BENIN – 254 farmers in southern Benin are seeing their yields improve thanks to a simple rental system for irrigation equipment. Dannou-Gogbo: an inspiring example of sustainable and solidarity-based agriculture.
Stopping climate change has become impossible, but we can at least equip the people in the Global South who are hardest hit by its effects as well as possible. By giving them the necessary means to make their agricultural activities more sustainable, for example. Our partner CREDEL provided more modern equipment and structured local management in Dannou-Gogbo, Adjohoun.
The municipality of Dannou-Gogbo is located between the Ouémé River and the old Gomin meander and comprises six agricultural villages: Agonlin, Gogbo Centre, Gogbo Gbègbèssa, Dannou Centre, Dannou Aidagbédji and Danko.
Adapted equipment for additional irrigation
The Dannou-Gogbo area was equipped with:
- 3 boreholes
- 12 motor pumps
- 12 mobile and demountable irrigation systems with flexible hoses.
Farmers can rent these systems to provide additional irrigation for their fields, ensuring stable yields even during dry periods.
A well-functioning local administration
Each village has a Technical Committee responsible for managing the equipment and financial monitoring.
‘Our own committee manages everything; we know where all the money goes,’ says a producer from Gogbo Centre.
There is also a central body that keeps track of everything and provides follow-up.
Fair and sustainable access to equipment
Farmers can rent the pump and irrigation equipment for 1,000 FCFA per day and provide their own fuel.
The Committee spends the income exclusively on the maintenance and operation of the committee.
Results visible in the fields
Producers have noticed that their crops are better protected, the work is less heavy and they have more autonomy to organise their work.
‘Our fields are better irrigated and you can see that in the results. We are more confident about the future,’ says a committee member.
Climate change threatens food security in Benin, but the Dannou-Gogbo model shows that combining technical infrastructure with community management is a promising way forward.