PREMOPEF: Trainers and supervisors at the farmer-school fields receive training on the ‘inclusive value chains’ approach

Dimbokro, 10 October 2026 (AIP) – Facilitators and trainers from the Farmers’ Field Schools (CEP), as well as facilitators from the Multi-Stakeholder Exchange Platforms (PEMA) affiliated with the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire (CSRS) and the National Agency for Rural Development Support (ANADER) received training on the ‘inclusive value chains’ approach during a workshop held from Wednesday 7 to Friday 9 October 2026. This workshop was organised by the Project to Strengthen the Livelihoods of Smallholders and Women in the N’Zi Region (PREMOPEF) in Dimbokro (Central-East). Based on multi-stakeholder exchange platforms, the ‘inclusive value chains’ approach aims to strengthen coordination, innovation and the sustainable transformation of the yam, cassava and market gardening value chains supported by the project. In other words, it strengthens the economic links between actors in the value chains through equitable partnerships, contractual arrangements, multi-stakeholder dialogue and the development of inclusive business models that benefit all stakeholders, particularly small-scale producers, women and young people. For the workshop participants, the concepts of agricultural entrepreneurship and contractual arrangements are the cornerstones of this training. “Following this training, we will encourage our producers to effectively integrate into the rural economy and to manage their farms as effectively as possible – farms that must function as businesses capable of changing their lives,” said Dano Michèle, rural development facilitator at ANADER. As for the trainer, Dr Hgaza Valery, a lecturer and researcher at the University of Korhogo and an associate researcher at the Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d’Ivoire, and the PREMOPEF Coordinator, Akpaud Waba Aimé Céserd, called on the various stakeholders in the yam, cassava and market garden value chains to coordinate their efforts in order to capitalise on business opportunities. To achieve this, they must consider agricultural entrepreneurship, contract farming and the development of business partnerships. “We need to change our mindset, think differently, and focus on making money. (…) What we are seeking is no longer merely subsistence. We need a form of agriculture that enables producers to provide for themselves, feed their families and make a significant contribution to food security,” said Dr HGaza, supported by Mr Akpaud Céserd, who stated that he is working towards ‘high value-added agriculture’. Following this workshop, during which participants were provided with practical tools to facilitate business relations between stakeholders, they are now called upon to, in turn, train producers and other stakeholders within the targeted sectors. The PREMOPEF programme is jointly funded by the State of Côte d’Ivoire, the Global Agriculture and Food Security Programme (GAFSP) and the African Development Bank (AfDB), to the tune of US$16.36 million, It aims to improve food and nutritional security, as well as resilience to the effects of climate change, for 60,000 farmers in the N’Zi region.

(AIP)