15 February 2017, Côte d’Ivoire - From 10 to 14 February 2017, a FAO delegation, accompanied by representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, as well as officials from the National Office for Rice Development, undertook an oversight mission in Côte d'Ivoire, specifically at Grand-Lahou, Gagnoa and Yamoussoukro, to ensure the technical follow-up of the activities carried out under the South-South Cooperation (SSC) projects currently under way in the country. In 2016, two projects were initiated within the framework of SSC in Côte d'Ivoire, namely the Regional project on the Partnership for Sustainable Rice Systems Development in Sub-Saharan Africa, funded by the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, and the Capacity Development and Experience Sharing for Sustainable Rice Value Chain Development in Africa through South-South Cooperation , supported by the Republic of Korea. These projects aim at achieving efficient and more productive rice systems, so as to increase food security for smallholder farmers, through the promotion of partnerships, capacity building and the acquisition of kits and small agricultural machinery. In addition, they envisage the sharing of development solutions as well as exchanges between the experts and technicians of the countries involved.

Visit to training centres and seed processing units

On 10 February 2017, the mission travelled to Grand-Lahou to visit the Agricultural Training and Mechanization Centre (CFMAG). Built in 1992 to help improve rice production in Côte d'Ivoire, the Centre provides training to financial operators in the rice sector. It has various technical and agricultural equipment such as seed drills, combine harvesters, tractors, as well as a field of application covering an area of 10ha for the implementation of training courses. The Centre also has a hulling unit with a capacity of 1.5 tonnes/hour, installed in October 2016 as part of the project on the sustainable development of the rice value chain and intended for the training of millers. The mission proceeded to Gagnoa on 13 February 2017, in order to meet with the stakeholders of the rice platform and to visit two rice processing units.

It is worth reminding that in December 2016, in Yamoussoukro, some forty agents benefited from training sessions in simplified accounting, banking, and creation and management of cooperative societies within the framework of the project financed by the Republic of Korea; these sessions further enabled the capacity building of members of the Gagnoa Rice Platform. Other trainings, related to mechanization, post-harvest and small-scale agricultural machinery, were carried out under the same project.

"We have reduced paddy losses by better adjusting our equipment; moreover, the training made it possible to carry out the machining under better conditions and to have a yield of white rice comprised between 65 and 67 per cent," indicated then Diaby Mamadou, representative for the Platform at Gagnoa, following the trainings for the maintenance and usage of processing units. 

"For my part, I am very satisfied with the unfolding and content of the courses; after applying the lessons learned from the trainings, I also notice an improvement in the quality of the rice, which has less impurities and fragmentations," said Guessan Bi Douhozan, Chairman of the Platform.

The mission concluded in Yamoussoukro on 14 February 2017, with a visit to the processing and packaging centre, and meetings with stakeholders, aimed at assessing the support that could be provided to the activities of the centre by the project for the development of sustainable rice systems.

SSC or the need for new partnerships

SSC now plays an important role in the fight against food insecurity. As a facilitator of SSC, FAO brings together countries that propose solutions for development with countries that wish to implement them.

In conjunction with a range of partners, FAO supports SSC initiatives by: (i) fostering dialogue among governments, institutions, civil society and the private sector, in order to achieve consensus;                         (ii) establishing a framework for cooperation in which exchanges take place between countries, institutions, cooperatives, farmers and international organizations; (iii) providing technical monitoring of all programmes and projects; (iv) taking advantage of its steady country presence; (v) mobilizing resources for SSC and increasing its visibility.

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Useful links: 

FAO South-South Cooperation website 

10 key questions for understanding South-South Cooperation 

FAO SSC Gateway