News

A memorandum of understanding signed today, Tuesday June 19, 2018, between the government of Chad and CORAF, should accelerate the adoption of improved technologies and in particular climate-smart innovations.

Chad is currently experiencing erratic climatic conditions and land degradation. The agreement signed between the two parties will facilitate the deployment of climate-sensitive technologies in priority sectors for targeted communities in the country.

The government of Chad recently received funding from the World Bank Group to implement ProPAD, the climate-resilient agriculture and productivity improvement project.

At the heart of the program is the promotion of improved technologies to enhance the resilience of communities affected by climate change, increase agricultural productivity and strengthen the production systems of targeted populations.

ProPAD seeks to use the West African Agricultural Productivity Program (WAAPP) approach to accelerate the delivery of technologies that can improve agricultural productivity.

Over 200 technologies have been published in the last ten years under the PPAAO program. These technologies have been adopted by nearly 4.5 million growers and processors on around 4.8 million hectares.

Experts say that the food and nutritional security of the population of West and Central Africa depends on accelerating the adoption of these technologies.

The agreement we are signing today in N'Djamena not only opens up access to the use of technologies generated by the WAPP to improve the resilience of communities in Chad, but also testifies to CORAF's founding spirit and principle of strengthening regional integration", explains Dr. Abdou Tenkouano, Executive Director of CORAF.

According to the World Bank, food insecurity is a major concern that is likely to be exacerbated by climate change. "It is estimated that one in 10 Chadians, or 1.4 million people, are chronically food insecure, meaning that they are unable to meet their basic food needs, even during 'good harvest years'," says the World Bank.

As part of its research into climate-smart varieties, CORAF's Regional Center of Excellence in Senegal has developed groundnut and cowpea varieties that are now helping farmers to adapt to the effects of climate change.

The agreement also aims to facilitate the adoption of similar solutions in Chad, or to take advantage of research centers to adopt solutions tailored to the specific challenges affecting the country.

Many of CORAF's national centers of specialization work on key agricultural products that are relevant to Chad's food and nutritional security. These include the livestock research center in Niger, the maize research center in Benin, the dry cereals research center in Senegal, the fruit and vegetable research center in Burkina Faso, the root and tuber research center in Ghana and the rice research center in Mali.

CORAF is present in 23 West and Central African countries. Over the past ten years, most West African countries have participated in the implementation of the WAPP. Its success and considerable impact on development in participating countries have inspired some Central African countries to join the program. In addition to Chad, Cameroon is also preparing to join the program.

Overall, the WAPP has benefited around 9 million people directly and 49 million people indirectly. The promotion and adoption of technologies has made a significant contribution to bridging food and income gaps in the countries covered by the project.

Chad and CORAF have a long history of collaboration that goes beyond the exchange of agricultural technologies and innovations.

As part of the USAID-funded West Africa Seed Program, CORAF has helped set up a seed regulation policy in Chad to facilitate access to quality seed for those who need it most.