bring together scientists, government representatives, farmers, and stakeholders from the sector, all facing the challenges of soil degradation in West Africa. The numerous testimonies highlighted several concrete solutions.
The forest soils of West Africa, largely converted for more than half a century into cash crops (cocoa, coffee, palm) and food crops, are today at the crossroads of the issues of adaptation to climate change and food sovereignty.
Forests in West Africa continue to lose ground, and cultivated soils are fragile and increasingly dependent on chemical inputs, increasing their vulnerability and, consequently, that of the populations who depend on them. How can we break this cycle of degradation?
During the seminar, Ibrahim Mayaki, Vice President of "4 per 1000" and African Union Envoy for Food Systems, emphasized the need for collective action. Researchers and producers shared proven solutions and debated the conditions for their implementation at the regional level.
Using concrete examples, particularly in cocoa (a key to the economy in Côte d'Ivoire), the researchers have established the architecture of a sustainable production system for the soil, the environment, and producers. Diversity in plots—trees, food crops, and service plants—is the keystone of a sustainable system. Solutions exist on the ground: agroforestry is developing, allowing farmers to adapt to climate change.
A first act of the FARM partnership – “4 per 1000”
FARM's support for this seminar is part of the common objective set with "4 per 1000", namely to raise awareness among decision-makers about the need to preserve the planet's agricultural soils.
Convinced of the importance of relying on concrete field experiences, The Foundation invited Ms. Joséphine Francis, Vice-President of the ROPPA, (Network of West African Farmers' and Producers' Organizations) to share his experience on agroforestry.
While it is indeed profitable for the producer in the long term, this system requires increased technical support at the time of its implementation, as well as easier access to credit to finance the initial investment and bear the associated risk. These conditions are necessarily linked to proactive and coherent public policies. The transition is taking place at the local (plot), national and regional levels.
FARM will follow the initiatives undertaken in this direction by producer groups – for example, the 300 cocoa producers of the SCEB cooperative – and wishes to initiate long-term reflection on the financing of these transitions.
