Networking & tradition for biodiversity

Biodiversity is decreasing due mostly to human factors. Mainstream agriculture is concentrating on a small number of the most productive species, resulting in a negative impact on diet balance for consumers, and more vulnerability to disease, pests, and climate change.  

Traditional salad greens cultivation brings diet diversification, preserves biodiversity and provides good revenue for small local farmers. But these traditional plants are less productive in the short term, and therefore are progressively abandoned. As a result, cultivation knowledge disappears, as well as culinary recipes and medicinal preparations.      

Our project connects local producers to international experts through the Internet, in order to identify the traditional plants at risk, produce a catalogue of seeds, train farmers and promote the products to consumers.  

In Benin, the project is based on the Slow Food network in 9 regions of the country, and this structure can be rolled out in other African countries.

Benin belongs to the group of less advanced countries in terms of development index, ranking 163 out of 189 in the PNUD report 2017.

Small-scale producers represent the first economical sector in Benin, and 70% of employment in this country of 11,5 million inhabitants. The project objectives are to increase producers’ revenue, giving them access to children education and nutrition/health services, to reinforce biodiversity and slow rural exodus.

A large choice of plant varieties is essential to get a sustainable food system, able to cope with climate change and provide a steady revenue to local farmers. Having only a small set of varieties increase the risk of disease and pest damages, leading to declining yields and possible food shortage

From a nutritional point of view, having a reduced choice of food items leads to an unbalanced diet with a lack of minerals and vitamins,  negatively impacting the physical and intellectual development of children.

Furthermore, when all farmers cultivate the same varieties, the lack of differentiation and commercial competition causes a decrease of the selling price and consequently of producers revenues.

Promoting traditional plants is a wide-ranging response to the decline of biodiversity, with its economic, social, nutritional, and educational consequences.

Our solution is to promote traditional plants by combining traditional practices with the skills of international experts throught the Internet, using the network of the NGO Compétences solidaires/United Skills.

In the first stage of the project, 17 traditional plants, mainly salad greens, were identified as being at risk of disappearance. Thanks to a remote collaboration with AgroParisTech, the leading French school of agronomic engineers, best practices in cultivation and pest control were identified and combined with the traditional culinary and medicinal knowledge of local communities. More than 200 producers were trained in growing these plants and producing theirs seeds in order to maintain the cultivation of these varieties.

The current stage of the project consists in promoting these traditional plants to consumers in order to provide an outlet at a good price for small-scale producers.

• Producers sell their production on local markets directly to consumers thanks to mobile shops
•  Providing biodiversity education in schools, including traditional plants in the lunch menu and school gardens, in connection with local farmers
• Local cooks include these plants in their menus and participate to a “top chef” challenge based on traditional plants

Our local partner, Bruno, is a good example of the target population, being himself a local farmer involved in many sustainable development actions based on solar energy, such as the electrification of isolated villages and water access for irrigation.

He is also the coordinator of the Slow Food convivium network in Benin, part of the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity. Convivia are established in 9 regions of Benin and represent the local farmers communities.  

In average, local farmers operate on less than 2.5 acres of land, dedicated partly to family subsistence and partly to cash crops to cover education and health expenses.Salad greens cultivation is generally made on “planches” of 9 square meters (440 planches/acre) and each “planche” brings a monthly revenue of 1000 CFA.  

Traditional plants bring a direct benefit to local farmers by diversifying their own family diet, and the promotional actions from our project will valorize their production in the eyes of consumers, resulting in a higher cash revenue. 

Agriculture is the first economical sector in Benin, employing 70% of the population. Improving the lives of local farmers through better nutrition and increased revenue can contribute effectively to the development of the country as a whole.

The decline of biodiversity is a major threat to a sustainable food system, as local farmers won’t be able to cope with climate change without a large choice of plants.

Thanks to the Internet network of experts Competences Solidaires, the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity, and Action Benin Solidarité, our project brings together professional and traditional knowledge of plants and cultivation practices, as well as financial support to help small scale producers get direct access to consumers for a better valorization of their production.

Our solution promotes better nutrition and economic development through local agriculture and a sustainable food system.

Comparing with other solutions supported by NGOs or Governments in order to increase small farmers revenues which give their families access to nutrition, health,education, our project is more efficient in terms of cost / results ratio.

The combination of extensive access to knowledge through internet with a local network of farmers communities allows to overcome technical management issues from the field at a very low cost comparing with heavy local structures.

Access to international expertise is provided by Competences Solidaires / United skills network and by the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity with no need of a permanent structure of expatriates locally and with the minimum of travelling and life cost. Expertise is provided by professionals, Universities, students, companies who voluntarily share their experience within Competences Solidaires network.

The local communities made of Slow Food "convivium" bring the traditional and local expertise from the different regions of the country.

Producer to consumer connection relies on entrepreneurship thinking not on administrative or heavy structures.

Local associations know very well what to do to improve the social and economical situation of their communities. They just need the necessary knowledge and funds to start their projects and get out of the poverty circle. Our solution allow the local farmers to start a new and sustainable business model at the lowest investment cost possible.

The key asset used in our solution is knowledge sharing through internet. This is an example of knowledge economy mixing traditional knowledge and global expertise.

Part of the global expertise is provided by the Slow Food organization who has developed a huge expertise in organic cultivation. Seed selection, compost preparation and irrigation in a sustainable process are key competences provided by Slow Food

Solar energy is also a technology used for irrigation of the small farmers with new models adapted to the size of their land and to their financial capacity

Competences Solidaires has been working in knowledge networking for more than 10 years and provides expertise to small local associations in Africa and latin America in technical and management fields

Local communities with no financial or social resources have then access to the know how needed to foster their projects and make them a success for their families' benefit

Knowledge sharing and internet are the key tools used in this solution

Our solution follows this logical framework:

> Identify the plants at risk of disappearance and get an inventory with their key characteristics on agronomical, culinary and medicinal aspects

> Set up experimental garden to produce their seeds and distribute them to farmers

> Train farmers on agronomic best practices adapted to these plants in order to get the necessary production for sale

> Set up the direct distribution network from producers to consumers to sell these plants on local markets

> Valorize these plants in the eyes of consumers through communication to school, restaurants, consumer associations

> Starting from pilots implementations during the last 2 years thanks to Slow Food network of convivium the solution will be rolled out in all regions of Benin and the other African countries where Slow Food is present

Currently 225 farmers (25%  of them are women) have been trained in cultivation best practices and are producing the plants identified at risk . Their families directly impacted amount to more than 1000 people. 9 convivium are involved in the project i.e. around 180 active members. 

The next year step will involve 100 schools i.e. 10000 pupils thanks to biodiversity communication. 100 restaurants involved in valorization of traditional plants with their clients and participating to the "chef" challenge.

5 mobile shops managed by 3 persons each will be present on local markets for sale, communication on biodiversity and product testing. 3 sessions are planned per month i.e. 36 / year connecting with 60 persons each i.e. 10800 contacts / year.

9 permanent shops will sell the farmers' production to around 90000 clients per year.

Consequently the number of farmers involved will increase to 900.

In five years we estimate that 9000 farmers and 50000 family members will be affected by the project in Benin. Roll out in the other countries where Slow Food is present has not been evaluated yet.

The goal for next year is to implement the distribution network with 1 mobile shop and 1 permanent shop in each region of the country.

The next steps are to increase the number of shops and to structure de producers in a cooperative firm and then to organize the roll out in other countries thanks to Slow Food structures already in place.

The first barrier is financial as we need the investment funds to buy the shops. Then the business model is based on the revenues from plant sales to cover operational costs and depreciation.

Other barrier will be organizational with the challenge to coordinate production and sales and to find the right juridical structure to stabilize the organization.

Concerning financial barrier, the funds we got previously allowed us to start the project and to carry out the first phases: inventory of plants, farmers training and to have a first mobile shop as a pilot for test.

We asked for funds from several foundations to finalize the implementation of the sales and communication actions. According to the funds got we will adapt the speed of deployment on the field.

Concerning organizational barrier we plan to use the knowledge network to find people with the right competency to help the local organization. We consider Solve community as part of the knowledge network.

5 members of ABS association in Benin

2 members of Competences Solidaires

1 person from the Slow Food Foundation for Biodiversity

4 students from AgroParisTech agronomic shool of engineer

Competences Solidaires has more than 400 voluntary consultants from all business departments

We have a unique combination of skills that allow us to provide the necessary competencies at the best cost and we are used to working by distance

We are combining the competencies from ABS, Competences Solidaires and Slow Food.

We are working mainly by distance, ABS being the local partner who implement the solution in the field and give us feed back on results, difficulties and new ideas

The business model is based on differentiation due to the offer of traditional plants forgotten by people. This is supported by the communication actions planned (communication in school about biodiversity, restaurants, consumer associations).

Distribution is straight forward from producers to consumers.

Production is based on agro ecological practices with no chemical inputs and diversification of plants to guaranty a good yield.

The revenue from plant sales must cover the costs of production and distribution to assure the business durability. 

The value for local population is an increase of revenue and a more diversified diet.

Applying to Solve means for us an additional opportunity for funding the project on one side.

On the other side we expect an opportunity to extend our knowledge network and specifically for this project we need additional competencies on marketing, communication and sales.

This is key at this project stage when we focus on increasing the value of traditional plants in the eyes of consumers.

Our plan is to implement mobile and permanent shops to sell the production of traditional plants directly from producers to consumers. Communication towards schools, restaurants and consumer associations is planned in parallel.

We need  support from professionals to optimize our actions and get additional innovative ideas. Marketing, both social and business, sales, advertising, communication are areas where we need more expertise.

We would like to partner with professionals and universities experimented in the skills mentioned earlier plus having an experience in developing countries.

Partnership would be by distance through internet and we valorize the fact that they may have local contacts in Benin.