Farmer Power

I am Fataï AINA, born on January 1, 1980, I am Biogeographer and Executive Director of the Organization Amis de l’Afrique Francophone- Bénin (AMAF-BENIN), a member organization of the Global Forest Coalition (GFC) and ICCA Consortium, which works in the field of biodiversity conservation, the fight against climate change and the improvement of the living conditions of disadvantaged and vulnerable communities, including indigenous peoples and local communities.

I am a member of the expert group Desert Net International (DNI) and representative of the national "Future Earth" committee in Benin. I was a member of the Board of Directors of the Alliance for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD-Alliance) and Coordinator of the project "Strengthening Beekeeper Associations for the Development of the value chain of the beekeeping sector in the Municipality of Bassila".

The project aims to solve the problems of food insecurity and degradation of natural resources which accentuate the social and climatic vulnerability of the indigenous peoples and local communities of North Benin and those of the Bassila munipality in particular. The project we are proposing aims to use an ecosystem-based adaptation approach (EbA) which integrates sustainable climate-resilient agricultural techniques with a tailor-made restoration of degraded forest ecosystems, which will lead to current and future conditions to climate change, increased and sustainable agricultural productivity (through sound management of forests and land) and increased supply of ecosystem goods and services (including water availability, soil conservation and cooling, medicines, fruit, etc.). Our project will help stop the negative vicious cycle of climate change and degradation of natural resources by integrating climate-resilient agricultural techniques with appropriate restoration of degraded forest ecosystems.

The Municipality of Bassila, like the municipalities of North Benin, is particularly threatened by climate change marked by the reduction of agricultural and beekeeping productivity, the loss and drying of the topsoil, floods and a reduction in supply of goods and services from natural ecosystems. This situation accentuates the social and climatic vulnerability of all 130,091 inhabitants of the Municipality of Bassila (RGPH4-2013). The contributing factors to these problems are the degradation of natural resources due to the uncontrolled exploitation of forests for the production of fuelwood and charcoal, grazing, wildfires as well as agricultural holdings that line up with loss of sight with intensive use of chemical fertilizers and chemical pesticides. Also, in this region of Benin, agriculture is practiced in almost all villages by unsustainable methods which involve the use of fertilizers and other chemicals. This method increases environmental degradation and threatens biodiversity, which is already suffering from the negative effects of climate change. The living conditions of communities are deteriorating day by day, resources are becoming scarce and poverty is taking hold.

Our project will provoke a change of local paradigm in the way that rural communities of Bassila approach the current and future impacts of climate change on natural resources and agricultural production, through three interdependent components which focus on: i) adapted catering degraded forest ecosystems (especially sacred and community forests) that increase the supply of ecosystem goods and services (including water supply, soil conservation, soil cooling, fiber, medicines, fruits ii) improvement of agricultural productivity (through judicious soil management and sustainable production); and iii) improving the capacity of communities to manage forest and agricultural landscapes, in order to reduce pressure on resources and strengthen climate resilience. The overall objective of the project is to stop the negative vicious circle of climate change, the exhaustion of agricultural yields and the degradation of natural resources in the municipality of Bassila, and by doing so, by strengthening the climate resilience of local communities.

The community targeted by our project are indigenous peoples and the local communities Anii, Koura and Nago and particularly 260 women and young people, previously farmers of 13 villages bordering the sacred forests Igbo-Dognin and Igbo-Lakou (Alédjo, Partago, Tchimbéri, Kadégué, Nioro, Pénélan, Nagayilé, Pénéssoulou, Kodowari, Talou, Manigri-Ikani, Manigri-Oké, Salmaga), not equipped and using large areas of land and chemical fertilizers in their agricultural production. This dangerously compromises fragile ecosystems and biological resources. This agricultural production as a whole benefits neither the practitioners nor the final beneficiaries made up of all of the 130,091 inhabitants of the municipality of Bassila (RGPH4-2013). Because, not only that it does not obtain a stable and substantial income, it contributes largely to the destruction of biodiversity and plant cover, and threatens human health. The needs of the communities were determined through a diagnostic study on their agricultural activities together with them and extended to the local authorities which made it possible to identify their difficulties and needs. Thus, the project intervention process is based essentially on the participatory approach at village’s level which consists in actively involving the beneficiaries in the realization of the project by involving them at all stages of implementation.

The project takes into account the needs of indigenous peoples and local communities, in particular women who have very limited access to land and credit, which reduces their capacity to invest in necessary economic activities (due to a lack of stable capital and financial resources). It will ensure the social and economic empowerment of indigenous women through their training in best agricultural practices (production, processing, packaging, marketing), which take into account the conservation of biodiversity and the environment. The project mainly addresses the problems of natural resource degradation and climate change that affect the livelihoods of rural communities.

The idea of our project was born following the collaboration of our Organization with the farmers of several villages of Bassila in order to assess the impact of their production activities on the environment and to promote agriculture sustainable family business. Production activities which, according to them, do not allow them to adequately meet their needs, although easy to carry out, at low production cost and attracting the rush of rural traders and urban centers. The diagnosis carried out together with the actors, extended to local authorities, shows, among other things, that the farmers in the villages met, do not have an in-depth knowledge of the production of sustainable family farming. All farmers use large areas of land and chemicals for their production. Producers not only have little knowledge over the production route, but also have difficulty accessing the organized and credible market. The profitability of the activity is still limited for the insufficient training and information, the difficulties of access to financing and adapted equipment (DPDEM - Bassila, 2018). They then expressed the need to acquire appropriate techniques and equipment for sustainable production, processing and storage of products after harvest. These needs are taken into account by this project.

The problems addressed are important to us because they are pressing problems today, contributing largely to the achievement of several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), such as: ODD1 (No poverty), ODD8 (Decent work and economic growth), ODD12 (Responsible consumption and production), ODD13 (Climate action), and SDG 15 (Life on land). Also, this project, one of the objectives of which is to sustainably sustain livelihoods for disadvantaged and vulnerable communities, is a response to the mitigation of the current and future social and economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID -19). Finally, the project contributes to achieving the objectives and mission of our Organization AMAF-BENIN which aims to improve the living conditions of the Beninese populations in general and the most vulnerable in particular..

Our Organization AMAF-BENIN has experience and expertise in the project area and in another similar area, as well as in the project area. By working closely with disadvantaged and vulnerable populations for more than 10 years, our AMAF-BENIN Organization has developed expertise in the economic, social and environmental issues they face on a daily basis. Faced with these challenges, our Organization has successfully piloted several projects in the same field as this project, including among others the project "Strengthening Farmers Associations for the development of the value chain of the beekeeping sector in the municipality of Bassila" and the pilot project “Strengthening cooperatives of indigenous women for the development of the agricultural value chain in the Arrondissement of Pénéssoulou”. Thus, the present project is not in an initial phase, it is a question of consolidating the achievements and scaling up a successful action by our Organization AMAF-BENIN in the same sector and in the same municipality and in other municipalities of Benin. Through this project, an agricultural center will be built in Bassila next to the beekeeping center already built by our Organization AMAF-BENIN, and which functions as an Integrated Center for Modern Beekeeping and Ecotourism (CIAME) and ensures continuous learning beekeeping peasants. Thus, the agricultural center which will be built through this project will constitute a reinforcement for the existing beekeeping center and will make it possible to ensure the continuous learning of the peasant farmers of the municipality of Bassila and the neighboring municipalities.

Faced with each difficulty linked to our projects, we develop new strategies and method to overcome them.

An example of a difficult situation related to our project is the destruction of the young plants that we had reforested as well as the destruction of a large portion of our production field by cattle on pasture. Faced with this difficulty, we formulated a participatory plea to the competent authorities, in collaboration with the local communities’ beneficiary. This made it possible to develop a formal partnership with the competent authorities, in particular the Benin forestry administration for its involvement in the project. So, the forestry administration questioned the cattle herders on the matter, followed by bans on the movement of oxen near agricultural sites. In addition to the participatory advocacy formulation method, we have also intensified information and awareness campaigns aimed at strengthening the environmental awareness of local communities, cattle drivers, timber operators, etc. thereby promoting understanding of environmental, social and economic threats at the local level and avoiding the destruction of forests and agricultural fields.

Apart from my short biography presented above, I was responsible for prospecting and monitoring the activities of the French Company CFCI "Conception Française de Construction Internationale", an industrial company focused strictly on technological innovation in the agricultural sector, specialized in the production and distribution of organic fertilizers and photovoltaic energy. I represented our Organization AMAF-BENIN for 3 years on the Board of Directors of the World Alliance for the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD-Alliance) where I participated in several consultations of the Secretariat of the United Nations for the Convention on Biological Diversity. I have been the National Coordinator of the Global Forest Coalition (GFC) in Benin since 2016 until today. Also, I coordinated the project “Strengthening Farmers Associations for the development of the value chain of the beekeeping sector in the municipality of Bassila” and the pilot project “Strengthening cooperatives of indigenous women for the development of the agricultural value chain in the Pénéssoulou District”, within our Organization AMAF-BENIN.

The project is presented as an Ecosystem Based Adaptation (EbA) project, combining the resolution of three development problems, namely i) the degradation of natural resources and the environment, ii) unemployment and gender inequality and iii) poverty. About 20% of the project resources will be devoted to reforest / restore two sacred forests in different localities of Bassila; and more than 80% of project resources to support marginal intervention in sustainable family farming, agrotourism and the creation of sustainable local jobs. Reforestation of sacred forests is essential because indigenous communities, especially women depend on their forests to provide fuelwood and non-timber forest products such as nuts and medicines important to their livelihoods. It is also important to provide ecosystem services such as water supply. The project therefore contributes significantly to the achievement of several development objectives such as the eradication of hunger and poverty, the creation of decent jobs, responsible production and consumption, adaptation and mitigation to climate change, etc. and strengthening the resilience of indigenous and local communities to the current and future impacts of climate change and COVID-19.

The project interventions will bring considerable benefits to rural communities in the municipality of Bassila, especially women already on the threshold of poverty and vulnerability, including: i) improving their living conditions and reducing poverty , through judicious management of the soils and improvement of their agricultural production and their livelihoods; ii) increased supply of ecosystem goods and services for communities (including water supply, soil conservation, soil cooling, fiber, medicines, fruit, fuelwood, etc.), thanks to the tailor-made restoration of degraded forest ecosystems; iii) the reduction of their climatic vulnerability, thanks to their capacities to manage agricultural landscapes and forest ecosystems. The restoring forests will boost the production of non-timber forest products (NTFPs), thereby greatly benefiting rural women who also derive their livelihoods from collecting NTFPs, such as shea nuts, cashews, walnuts born, etc. which are in international demand. The project will help women's cooperatives to access the agricultural equipment necessary for the production, post-harvest storage and processing of their products. Referring to our pilot project, this project will reduce conflicts between farmers and herders in the Bassila municipality, because general awareness will increase the environmental awareness of all populations.

The number of people our project currently serves and the number of people it will serve in a year and in five years are as follows:

Number of people currently: 60 people
Number of people in one (01) year: 240 people
Number of people in five (05) years: 1,200 people.

Our objective is to succeed in developing the activities of the project and to extend our actions to the scale in order to contribute to the satisfaction of the social needs of a greater number of populations of the region where the project is located and other regions, or even all of Benin, and promote the economic and social development of disadvantaged and vulnerable communities and ensure sustainable jobs.

The only barrier that currently exists for us to achieve our goals in the next year and the next five years is a financial barrier. We lack the financial resources to develop and scale up action.

We plan to overcome this obstacle by participating in opportunities like the Elevate Prize and MIT SOLVE, in order to mobilize the resources necessary to achieve our objectives. We have human resources with the skills required to carry out actions that can achieve the objectives. If we obtain the expected financial resources, they will be mainly invested in reforestation activities, training, agricultural production, construction and the equipping of an agricultural center such as a Professional Training Center in Modern Beekeeping and Family Farming (CFP-AMAF).

We work with the Village Development Associations of each village in the Commune of Bassila and the Cooperative of Women Farmers and Beekeepers of Pénéssoulou. We also work with other local organizations in Benin such as Nature Tropicale- NGO, AFEJE- NGO, PJUD- NGO, SONAGNON- NGO, etc.

As part of this project, we will work with the Village Development Associations of the villages targeted by the project and the Cooperative of Women Farmers and Beekeepers of Pénéssoulou. These organizations will be responsible for carrying out specific aspects of the project, such as information and awareness campaigns, social mobilization of communities and local authorities, etc.

Our project is part of a logic of strengthening social entrepreneurship for the creation of socially and ecologically sustainable jobs generating income for women and young people in rural areas, through the stimulation of entrepreneurial dynamics in family farming and improved beekeeping. Restoring degraded ecosystems and developing smart agriculture will increase production of NTFPs and basic food products such as maize, yams, cassava, etc., thereby reducing climate risks and food insecurity. The project will allow farmers, women's cooperatives and other beneficiaries to optimize their financial resources through training in basic marketing techniques, with particular attention to the added value of products that will increase the attractiveness of agricultural sector and to make it a tool for the promotion and development of self-employment in rural communities, in this case young girls and women already facing poverty and vulnerability.

The financial viability of the project will be ensured by grants; donations ; revenue from the sale of pilot action products; and services, including revenue from the services of our literacy center and free sewing-embroidery training.

In the long term, the sustainability of the project will be ensured by:
- the capacity of actors to pursue a better practice of EbA and climate-resilient agriculture which ensures the sustainable management of land and forests and the economic empowerment of communities;
- the local social status of the CFP-AMAF and its local staff;
- the sale of products and receipts from ecological tourism which ensure the self-financing of the CFP-AMAF, thus guaranteeing its economic independence and therefore, its sustainability.

The overall cost of carrying out this project being US $ 540,000, we are looking for a grant of US $ 485,000 to carry it out.

Our budget for 2020 is US $ 833,650

We are applying for the Elevate award to raise funds for the realization of our project “Farmer Power”. These funds will be particularly invested in the training of rural communities to reduce their social and climatic vulnerability, the restoration of degraded forest resources and degraded soils to reduce the negative impacts of climate change and maintain livelihoods; promoting sustainable family farming to ensure food security; and the construction and equipment of an agricultural center such as a Professional Training Center in Modern Beekeeping and Family Farming (CFP-AMAF) for the creation of sustainable jobs.

Our partnership objective is to help stop the negative vicious circle of climate change, the exhaustion of agricultural yields and the degradation of natural resources in the municipality of Bassila. Our ambition is to ensure access to the labor market for indigenous and rural women and young people as well as ensuring their employability, through training and learning based on their needs, and will guarantee their reintegration, and their continuous learning in the field through on-the-job training, recognition of prior learning and demand-driven programs for these disadvantaged and vulnerable groups, which will allow inclusive social and economic development at the local level.

We would like to associate with Village Development Associations (VDA) in each village targeted by the project and with Cooperative of Women Beekeepers and Farmers of Pénéssoulou (COFAP). These Associations will help especially in terms of awareness and social mobilization. They will also help in monitoring project activities. In addition to these Associations, the project will also collaborate with the technical structures of the municipality of Bassila and the decentralized state services which intervene in the fields of the project, in order to promote the political anchoring of the project. The involvement of these different structures will facilitate state recognition of the project, in particular the consideration of training from the center "CFP-AMAF" in the Professional Qualification Certificate (CQP) and Metier Qualification Certificate (CQM) systems.