From 12 to 15 May 2015 IFAD’s Vice President,
Mr. Mordasini, visited Senegal. Besides participating in the Global
Land Forum organised by the International Land Coalition, Mr. Mordasini
took the opportunity to meet several of IFAD’s key partners in Senegal. He met
with different representatives of the Government, namely Mr. Papa Abdoulaye Seck,
Minister of Agriculture and Rural Equipment, Mr. Amadou Ba, Minister of
Economy, Finance and Planning and Ms. Aminata Ndiaye, Minister of Livestock and
Animal Production. The Vice President discussed the performance of the ongoing IFAD-supported projects and programmes and congratulated the Government for its exemplary collaboration with IFAD. Furthermore, he also met with Mr Samba Gueye, President of the National
Council for Rural Consultation and Cooperation, which brings together the main
farmers’ and producers’ federations in Senegal. IFAD-supported projects in
Senegal have been working with farmers’ organisations (grassroots
organisations, unions) and will continue to work with them in the future to
strengthening their capacity and support their professionalization. Finally,
the Vice President met with the Country Team of UNDP, where the IFAD offices
are hosted.
IFAD’s
Vice President and Senegal’s Minister of Agriculture and Rural Equipment
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IFAD’s
Vice President and UN resident coordinator in Dakar
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After the meetings in Dakar,
the Vice President travelled to Kaolack, a department in Senegal’s groundnut
basis, where the IFAD supported Agricultural
Value Chains Support Project (Projet d’appui aux filières agricoles – PAFA)
is being implemented. Here he visited
several interventions that are being supported by PAFA.
Resulting from discussion
between producers’ organisations, local government and other market operators
during value chain, PAFA has supported
the construction of several value chain development centres where agricultural
produce can be stored and sold. Each centre has a storage place, a polyvalent
room, a point of sale and toilets. The Vice President visited one of these
centres in Keur Socé.
PAFA has developed a holistic
approach to village poultry, which has proven to be extremely successful. The
characteristics of the model are: (i) setting up farmers’ groups in a
transparent and inclusive manner; (ii) technical training tailored to the needs
of the beneficiaries, especially women; (iii) close technical follow-up provided
by local extensionists; (iv) construction of henhouse with local material as a
shelter during the night; (v) breeding local chickens that are adapted to the
environment and farming conditions; (vi) vaccination and other preventive
measures; (vii) production of feed by the beneficiaries themselves using local
ingredients. During the Vice President’s visit, a service centre for village
poultry, which includes a slaughterhouse and a point of sale, was officially opened in
Fallou Sall.
Twelve market gardens have
been set up and/or equipped with solar pumps, drip irrigation equipment and fencing with the support of PAFA. The capacity of the producers’
organisations is being strengthened and agricultural advisory services and are
foreseen. More than seventy per cent of the producers are women and about
twenty per cent are younger than 35 years old. The Vice President visited the
market garden in Taiba Nianguène, where vegetable production is being integrated
with fish farming.
To promote the consumption of
local products, PAFA has trained more than 800 women and young girls in
processing and cooking techniques using local cereals. Furthermore, hotel and
restaurant owners have been sensitized to introduce dishes prepared with local
products in their menus. A diner was organised to allow the Vice President to
taste the local dishes produced and prepared by various farmers supported by PAFA.
Value
chain development centre of Keur Socé
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Market
garden in Taiba Nianguène
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Service
centre for village poultry in Fallou Sall
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Tasting
local products in Kaolack
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