Using bush plants as a pesticide
Republic of Congo – Brazzaville, Madibou district
January 2017 – December 2018
ESSOR and AGRIDEV
350 farmers in the southern suburbia of Brazzaville, with 45% of women.
Heart of the project
An abundant and untapped resource
In the area surrounding the capital of the Republic of Congo, the major part of the economy is based on providing food resources to Brazzaville. Suburban agriculture, its lands and its natural resources (water, soil, and plants) are under a lot of pressure and this affects the environment, public health and food security. However, this area has a much diversified flora with many local bush plants with interesting properties that could benefit the agricultural sector: plants with fertilizing or insecticidal properties that could replace imported chemical inputs.
Test and experiment
The project aims at improving the production and at highlighting local plants especially leafy vegetables and local bush plants. To achieve that, farmers’ skills will be increased through agroecologic methods; that will enable them to improve the quality and quantities of their vegetable production and therefore increase their income.
Agroecology
Encourage agroecological techniques by using locally available plants in the non-cultivated parts of the suburbia of Brazzaville. These techniques aim at replacing imported chemical inputs that are a threat to the environment.
Training
Strengthen the skills of producers through the “Participative Agricultural Training” method developed by ESSOR. It is a thorough professional training in agriculture with theory and implementation sessions that value farmer as an occupation and that allows participants to acquire a producer-tester state of mind. The content of the training as well as the experiments are defined by farmers based on problems they are faced with. Experiments are conducted on the plot of one of the group members and are monitored by all members.
Expected results
5 actions are initiated towards buying inputs and selling vegetable in bulk.
10 small firms are functional and supply farmers with services or goods based on agroecology and natural local resources.
