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A new project aimed at strengthening the resilience of rural communities in the Sahel to climate change by providing modern equipment and infrastructure for breeding varieties of five specie crops will be launched on Monday, March 9, 2020 in Dakar, Senegal.

Funded by the European Union, the "Strengthening networks and institutional capacities in plant improvement for the development of resilient crops meeting the needs of West African farmers" project, known as ABEE, will be implemented by CORAF.

A consortium of players with a proven track record in plant breeding development in the Sahel and West Africa is involved in implementation. It includes the Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD), AfricaRice / Integrated Breeding Platform, the Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles du Sénégal/Centre d'études régionales pour l'amélioration de l'adaptation à la sécheresse, the Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles du Burkina Faso (INERA) and the Institut National de Recherche Agronomique (INRAN) of Niger.

ABEE will bring a better approach to the coordination of varietal selection at regional and national levels by placing breeders in Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal at the heart of the action to develop and modernize their breeding practices and better identify market demands.

"Within the framework of the West African Agricultural Productivity Program, we have made substantial progress in setting up cereal research infrastructures in the Sahel and throughout West Africa", says Dr. Abdou Tenkouano, Executive Director of CORAF.

This intervention offers a fantastic opportunity for CORAF and its partners to further strengthen the selection system for cereals (millet, sorghum and fonio) and legumes (groundnuts and cowpeas), but also to reinforce the resilience of our rural communities who are suffering from the burden of climate change".

ABEE aims to reach over 40,000 direct beneficiaries in five years.

"The project offers an opportunity for beneficiary countries not only to modernize their programs for breeding varieties of different crops and strengthening seed systems, but also, through the transfer of technology and best practices", says Dr Sylvie Lewicki, CIRAD Regional Director.

Thanks to ABEE, breeders will be empowered to generate and disseminate climate-resistant dry cereal varieties for farmers and producers in Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal.

"Ultimately, the project will improve farmers' access to high-yielding varieties. This will further improve the food and nutritional security of beneficiary households and families", says Dr Mella Mamane, Director General of INRAN.

Thanks to the ABEE project, small-scale farmers will have access to varieties that are climate-resistant and adaptable to local and commercial realities", said Dr. Hamidou Traoré, Director of INERA.

CORAF will coordinate with the national research systems of Burkina Faso, Niger and Senegal.

CORAF's Regional Center of Excellence for Dry Grains (CERAAS) will facilitate data exchange between breeding programs. A new generation of breeders and scientists to support the modernization of breeding in the region will also be prepared under this project.

The ABEE project is part of the European Union's "Developing Intelligent Innovation through Research in Agriculture (DeSIRA)" initiative, and aims to contribute to a sustainable increase in crop productivity, farmers' incomes and food and nutritional security in the context of climate change and demographic pressure.

The European Union: a trusted partner

Prior to the implementation of the ABEE project, the EU was one of the main donors of a multi-donor trust fund that enabled CORAF to implement its previous strategic and operational plan, as well as to significantly improve the IAR4D approach in West and Central Africa.

The World Bank administered the MDTF. Thanks to competitive grants, national agricultural research systems in West and Central African countries have been considerably strengthened.

Overall, the MDTF has reached over 100,000 people in countries and communities, against a target of 82,000. According to an independent evaluation of the MDTF, more women than expected accessed, adopted and used technologies to improve agricultural productivity in West Africa over the period 2013-2016.

The MDTF has contributed to the sustainable improvement of agricultural productivity, competitiveness and markets in West and Central Africa.

Read also:

• EU funding to help CORAF combat climate change and hunger
• A new program with a strong climate focus is about to get underway
• In West Africa, research into dry cereals is increasing
• The paradox of Senegal's agro-processors
• Chad and CORAF agree to promote climate-smart technologies
• CORAF takes part in a global research program on legumes and dry cereals