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As part of their monitoring of EU-funded research and development projects, Mr. Joaquín González-Ducay, EU Ambassador to Senegal, and Dr. Paco Sérémé, Executive Director of CORAF, visited two dairy production farms in the Kaolack region, and held talks with the actors and partners of the innovation platform of the Projet d'appui à l'amélioration durable de la productivité et de la compétitivité des filières laitiines bovines en Afrique de l'Ouest et du Centre (AMPROLAIT). The 24-hour visit provided an opportunity to measure the project's impact in terms of increased income and poverty reduction for rural populations. It took place from March 17 to 18, 2016 in Dakar and Kaolack.

The EU and CORAF delegations met with Théophile SARR, who runs a semi-intensive dairy farm in Sibassor. The nutritional status of the farmer's family and consumers has also improved. After 4 years, the project has enabled him to increase his income from the sale of milk from a profit of 2,000 f per day to 5,000 f per day.

The second producer visited was Birame FALL, a modern breeder in the Médine district of Kaolack. The project has enabled him to improve his milk production and thus his income. This example was appreciated by the EU Ambassador, as the farmer was an immigrant in Italy. He came back to invest in livestock farming.

1. Joaquín González-Ducay praised the project's main results, adding that "these initiatives should be multiplied to reduce immigration. The able-bodied are immigrating out of Africa, whereas entrepreneurship brings hope to Africa. I encourage young people to stay in Africa, because their future is here.

The CORAF delegation, led by Executive Director Dr Paco Sérémé, welcomed the EU's initiative to touch base with the achievements of the projects it has been supporting since 2011. He expressed the wish that "the results obtained will be shared with a greater number of beneficiaries for a real transformation of Agriculture in West and Central Africa."

Prior to the visit to Kaolack, the EU delegation held a working session with CORAF officials, who shared the overall results of the projects benefiting from EU funding. Financial and technical governance aspects were shared with the EU Ambassador to Senegal. This took place on March 17, 2016.

Since 2011, the EU has funded CORAF/WECARD to the tune of over 7 billion FCFA (11475000 euros). To date, 17 research and development projects are being implemented in 20 countries in West and Central Africa, coordinated at regional level by CORAF/WECARD.

The European Union (EU) supports CORAF/WECARD through the Multi-Donor Trust Fund (MDTF). This is a financing mechanism facilitated by the World Bank, which aims to contribute to sustainable improvements in agricultural productivity, competitiveness and markets in West and Central Africa.

In Senegal, 7 projects are being implemented in the fields of dairy production, groundnuts, cotton, tomatoes, leafy vegetables, natural resources, non-timber forest products and capacity building. These projects cover the regions of Kaolack, Tambacounda, Saint Louis and Kaffrine.