As part of the FRESH initiative, “Fruit and Vegetables for Sustainable Healthy Diets (FRESH),” implemented by a consortium of CGIAR partner organizations and led by the World Vegetable Center, the International Maize and Wheat Improvement Center (CIMMYT) commissioned a study from December 2022 to April 2023 on the sustainability of vegetable production systems in the Republic of Benin. This study was conducted under the leadership of GBioS with excellent results currently being published in a journal. The study revealed that none of the 200 vegetable production sites visited were sustainable. Don’t be surprised!
The central question is: what is sustainability, and how is it measured? To better equip extension agents and support producers, a workshop was organized on September 12 and 13 to inform and train them on sustainability measurement approaches. This training brought together 16 agents from Development Poles 1 & 7 and took place at GBioS’ facilities at the University of Abomey-Calavi. The participants confirmed that the study’s findings reflect the reality on the ground and understood that sustainability takes into account three dimensions: environmental, social, and economic. They were also introduced to the IDEA approach with a practical phase at the GBioS site. A visit to the World Vegetable Center’s research station was organized under the leadership of Dr. Ayenan Mathieu, allowing participants to see firsthand the achievements of this center.
The participants left proud and better equipped to advise producers more effectively.
A big thank you to CIMMYT for financial support, and especially to Dr. Odjo Sylvanus, who also greatly contributed to the study on sustainability.
