HIGHLIGHTS FROM WEST AND CENTRAL AFRICA REGION

Zac Tchoundjeu, Regional Coordinator

Email: z.tchoundjeu@cgiar.org

21 countries

330 million people1200 million ha

KEY CHARACTERISTICS OF WCA REGION

• WCA biggest region of ICRAF operating in 8 countries (Burkina Faso, Cameroon, CDI, DRC, Guinea, Mali, Niger and Nigeria).

• Smallholder farmers of this region relay on rain-fed production systems and natural/traditional methods of soil fertility maintenance.

• Farmers have limited access to markets.

• Huge potential to intensify and diversify productivity with agroforestry as a primary delivery mechanism of multifunctional agriculture for food and export markets

STAFF WCA

Cameroon36%

Mali36%

Ivory Coast10%

DRC6%

Nigeria6%

Senegal4% Niger

1%

Burkina1%

Distribution of WCA staff per country duty station (n=137)

STAFF DISTRIBUTION PER JOB CATEGORY

National Recruited

50%

Consultant/MDG

25%

Consultant11%

International Recruited

6%

Students4%

Seconded Staff4%

Distribution of WCA staff per job category (n=137)

STAFF DISTRIBUTION PER STATION/GENDER

114 2 1 1 1

26

32

85 4 4

1 1Cameroon Mali Ivory Coast DRC Nigeria Senegal Burkina Niger

Distribution (%) of WCA staff/duty station/ gender

Female Male

Main Achievements

15 Projects implemented in different nodes of the region. All these

projects covered different themes of research such as:

• Tree Domestication, Tree integration into agroforestrysystems, Marketing of tree products by smallholder, land health restoration, Climate change and development of policies for multifunctional landscapes.

Humid Tropics Node

• Promoting Rural Innovation through Participatory Tree Domestication (IFAD)

• Increasing Small-scale farmer benefits from Agroforestry Tree Products in West and Central Africa (Belgian Development

Cooperation)

• Agricultural and Tree Products Program in the West and North West Regions of Cameroon (USDA)

Main Achievements..• Central African Regional Programme for Environmental Landscape

Program, led by African Wildlife, Foundation (CARPE-USAID)

• Linking Futures: Economic Opportunities, Livelihoods and Ecological Sustainability Programme in the Campo Ma’anLandscape, Cameroon (WWF)

• Land Use Assessment (RRG)

• Promoting Development of Economically Viable Rubber Small Holdings in West Africa (CFC)

• Mobilizing And Reinforcement of The Capacity of SMEs Involved in NTFP in Central Africa, led by FAO and EU- Livelihoods and Landscape Strategy (IUCN)

• Action de Gestion Durable des Forets en Intégrant les Populations Pygmées Baka, led by BTC (EU)

• ICRAF/MARS Project

Main AchievementsSahel Node• ALUCCSA: Adaptation of Land Use to Climate Change in Sub-

Saharan Africa (BMZ)

• JATROPHA: Domestication of Jatropha Curcas for Oil Production on Smallholder Farms in the Sudano-Sahelian Region with Focus on Mali (DANIDA)

• SCAP: Smallholder Conservation Agriculture Promotion in West and Central Africa (IFAD)

Upper Guinea Node• - Landscape Management for Improved Livelihoods in

Transboundary Areas of Sierra Leone and Guinea

KEY Donors and Partners

• Key donors are: Belgian Cooperation (DGDC), CFC, EU, IDRC, IFAD, RRIN, UNEP/GEF, USAID, USDA, DFID, ACDI, Government OF Finland, MARS COMPANY, Australian Government, etc.

• Key partners include universities and related networks (ANAFE, AU) and regional bodies including CORAF, COMIFAC, ECOWAS, FARA, NGOs, NARS from 8 countries, Farmers organizations and different ministries involved in Agroforestry, Forestry and Agriculture.

• Research activities of the region cover the 6 GRPs with active participation of scientists in CRPs particularly CRP 1.1, 1.2 and CRP6.

• Joint projects being implemented with IUCN, WWW, AWF and CARPE

Outcome and Impact AssessmentRRCs as attraction point for training anddemonstration of new AF technologies,Skills and knowledge with a focus onfarmer-to farmer knowledge disseminationapproaches:

10 functional RRCs in highlands of Cameroon networking 200 communities, hosting 150 nurseries serving more than 10,000 famers.

Species diversity in nurseries range from 5-30 different species.

Each RRC serve between 5-25 communities.

Improved planting material production range from 5,000 to 175,000 plants per annum.

Plant integration per household range from 10 to 200 trees on farms.

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

2006 2008 2010

RRC growth overtime, highlands of Cameroon

West and North West Regions of Cameroon showing location of Rural Resource Canters and satellite nurseries.

Outcome and Impact Assessment…

– Income generation; slow with the first three years but could increase rapidly.

– Income generated by RRC range from 1000-40,000 USD per annum

– In addition RRCs are service providers to most development projects within their communities therefore providing employments and generating more income.

– One of the RRC worn the prestigious UNDP Equator Initiative prize of 2010

Outcome and Impact Assessment

Prize award at UN summit at NY

Outcome and Impact Assessment …• More than 22 publications in

referee journals (second of ICRAF after the Southern African Region)

• More than 100,000 farmers practicing participatory tree domestication

• 20 Msc. students graduated

• Five PhD students being supervised

Outcome and Impact Assessment…

• Project Vision of Change in CDI

• Rehabilitation of old cocoa plantation

• Successful private partnership/ICRAF

• US$50 in 10 years

• Great opportunity for partnership between WCA and Southeast Asia Regions

How to increase cocoa productivity on 50% of farms

by 200% to more than 1 ton/ha by 2020, and ensure

appropriate quality, improved

environmental management and viable communities

Policies to support input/output

processes for cocoa development, scaling

up and quality enhancement

Access to superior germplasm and

effective distribution systems

and naming

Sustainable management

options/advice for crop husbandry, soil

fertility, plant health, quality, diver

sification

Surveillance and monitoring, EIA

system to diagnose, act and adapt plans (incl.

doc and feedback) Viable business

model and scaling up strategy

Partnership management to

coordinate innovation platform

mode allowing learning together

Local institutions, empowered communities to enhance collective

action, social development

Effective knowledge, advice

delivery and feedback system for farmers (extension

and training)

Functional innovation platform

at local level to integrate

interventions and actors (e.g. CDC,VCC)

Coordinated, multiple level cocoa image campaign to create demand and desire

to grow cocoa

COCOA SECTOR REHABILITATION

1) Identify the innovation challenge?2) Identify the functions required to meet the challenges

What to Do?• Develop sustainable management options for crop

husbandry, soil fertility, pest and disease management, diversification

• Develop soil surveillance and monitoring, EIA system to diagnose, act and adapt plans

• Evaluate performance of superior clones and hybrid families grafted on mature trees

– Multi-location trial of 11 clones grafted on mature trees

– Grafting ability of 18 hybrid families of cocoa

• Test various levels of farm rehabilitation, through re-planting, grafting and diversification

Where are we?

• success rate averaged 64% varying from 59 to 73%.

• Variable grafting ability among clones (% success and development rate)

Note: Grafting was performed at the end of the rainy season; has certainly affected the response of the clones.

3-month old scion grafted on mature tree

First flowers of 5-month old cocoa clones grafted on mature tree

BUDGET EVOLUTION FROM 2008-2011

Year Unrestricted

Budget

Restricted

budget

Total %

Restricted

%

Unrestricted

2008 934, 550 2, 828, 903 3, 763, 453 75.17 24.83

2009 961, 229 4, 914, 448 5, 617, 993 87.48 12.52

2010 967, 605 4, 113, 600 5, 074, 829 81.06 18.94

2011 657, 605 4, 558, 462 5, 216, 067 87.39 12.61

New Opportunities

• Active participation to CRP1.1, CRP1.2 and CRP6

• CN for IFAD fourth phase under development

• CN for the Congo Basin Fund being developed

• CN for the Green Wall being developed

• New opportunities for development of agriculture in DRC by the Belgium Government

• Evergreen agriculture CN being developed

• Joint proposal Mekong River, Congo Basin and Amazon being developed with Participation of CIFOR

SUMMARY

We are scientifically and financially healthy but we

have to be very vigilant and work very hard to

maintain the trend we have developed over the

years.

Sincerely thanks to our main donors: Belgian

Cooperation (DGDC), MARS, CFC, EU, IDRC, IFAD, RRIN,

UNEP/GEF, USAID, USDA, DFID, ACDI, Government OF

Finland, MARS COMPANY, Australian Government etc.

MANY THANKS FOR YOUR ATTENTION