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The harsh effects of climate change on the small island state of Cape Verde have not made its development challenges any more comfortable. In Santiago, one of Cape Verde's four islands, it hasn't rained for three years, making agricultural practices tricky.

Increasing productivity in these circumstances with less damage to an already degraded environment becomes a major dilemma. According to the experts, science, innovation and technology are the best bet for putting the country's agricultural industry back on a sustainable path.

No other institution is better placed to advance the science and innovation agenda in Cape Verde than the National Research Institute for Agricultural Development (INIDA). For four decades, INIDA has led the creation and dissemination of appropriate and proven technologies that have brought about substantial changes in the livelihoods of rural communities across Cape Verde.

"I would like to congratulate INIDA on its cutting-edge agricultural innovations in Cape Verde," said Dr José Ulisses de Pina Correia e Silva, Prime Minister of Cape Verde.

Speaking in Achada Porto, some 44 kilometers from the capital, Praia, the Prime Minister assured INIDA of the necessary political support as long as it continued to stimulate innovation and disseminate smart technology packages. Achada Porto, like most communities in Cape Verde, is affected by climate change, soil erosion, land degradation and water stress.

The Prime Minister, who is also Head of State of Cape Verde, spoke on Tuesday January 14 in the presence of other senior government officials, the mayor and residents of Tarrafal County on the island of Santiago.

An innovative project with lessons for countries with similar agro-ecologies 

Although a small island state, Cape Verde's agro-ecological realities are similar to those of Sahelian countries. With its mountainous topography, soil erosion is endemic, and water scarcity is a regular feature, an additional constraint to the agricultural environment.

Thanks to funding from the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), the Cape Verdean government is implementing a low-cost, water-efficient hydroponics system, which enables plants to be grown above ground and widespread use of photovoltaic energy to mobilize and manage water.

"Until recently, the village of Tarrafal consisted mainly of stones," explains Jiao Fonseca, IFAD Project Coordinator. But since the project began, many beneficiaries have turned a corner.

"I spent most of my time in front of the television or doing things that weren't important. But since I received the training and knowledge to grow cucumbers, lettuce and tomatoes, not only have the meals in my house improved, but we've also seen an increase in our income," explains Edna Rose Lopes, one of the beneficiaries.

The IFAD-funded project benefited 30 people (27 women and three men) in a village of around 150 people. Most of the beneficiaries had no previous farming experience. But thanks to a combined effort by non-governmental organizations, INIDA research and extension specialists, and the support of the local government, these women have seen an improvement in their income and living conditions.

INIDA has signed a memorandum of understanding with IFAD for the dissemination of smart technologies under the Rural Socio-Economic Opportunities Program (POSER).

The total population of Cape Verde is around 500,000, with a further 500,000 living abroad, mainly in North America and Europe.

Forty Years of Impact

INIDA is 40 years old. As the country's main driver of innovation and knowledge agent in the field of agricultural innovation, INIDA has helped to provide not only new technologies, but also to facilitate the dissemination of relevant technologies beyond rural communities. Here are just a few of INIDA's achievements:

• Diversification of horticultural species, practices and varieties ;
• Seed and crop improvement;
• The installation of genetic material banks and agricultural seed banks;
• Conserving terrestrial biodiversity;
• Contribution to applied research and knowledge transfer, and to irrigation and horticulture technologies;
• The revival of banana cultivation;
• Contribution to capacity building for climate change adaptation and resilience in the water sector in Cape Verde ;
• Disease and pest diagnosis and control ;
• Studies on the economic profitability of eleven main vegetable and fruit crops;
• The use of treated wastewater in forage seed production.

INIDA is a member of CORAF, the organization responsible for coordinating agricultural research in West and Central Africa. INIDA is currently headed by Maria Angela P. Bareto Da Veiga Moreno, who is also Chairman of the Board of CORAF.

See also..:

• CORAF Board of Directors meets in Praia, Cape Verde
• CORAF's new president takes office with a mission to combat growing poverty
• Cape Verdean elected new president of CORAF