Food and Agriculture Organization (Togo)

In June 2009, FAO launched a project to help the Togolese government scale up food production by improving the supply of quality inputs and technical assistance to vulnerable farming families.

With nearly € 2.5 million from the European Union, 15 000 small cereal-growing farmers have received improved seed varieties, fertilizers and insecticides for the 2010 cropping season. Boosting the production of maize, sorghum and rice will help bolster the country’s cereal supplies and lessen its dependence on expensive imports.

Around 5 000 vulnerable farming households have received tomato, onion and pepper seeds, fertilizer, pesticides and protective masks for growing market gardens during the off-season. This will result in increased household incomes, and improved food security and nutrition. An additional 500 vulnerable female-headed households have received similar assistance for the 2011 vegetable gardening season.

In order to ensure that small farmers in Togo have access to certified seeds in the long run, the project is working towards the establishment of an efficient seed multiplication and distribution system. 200 farmers from Togo’s five regions have been trained in seed production techniques for maize.

Work is under way to organise farmers into associations or cooperatives in a bid to improve market access and information.

FAO is working closely with Togo’s Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries and various national and international NGOs to implement this project, which is in line with national food security and poverty reduction strategies.