Bridging Vegetable Research and Practice to Overcome Malnutrition and Poverty in sub-Saharan Africa

1. Bridging Vegetable Research and Practice
to Overcome Malnutrition and Poverty
in sub-Saharan Africa
Abdou Tenkouano
Regional Director for Africa @
AVRDC - The World Vegetable
Center (www.avrdc.org)
Jacqueline d'Arros Hughes
Deputy Director General – Research &
Partnerships
ACFID, 21 -22 Nov 2013
Sydney (Australia)

2. Agricultural R&D
- Evolving Role in Evolving Context
Key Drivers
• Climate Uncertainty – Less Water
• Demographics – Less Labor & Land
• Markets & Trade – Beyond Farm Gate

3. Climate Uncertainty –Water
Harvesting
Small plots:
1mm rainfall = 10m3/ha
(can’t do much under
rain-fed agriculture)
= 500 cans of 20 L (can
do a lot in small plots)

4. Demographics – Who and Where Is The
Farmer?
Women - 75% of Work
Force
Urban youth – untapped
labor

5. Markets & Trade – Increasing returns
for vegetable growers
Courtesy: Benjamin Dent

6. Achieving Impact - Best Practices
Envisioned
conditions of
the people
Initial
conditions
of the people
Income, dietary diversity, social capital

7. Priority Interventions
To strengthen national vegetable research
and development capacity and linkages
Safe
Efficient &
Production
Nutrition
Education
Post
Harvest
Varieties
& Seeds
Capacity Building
Efficient Value Chain Management

8. Best Practice Hubs (BPHs)
Bridge research and
practice
(i) fast-track production
& post-harvest
options
(ii)Build capacity of
youth for profitable
self-employment

10. Fast-Tracking – Village Model Farms
VMF
VMF
RESEARCH
Good
Seeds
Field Days
Good
Practices
VMF
Post
Harvest
Youth
(Communities)
Education
(Nutrition)
Communication
Production
Tools
Market
Linkages
TRAINING
VMF
VMF

11. Training and Linking to Markets
BPH
VMF

12. African eggplant
Farmers get US $1,200
per ha per season
Low to high altitude
About 90 t/ha
Egg shaped
Sweet taste
Long harvest period

13. Achieving Impact Together
R
NGOs Target
CBOs client
D

14. Up Scaling BPH – TAVOCA & VINESA
Traditional African
Vegetables for West
(Ouest) and Central
Africa
Vegetables for
Income and Nutrition
in Eastern and
Southern Africa
Burkina Faso,
Cameroon, Ghana
Ethiopia, Malawi,
Mozambique,
Tanzania
September 2013
October 2013

15. Thank You !!!