Description succincte
(Anglais)
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The past two phases* of PEDUNE have focused on the development and testing of cowpea technologies on-station and on-farm, and also on assembling technologies to be tested on-farm and disseminated to farmers. Among the technologies developed and/or assembled for further testing on-farm are field pest control technologies based on improved varieties and plant extracts with insecticidal properties. The focus on plant extracts as substitutes to synthetic pesticides is primarily related to their low costs and minimal disturbance of the environment. Also, botanical insecticides represent a safe substitute for highly toxic pesticides, such as cotton or cocoa insecticides, which are very often diverted onto cowpea (in Benin, more than 294,OOO farmers use unsuitable insecticides like organochlorines or organophosphates on cowpea). Other important technologies developed include solar drying of harvested cowpea grains, and hermetic storage often coupled with the use of botanical insecticides. These technologies have been developed and/or assembled by national scientists, extensionists and NGOs in each of the nine PEDUNE countries and are progressively being tested on-farm and disseminated to meet the demand of farmers, traders and food processors.
This third phase emphasises the empowerment of stakebolders and diffusion of sustainable cowpea production and protection technologies to the rnaximum of clients including farmers, small traders, and food processors. To this end, a special attention will be given to access of these technologies by mainly rural poor women who have no access to capital and purchased inputs. The Farmer Field Schools (FFS) will be largely used because of their proven effectiveness in information dissemination, skills acquisition, and technology testing and transfer. FFS also provide good opportunities to integrate research with training and include indigenous knowledge in the research agenda. The project will increase opportunities for NARES, including local NGOs, to improve participatory approaches for IPM in cowpea production and storage. The development objective will be pursued through stronger partnerships between research and extension, participatory action research and learning with farmers groups to promote safer alternatives to pesticides and increase the understanding and adoption of IPM in cowpea.
Following the wide diffusion of sustainable cowpea production and protection technologies, a special attention will be paid to the impact of disseminated technologies on food security, incomes, equity, gender access to the technologies, environment and public health through the use of input saving and environmental friendly technologies. A monitoring framework and key indicators will be defined for each country in a participatory manner with both clients and stakeholders. Overall, the third phase builds and sustains capacity in national institutions dealing with technology development and dissemination through training, workshops and exchange visits involving clients, NGOs, extension agents, biological and social scientists.
Text an Papiervorlage gescannt.
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