McKnight Foundation Collaborative Crop Research Program



	Community of Practice:
	West Africa

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About the West of Africa CoP

This group of projects focuses on improving food security for people depending on millet- and sorghum-based systems in West Africa. The program supports collaborative projects involving research and development organizations working together with communities in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Niger.

Regional Context
The West Africa Community of Practice (WAf CoP) focuses on improving food security and nutrition for smallholder farming families in Burkina Faso, Mali, and Niger through projects on sorghum- and pearl millet-based agricultural systems. With a cumulative population of approximately 45 million individuals and 45-65 percent of the population living on less than $1 U.S. per day, these three countries continuously rank among the world’s poorest. The result: millions of people are malnourished and food insecure.

Key Agricultural Issues
Food production in the region is heavily impaired by low soil fertility, highly erratic rainfall, and biotic crop production constraints such as the parasitic weed Striga, insect pests, and fungal diseases. Through a systems approach, based upon the principles of agro-ecological intensification, the WAf CoP is striving to improve productivity and nutrient contents of cereals (sorghum, pearl millet, and fonio), grain legumes (cowpea, groundnut, and Bambara groundnut), as well as other traditional or introduced crops. Creation of stronger farming systems must include: Empowered farmers’ organizations; Improved soil and water conservation and agronomic management; Better varieties and seed distribution systems; Integrated pest management; Systems diversification and building of functional diversity to enhance resilience; Better crop-tree-livestock integration; Strengthened and diversified value chains; Improved diets and nutrition; and Improved income and education for farming families.

Key Institutional Issues
Within each project and across the entire region, our emphasis is on strengthening capacity for scientists, farmers and farmers’ organizations in a gender-balanced manner. As a result, we hope to have stronger research institutions with skilled agricultural researchers that promote young scientists. And, strong farmer organizations that can influence policy and help their members benefit from agricultural research and emerging markets, with farmers that are knowledgeable in sustainable crop production techniques. This success will be built on participatory research approaches and mutual learning between farmers and scientists that builds on the rich traditional knowledge present in the region.

Regional Project Summary
There are 15 different CCRP WAf CoP projects funded by the McKnight Foundation that include: Integrated management of the pearl millet head miner; Orange-fleshed sweet potato; P-efficient cowpea; Bambara groundnut productivity; Technology introduction and marketing for sorghum and pearl millet; Sorghum and pearl millet processing; Seed systems; Dynamic gene pool management in sorghum and pearl millet; Nutrition; Fonio productivity improvement; Soil & water conservation, Diversification of production on women’s fields in Niger; Improved agro-ecological approaches for sorghum & millet in Burkina Faso; Agro-ecological intensification in the Sahel through agroforestry; and Pathways to agro-ecological intensification of sorghum and millet cropping systems of Southern Mali.

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