6500 producers supported for three years with the support of the European Union

In January 2020, we signed a contract with the European Union (EU) on the “ Development in the Union of the Comoros of a productive agroecological model that is resilient to climate change ". This project targeted 21 villages in seven communes of Anjouan and three villages in two communes of Grande Comore.

The revival of agricultural activities post-Kenneth in figures

The Covid-19 pandemic impacted the start of this new project which aimed to relaunch production after the passage of Cyclone Kenneth in 2019. Despite this, we recorded a very strong catch-up to achieve the expected results.

We have organized two training modules in Farmer Field Schools format on the key themes of integrated production and pest management for market garden crops, as well as the association and rotation of food crops. Then, we provided six other one-off training courses on composting, soil defense and restoration, phytopathology, the integration of livestock farming with agriculture as well as the cultivation and maintenance of potatoes.

The training was able to strengthen the knowledge of beneficiaries on improved techniques for multiplying food crops, directly guaranteeing an impact on food security:

6 500 farmers mobilized and supported, including 51% women, from 417 agricultural groups.
3 080 producers have installed 305 banana sprouters.
26 000 banana seeds planted.
96 000 cuttings of cassava and sweet potato vines planted.

The adoption of agroecological practices has increased producers' income

We were able to draw real conclusions from producers through focus groups. Thanks to our investment over these three years, the returns have been positive. 87% of beneficiaries recognize an increase in their productivity and 81% have adopted at least one agroecological practice. For market gardening, these include (1) crop association, (2) crop rotation, (3) installation of improved nurseries, (4) improvement of soil fertility and ( 5) defense development and soil restoration (DRS).

Figure: % of producers surveyed via focus groups in 2022 having practiced agroecological techniques of promoted market gardening.

83 groups of the most dynamic farmers engaged in collective actions for integrated management of agricultural soil fertility: 125 Gliricidia cuttings were used to seed 000 plots.

Three tools capitalized through the project

Among the agroecological technologies developed during this action, we have capitalized on three tools to further promote the know-how of farmers. These documents and guides are available on our website :

The anti-insect net: The test plots avoided 100% of fly attacks (Tuta Absoluta) during the market gardening season between March and August 2022. The marketable share of tomatoes is 90%, even 100%. On the other hand, this percentage varies between 40 to 60% on the control plots without the use of the net.
The multiplication of banana trees in a group of farmers: To meet the demand for banana trees in the Comoros, we sought to master the technique of rapid multiplication of banana trees using the Plants from Stem Fragments (PIF) method. We have managed to perfect this technique and train local producers to be autonomous.
The association of market gardening: through competitions for the best market gardening plots, we put farmers' groups into competition. Organic production and the combination of crops have given very good results which we have capitalized on in order to make them useful to local farmers.

Sharing experiences with national stakeholders

We have undertaken collaborations with national stakeholders within the framework of training and exchanges on the promotion of agroecological techniques in the Comoros. 105 external technicians in Dahari were trained thanks to the organization with the National Research Institute for Agriculture, Fisheries and the Environment (INRAPE), national and regional workshops on the promotion of agricultural techniques. These workshops brought together more than 40 participants each time, including representatives from the Ministry and Directorate of Agriculture, research institutes and civil society institutions.

All this work will now be capitalized in a new “agroforestry” program currently under construction. This program targets greater intensification and agroecological transformation in the Comoros. In addition, a “rapid” model is also being finalized which will allow a broad popularization of these techniques following future natural events.

We thank the European Union for this key support for our actions over the past three years.