S15 - Session O3 - First steps in the agroecological transition for market gardeners in Yamoussoukro: brakes and levers

Authors: Antoine De Troij *, Raphael Belmin, Kouadio Kan, S. Diabate, M.F. Kouadio, R. Laloge, P. Fernandes, Thomas Michel, A. Darras and Thibaud Martin

Many farmers in Yamoussoukro, Cote d'Ivoire, are growing vegetables for the urban market of Abidjan. The production is not very diversified and vegetables are generally cultivated in an extensive monocropping system. Farmers are growing mainly tomatoes and African eggplant but they can also grow pepper, capsicum, cabbages, and others. However, the yields are generally low despite of high quantity of chemical inputs and finally the quality is not so good. Three years ago, a consortium of IECD NGO, Farmer cooperative and Cirad worked with 20 leader farmers to test and evaluate agroecological innovations for improving and diversified the production. In the same time IECD created a local company to buy and sell part of the farmer production grown in an agroecological way. Enquiries and biological indicators were used to evaluate the impacts of agroecological innovations in farmer fields. The results showed that local organic fertilizers and plant extracts allowed farmers to reduce significantly chemical inputs. The use of organic mulch reduced the need of watering. These innovations combined with the diversification of the cropping systems contributed to improve vegetables quality and safety but also farmer healthy and biodiversity. Pest outbreak and disease symptoms did not increase in agroecological systems as compared with conventional way. In the contrary pest outbreaks were sometimes observed on conventional cropping systems. The risks of losses seemed to be reduced and farmers are selling more on the local markets. Despite of higher field work, some of the leader farmers adopted and extended agroecological innovations. However, the use of agroecological innovations needs more time and more interactions with other farmers and local actors. Cooperative and circular economy could help farmers to do this transition.