Areas of competences

Creation of agribusiness and rural entrepreneurship

• Business plan, training and advisory support to agribusiness
• Corporate Finance
• Support to First Entrepreneurs and farmers
• Support to young graduates in business management

 Small farmers structuring and technical support

• Environmental studies and analysis of agricultural production systems
• Farmer training in production technical processes
• Farmer organizations into economic groups
• Training in contractualization and group sales of agricultural products
• Technical, organizational and financial capacities building of FOs in the context of agri-food industry

 Creating favorable conditions for agricultural production

• Summary development and lowland development
• Achievement of crop year funding storage infrastructures
• Security systems and funding mechanisms

 Commercialization, marketing and market access

• Market research
• Developing marketing strategies
• Brand and product label definition
• Definition and implementation of communication plans
• Promoting concerted marketing of local agri-food products (white rice, parboiled rice, soy flour, roasted soybeans, etc.).
• Definition and implementation of product promotion plans (posters and advertising spots, non-media communication actions).

Agricultural sectors and food technology

• Cooperation between stakeholders of value chains
• Agricultural sectors studies

Expertise

Research and training

• 2010 up to date: Training and support of GERES Benin to the social solidarity economy through the establishment of an oil extraction unit of Japhora in the municipality of Zagnanado in Benin
• August-November 2009: Achievement of a feasibility study for the CIDR’s Department of Engineering, Management and Territorial Governance (IMGT) of an agency promoting local economy development in the department of Alibori in Benin
• April-June 2010: Feasibility study of maize sector structuring in the savanes region led by VECO-Togo
• September-December 2009: Feasibility study of a rice processing complex in the Collines in Benin, VECO West Africa funding
• December 2009-February 2010: Feasibility study of organic cocoa promotion in Togo sponsored by AVSF (Agronomists and Vétérinaires Sans Frontières “Vets Without Boarders”)
• 2002 up to date: Environmental and feasibility study for setting up ESOPs in Togo and Benin in the framework of programs implemented by ETD.
• Lowland operators training in May and June 2010 in the context of COMSTABEX on the sub-theme ‘’support to production”

Local governance – decentralization and local economic development

• July to November 2009: Participation in the achievement of the feasibility study for the promotion of a local economic development agency (ODETA) in Alibori in Benin
• October 2010 up to date: co-promotion of a program to support local governance and territorial dynamics in Haho and Moyen-Mono in Togo with CIDR.
• August 2010 up to date: implementation of a support project to the Blitta prefecture council of in the promotion of agricultural sectors as part of decentralized cooperation with the General Council of Yvelines in France.

Creation and support of rural agri-food processing enterprises (rice, soya)

• Development and dissemination of a business model called ESOP (Entreprises de Services et Organisation des Producteurs / Service Companies and Producer Organizations) in Togo and Benin on rice and soy (ESOP rice in Sotouboua, Adéta, Blitta in 2006 and Soja Nyo in Notsé in 2002 in the Haho)
• Development of a typical entrepreneurial support plan from the year of creation to maturity
• Control of transformation process of agricultural products (rice, soy, pineapple, corn) and the product quality approach
• January to October 2010: support for solidarity entrepreneurs as part of a decentralized cooperation program between the Picardie Region (France) and the Intermunicipal Group of Collines (GIC) in Benin.

Farmers structuring and strengthening their technical and organizational capacities

• September – December 2009: an organizational diagnosis of 30 farmer groups from Blitta was carried out on behalf of the General Council of Yvelines (France) and the Blitta Prefecture Council in order to define a capacity building plan.
• Since 2002, as part of ESOP programs:
  • Characterization of farmers,
  • Training of farmer groups to contracting with buyers and group sales,
  • Provision of inputs,
  • Training in production technical processes,
  • Support for organizational capacity building (definition of statutes and rules of procedure, organization of general meetings, etc.).
• Farmers structuring in connection with ESOP into commercial groups called “Commercial Tontines”
• Training in project management of the CCR (Rice farmers Collaborative Council) of Benin.

Other information

• June 2011 up to date: leader of the consortium of 4 NGOs providing PADAT (Support Project for Agricultural Development in Togo) in the Plateaux region and spokesperson of the leading NGOs at national level
• 2006 up to date: member of AIDR ((Alliance Internationale de Développement et de Recherche / International Alliance for Development and Research), a regional network of development organizations.