In the Plateaux region of Togo, the natural richness of the soil means that farming is the primary livelihood of those who live there. In the Kpélé Prefecture, in the south-west, the relatively mild climates and good rainfall should make it perfect for agriculture. However, the farming communities have witnessed a slow deterioration in soil fertility and yield quantity and quality in recent years.

For some time now, Kpélé has been witnessing land and soil degradation due to inappropriate agricultural practices, the use of chemical fertilizers, climate change and deforestation. Since 2004, Young Volunteers for the Environment (YVE), alongside the African Institute for Economic and Social Development (INADES) and the National Institute for Agricultural Training, has been working with rural communities in Kpélé to combat these effects. The aim is to restore the land to the community through sound, sustainable agroecological practices that will improve the socio-economic situation of local people, particularly women’s groups.