IFAD’s Vice President visits Senegal

From 12 to 15 May 2015 IFAD’s Vice President, Mr. Mordasini, visited Senegal. Besides participating in the Global Land Forum organised by the International Land Coalition, Mr. Mordasini took the opportunity to meet several of IFAD’s key partners in Senegal. He met with different representatives of the Government, namely Mr. Papa Abdoulaye Seck, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Equipment, Mr. Amadou Ba, Minister of Economy, Finance and Planning and Ms. Aminata Ndiaye, Minister of Livestock and Animal Production. The Vice President discussed the performance of the ongoing IFAD-supported projects and programmes and congratulated the Government for its exemplary collaboration with IFAD.  Furthermore, he also met with  Mr Samba Gueye, President of the National Council for Rural Consultation and Cooperation, which brings together the main farmers’ and producers’ federations in Senegal. IFAD-supported projects in Senegal have been working with farmers’ organisations (grassroots organisations, unions) and will continue to work with them in the future to strengthening their capacity and support their professionalization. Finally, the Vice President met with the Country Team of UNDP, where the IFAD offices are hosted.

After the meetings in Dakar, the Vice President travelled to Kaolack, a department in Senegal’s groundnut basis, where the IFAD supported Agricultural Value Chains Support Project (Projet d’appui aux filières agricoles – PAFA)  is being implemented. Here he visited several interventions that are being supported by PAFA.

Resulting from discussion between producers’ organisations, local government and other market operators during value chain, PAFA has supported the construction of several value chain development centres where agricultural produce can be stored and sold. Each centre has a storage place, a polyvalent room, a point of sale and toilets. The Vice President visited one of these centres in Keur Socé.

PAFA has developed a holistic approach to village poultry, which has proven to be extremely successful. The characteristics of the model are: (i) setting up farmers’ groups in a transparent and inclusive manner; (ii) technical training tailored to the needs of the beneficiaries, especially women; (iii) close technical follow-up provided by local extensionists; (iv) construction of henhouse with local material as a shelter during the night; (v) breeding local chickens that are adapted to the environment and farming conditions; (vi) vaccination and other preventive measures; (vii) production of feed by the beneficiaries themselves using local ingredients. During the Vice President’s visit, a service centre for village poultry, which includes a slaughterhouse and a point of sale, was officially opened in Fallou Sall.

Twelve market gardens have been set up and/or equipped with solar pumps, drip irrigation equipment and fencing with the support of PAFA. The capacity of the producers’ organisations is being strengthened and agricultural advisory services and are foreseen. More than seventy per cent of the producers are women and about twenty per cent are younger than 35 years old. The Vice President visited the market garden in Taiba Nianguène, where vegetable production is being integrated with fish farming.

To promote the consumption of local products, PAFA has trained more than 800 women and young girls in processing and cooking techniques using local cereals. Furthermore, hotel and restaurant owners have been sensitized to introduce dishes prepared with local products in their menus. A diner was organised to allow the Vice President to taste the local dishes produced and prepared by various farmers supported by PAFA.