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Oct 06 2024

Rice development in Togo: Smart Valleys Technology adopted by farmers

The development of the rice sector is part of the agricultural development strategies of West African countries, and Togo in particular. Rice is a staple food for a large proportion of the Togolese population, with annual per capita consumption estimated at 35 kg. Yet the country is facing a major challenge: national production covers only part of its needs, reaching around 165,000 tonnes in 2020, far short of the 450,000 tonnes required. As a result, the country is dependent on imports for around 60% of its rice consumption.

  

To reverse this trend, the West Africa Food System Resilience Program (FSRP), of which rice is one of the priority commodities, has undertaken an initiative with the Togolese rice trade association to widely disseminate Smart Valleys Technology. This is a lowland management system designed to retain and manage rainwater in fields while reducing fertiliser losses due to flooding, and it can significantly increase harvest yields (more details on Smart Valleys https://bit.ly/3TM17VT).

Recently (from 24 to 29 June 2024), a training session for a pool of 20 endogenous trainers was held to introduce producers to this technology. Each trainer then passed on their knowledge to ten other farmers in twenty villages in the central region of Togo. During these sessions, participants learned not only about the Smart Valleys approach, but also how it works and the advantages it offers for maximising yields from limited areas.

In addition to the training, the farmers received toolkits for developing their plots, including wheelbarrows, boots, ropes, cutters, daba, picks and other equipment needed to put the Smart Valleys method into practice. Abdourahim Milbawa, a young rice farmer from Guérin kouka in the Dankpen prefecture, was one of the beneficiaries of the training, and was quick to share his new skills with other farmers in his locality.

“When I got back from the training, I quickly got together with my farmer friends to show them this technology, which for me is a real innovation. On my plot of land, I explained how to develop the land while considering the direction of rainwater,” says Abdourahim with pride.

Smart Valleys combines proven agricultural techniques with modern technologies to optimise the use of natural resources and increase the productivity of rice fields. The focus is on developing flood valleys by building dykes, canals and drainage systems to control water and improve soil fertility.

One of the major advantages of this technology is the efficient management of water and seed: “Before, I used to sow rice by throwing the seed onto the plain. For one hectare, I needed 50 kg of seed, and the yield was around 3 Tons. With the Smart Valleys Techology, I start with a nursery and do the transplanting in the trays that have been made. I use less seed, around 5 kg per hectare, for a harvest of almost 6 Tons per hectare. It’s beneficial,” explains Abdourahim, happy to have mastered this production technique.

Another site, another experience with Mrs Affi Koutèma, a rice grower in the canton of Yaloumbè in the prefecture of Blitta, in the central region of Togo, 260 km north of the city of Lomé. Like Abdourahim, Mrs Affi is a beneficiary of the training and applies the knowledge she has acquired to an area of 0.25 ha.

In partnership with two other rice growers, she builds crates, manages rainwater and channels it, as well as planting seeds in rows. She is delighted to point out the changes in the way she produces rice: “Before, I sowed rice by broadcasting and that required 50 kg of seed for 1 hectare and a yield of 2 tonnes.  Today, with the smart valleys, as soon as you build the crates, the rest is easy to do and you use less seed. For one hectare, you use 4 to 5 kg of seed, and you can be sure of harvesting around 6 ha. I would like to sincerely thank the World Bank, ECOWAS and Togo’s Ministry of Agriculture for the multifaceted support provided to producers through FSRP”.

Smart Valleys Technology is part of a wider strategy for sustainable agricultural development in Togo, focusing on local solutions to improve food production and strengthen the resilience of communities in the face of climatic and economic challenges.

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Le FSRP est une approche programmatique qui vise à accroître la productivité agricole grâce des pratiques climato-intelligentes tout en promouvant les chaînes de valeur agricoles et le commerce intra-régional. 

  • The FSRP is a programmatic approach that aims to increase agricultural productivity through climate-smart practices while promoting agricultural value chains and intra-regional trade.

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