Rapports des consultants sur le développement d'activités alternatives dans la zone de Conkouati : cultures agricoles, agroforesterie, élevage, aquaculture
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1995
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Farmer-led agroecology and seed systems strengthening agrobiodiversity in Ghana
The Abrono Organic Farmers Association (ABOFA), based in Forikrom in Ghana’s Bono East Region, supports about 6,000 farmers to manage agrobiodiversity across more than 5,000 hectares through agroecological farming. Farmers cultivate small plots of around 1 hectare using diverse mixtures of root crops, cereals, vegetables, fruit trees and livestock in agroforestry systems. ABOFA strengthens these systems through farmer field schools, farmer-to-farmer extension and training on soil testing, composting, rainwater harvesting, nursery practices, beekeeping, grafting and recordkeeping. Farmers mainly save and exchange their own seeds, while ABOFA’s community seed bank conserves 31 crop varieties. The association also supports value addition, aggregation and market access for products such as cashew, mango, cocoa and honey. Together, these approaches strengthen livelihoods, food security, resilience and the sustainable use of local biodiversity.
Strengthening agroforestry enterprises through cooperative governance in Vietnam
Binh Minh Agroforestry Cooperative (BMAC) in Yen Bai Province, Vietnam, shows how strong internal governance can turn a small farmer group into a viable forestry enterprise. Established in 2017 with support from the Forest and Farm Facility and the Vietnam Farmers’ Union, BMAC grew from 7 to 18 member households and now works with more than 2,000 forest-growing households managing about 8,000 hectares, including 6,000 hectares certified by the Forest Stewardship Council. Clear leadership, elected governance bodies, transparent financial management, regular communication, risk management and continuous learning enabled the cooperative to invest in processing, diversify products and build partnerships with companies and government. From 2018 to 2022, BMAC generated about VND (Vietnamese dong) 64 billion in revenue and VND 6 billion in profit, while creating jobs and expanding access to higher-value markets. Remaining challenges include unequal dividend sharing, limited member participation and access to capital.
Mobilizing internal finance within a forest and farm producer organization in Ghana
The Jwa Ngwaane Community Cooperative Credit Union was established by the Kassena Nankana Baobab Cooperative Union (KANBAOCU), a forest and farm producer organisation (FFPO) in Ghana’s Upper East Region. Formed in August 2020 and launched in December 2020, it began with 96 village savings and loans associations representing 2,920 members. The credit union was created to help members save securely, access low-interest loans and invest in farming, shea, baobab and other value chains after many had lost confidence in commercial banking. The member-owned model offers shares, savings accounts, fixed deposits, loans and agribusiness support. It is governed through a general assembly, board, loans, supervisory and education committees, supported by a manager and field officers. By 2022, it had grown to 363 accounts, 6,105 individual members, GH₵283,523 in savings and GH₵271,346 in loans, showing how FFPOs can mobilize internal finance for inclusive rural enterprise.
Mobilizing farmer-led cooperative finance for family farming in Brazil
Cresol Credit Union System was founded in 1995 by 27 family farmers in southwest Paraná, Brazil, to improve access to rural credit and financial services for smallholders excluded from traditional banking. It has grown into a three-tier cooperative financial system with 1 confederation, 4 central credit unions, 72 first-tier credit unions and 734 branches across 18 Brazilian states. Cresol provides financial services to more than 786,000 member families, including over 245,000 people involved in agriculture. Its model combines member savings and investments with funding from Brazilian Development Bank (BNDES), private and development banks and international funds. Cresol provides productive and investment credit, working capital, insurance, savings, digital services and technical assistance. Through its Rural Entrepreneurship programme and rural finance methodology, it links finance with management support, better use of natural resources, technology and sustainable practices supporting family farming and local development.
Supporting farmer-led agroforestry adoption in Atsinanana, Madagascar
The Union of Farmer Organisations of Atsinanana (FITAFA), supported by the Confederation of Malagasy Farmers (FEKRITAMA) and the Forest and Farm Facility, promotes agroforestry uptake in eastern Madagascar. FITAFA represents 350 farming households across Vatomandry, Antanambao Manampotsy and Mahanoro districts, where slash-and-burn farming, forest and soil degradation, delayed rains and drought threaten livelihoods. Farmers establish shade-grown systems combining cinnamon, clove, coffee and lychee with fruit trees, food crops, vines, livestock, beekeeping and fishponds. FEKRITAMA and FITAFA support adoption through training, farmer-to-farmer learning, demonstration sites, community nurseries and market connections. Farmers have reported improved diets, diversified income, soil restoration, climate resilience, rural employment and stronger social ties. Land tenure is a challenge in which Farmers Organizations still struggle, and constraints remain around markets, labour, finance, seedlings and inclusion of women and youth.
Developing the Amazon Chakra shared label for Indigenous agroforestry in Ecuador
The Amazon Chakra Seal was developed in Napo Province, Ecuador, as a shared label for products from the traditional Kichwa chakra agroforestry system. The chakra integrates diverse crops, trees, medicinal plants, ancestral knowledge and family and community life, supporting food sovereignty, ecosystem services and biocultural heritage. Kallari, Wiñak and Tsatsayaku initiated the process through Grupo Chakra, later joining Inti and Ally Guayusa in the Corporation of Amazon Chakra Associations. Legally constituted in 2021, the corporation represents 850 families from 21 communities. The Seal uses a participatory guarantee system based on nine principles to reduce reliance on costly third-party certification and position chakra products in differentiated markets. Producer organisations, technical delegations, an ethics committee and a general assembly implement the system with support from public institutions, research bodies and international partners.
Building climate resilience through women-led agroforestry tree nurseries in Kenya
Lake Elementaita Tree Nurseries Self Help Group (LETNSHG) is a producer organization in Gilgil Sub-County, Nakuru County, Kenya, supported by the Forest and Farm Facility to commercialize climate-resilient tree nursery businesses. Founded in 2004 by six women, the group has grown to 62 members, with 48 members operating nurseries along the Nairobi–Nakuru Highway. Together they produce and sell more than 3 million seedlings annually, with a turnover of about KSh 20 million. Operating in a dryland area with annual rainfall of about 654 mm, the group faced rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, droughts, floods, and prolonged dry spells, which reduced seedling survival, increased production costs and disrupted sales, with disproportionate impacts on women and youth due to increased labour demands and limited financial buffers.
In response, LETNSHG adopted a six-step resilience model based on agroecological, economic, social, partnership, customer and marketing diversification.
Working with nature through the Kishan Chautari Participatory Guarantee System in Nepal
The National Farmers Group Federation (NFGF) in Nepal has worked with smallholder farmer groups over the last 8 years to pilot resilient and sustainable farming practices through a Participatory Guarantee System (PGS) shared label. The aim is to improve livelihoods, food and nutrition security and ecological sustainability by promoting organic production rooted in traditional knowledge.
The PGS is implemented through Kishan Chautari, a multistakeholder farmers’ dialogue forum that brings together producer groups, service providers and government agencies. The forum supports joint planning, adoption of locally agreed organic standards, monitoring, cross-learning and links to services and markets.
The approach promotes water-smart, nutrient-smart and energy-smart practices, including rainwater harvesting, household wastewater reuse, organic manure, crop rotation, legumes, organic pest management and integrated agroforestry on less productive land. In Belaka municipality, certified products achieved higher prices.
Regenerative Agriculture for the Conservation of the Chiquitano Dry Forest and the Reduction of Deforestation in Santa Cruz, Bolivia
In Bolivia, the expansion of agriculture and livestock farming on degraded soils is increasing pressure to clear the Chiquitano Dry Forest. The Chiquitanía Sostenible Model Forest promotes sustainable production through regenerative practices, restoring soils to support both production and conservation. Through demonstration plots, farmers are implementing cover crops, mixed cover systems, crop rotations, and improved pasture management to restore soil fertility, water infiltration, and organic matter, thereby gradually increasing productivity. In addition, functional biodiversity (pollinating bees, earthworms, and coprophagous beetles) is monitored. At the landscape scale, the initiative integrates agroforestry, regenerative livestock farming with water management and spring protection, restoration of degraded ecosystems, and fire prevention. Non-timber resources (wild fruits, honey, and Chiquitano almonds) are also promoted, thereby enhancing the value of the standing forest and reducing pressure for deforestation.
Strengthening agrobiodiversity through women-led agroforestry in Madagascar
The Analamanga Regional Branch of the National Platform for Women, Sustainable Development and Food Security (ARFDDSA) supports smallholder farmers in Antanetibe Mahazaza, Madagascar, to strengthen agrobiodiversity through women-led farmer-to-farmer learning, demonstration sites and practical support. Farms are small and intensively cultivated, with soil erosion, limited land and strong demand from nearby Antananarivo for short-cycle crops. The 20 households studied maintained 34 crop types, comprising 24 agricultural and 10 fruit crops represented by 80 varieties, as well as 13 livestock types, although natural vegetation was severely reduced. ARFDDSA trains women farmer leaders in agroforestry, nurseries, composting, organic fertilisation, biological pest control, crop rotation and soil-moisture management. The leaders train local groups. This approach has supported increased tree planting, wider use of leaf compost, reduced chemical inputs and adoption of biological pest control, while connecting farmers with markets.
How tree nurseries are strengthening agrobiodiversity and livelihoods in Zambia
The Choma District Tree Nurseries Association (CDTNA) in Zambia supports smallholder farmers by supplying diverse tree planting materials for agroforestry and landscape restoration. Established in 2017, the association brings together 111 members who collectively produce more than 338,000 seedlings across over 48 tree and plant varieties at a shared nursery site in the Choma Forestry Department.
Seedlings are sold to government programmes, NGOs, colleges and farmers, with major buyers including SNV (47.5% of sales) and schools (17.5%). CDTNA has strengthened access to locally adapted planting materials for soil improvement, food production and income diversification in a drought-prone farming landscape.
Through farmer-to-farmer learning, Indigenous Technical Knowledge and training from partners such as the Forestry Department, Forest and Farm Facility and the Zambia National Farmers’ Union, CDTNA has transformed scattered nursery growers into a more organized forest and farm producer organisation.
MyFarmTrees: Blockchain-enabled incentives for community-led restoration for resilient farms and landscapes in Kenya and Cameroon
MyFarmTrees is a science-based digital platform incentivising farmer- and community-led restoration of degraded landscapes. Funded by the Global Environment Facility and executed by Alliance Bioversity-CIAT in partnership with IUCN, it combines mobile technology, blockchain and digital payments to trace every step from seed collection to tree growth. Seed collection, nursery work and tree establishment are tracked using geolocation, QR codes and photo evidence. Digital monitoring, reporting and verification (dMRV) is linked to payments for ecosystem services, rewarding species that support biodiversity, food systems and livelihoods. Farmers, communities, authorities and ministries co-govern restoration, receive mobile-money rewards for verified performance and access real-time data for reporting through frameworks such as the Restoration Barometer. Piloted in Kenya and Cameroon, MyFarmTrees has reached 6,000+ beneficiaries, planted 350,000 trees across 2,000+ ha and delivered over USD 500,000 in ecosystem-service payments.