Success Story: Science in the Field - Farmer Participatory Research Yields Results
Mr. Drissa Koné is a 47 year-old cocoa farmer who is married with nine children. He lives in Allosso, a village about 150 kilometers east of Abidjan, and participated in the local Farmer Field School last year. His Farmer Field School group is one of 22 in Côte d’Ivoire participating in a mineral fertilizer study. Each of the Farmer Field Schools maintains a demonstration plot for purposes of the study. Fertilizer (HYDROCAO + Zn and Nitrobore) was first applied in June/August 2006.
Mr. Koné and his colleagues made biweekly visits to the plot where they conduct an agro-ecosystem analysis comparing it with the non-fertilized plot. Mr. Koné observed that the trees planted where fertilizer was applied had more flowers and pods than the unfertilized plot. Of particular note was the impact of fertilizer on a tree that was almost dead at the time the fertilizer was applied. Farmers also recorded one tree (pictured above) that had 92 pods.
Based on these observations, Mr. Koné decided to apply the fertilizer on his own farm. On his farm, Mr. Koné (pictured at left) has noted the cocoa tree leaves are greener, the pods are smoother, and those trees he thought were dead are revitalized. He also implemented new agronomic practices he learned during the Farmer Field School such as regular weeding and pruning.
From August 2006 to August 2007, he made three harvests; previously, he had two harvests over the same period. He is very pleased with the results, noting that he no longer needs to apply chemical treatments for pests and diseases as frequently.
Improving Family Livelihoods through Farmer Training
Mr. Salif Keita is a 51 year-old cocoa farmer originally from Mali who is married with ten children. In addition to his three hectare farm, he owns a small shop in the village of N’Gbasso.
Over the past year, Mr. Keita participated in the Farmer Field School where he learned to recognize and control cocoa pests and diseases while protecting the environment. He began to apply these skills to his farm and realized a 40% increase in production.
With the resulting increase in income, Mr. Keita is able to better stock his shop, send his children to school, and communicate with his parents in Mali using his new cell phone. For the first time in seven years, he was able to visit his relatives in Mali and is planning to build a house there.
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Overview of the Sustainable Tree Crops Program