- Status
- Completed
- Period
- 2024
- Area
- Northern Benin — communes of Nikki (Borgou) and Gogounou (Alibori)
- Areas of work
- Sustainable farming · Community development
Market gardening is an essential source of income for many rural women in northern Benin. But it runs up against water access, soil degradation, arduous labour, climate shocks and weak market outlets.
A sustainable, climate-resilient gardening system improves household food security and strengthens the economic autonomy of women — especially those society leaves at the margins.
Objective
Develop sustainable and profitable market gardening, strengthen the economic autonomy of marginalised women and improve their access to irrigation, cooperatives and markets.
What we did
Composting, crop rotation, efficient irrigation and pest management.
Community vegetable gardens with cooperative management of plots.
Boreholes and irrigation systems to reduce drudgery and allow dry-season production.
Awareness on nutrition and dietary diversification for households.
Integrating producers into existing cooperatives, introduction to processing and support for marketing.
Results
Five women's gardening cooperatives revitalised and operational. Ten irrigation systems were planned; seven were completed by project end.
In their words
« Before, we struggled to grow anything in the dry season. Thanks to the project we have a reliable irrigation system that lets us produce all year round. »
Fatou Sambo, market gardener in Nikki — Sustainable Gardening project, 2024« We are now organised in a stronger cooperative, which gives us more weight to negotiate better prices for our vegetables. »
Salimatou Goura, cooperative president, GogounouIn pictures
Extend dry-season gardening
Three irrigation systems remain to be funded to reach the original target. We are looking for partners.