activity. The examples below illustrate some of 2SCALE’s
interventions to promote labor-saving technologies.
Introduction of Mechanized Planters –
Cassava Partnership, Nigeria
Dauda Kehinde, a female cassava farmer, was the first
beneficiary of the mechanized planter promoted by
Psaltry International, with support from 2SCALE within
the Nigerian Breweries-Psaltry cassava partnership. The
introduction of this new technology helped to accelerate
planting of cassava stems and improve the practice: in
2015, Dauda managed to cultivate 4.34 ha of land using
the planter, compared to 2 ha the year before; she had a
production of 78.73 tons, representing an average yield of
18.14 t/ha, compared to a yield of 9 t/ha when planting
manually. She was able to save money on labor and increase
her profit threefold. As a result, more women farmers within
her community were willing to grow cassava and benefited
from the mechanized planter services provided by Psaltry.
Access to Improved Irrigation Systems –
Vegetable Partnership, Benin
Fifty-two-year-old Bernadette Sossou is a vegetable farmer
and member of the Green Fingers Farmers’ Cooperative
(COMADOV) in Grand Popo, Benin. She is the head of her
household and mother of six children. 2SCALE has
been working in the region to provide technical assistance
to farmers like Sossou, to broker partnerships with
microfinance institutions, and to identify local businesses
able to supply agro-inputs to the community. Sossou took
part in a 2SCALE training on good agricultural practices on
a learning plot.
With 2SCALE support, she applied for and received a credit
of 2 million FCFA (€3,000) without any guarantee and with
a reasonable interest rate of 12% per year. The loan allowed
her to grow 1 ha each of onion and tomato. By selling her
products to traders with whom 2SCALE linked her, she
was able to repay the loan and make a profit of nearly
6 million FCFA.
On this new basis of trust with the microfinance institution,
Sossou secured a credit of 5 million FCFA, which allowed
her to install a sprinkler irrigation system. This technology
represented a major breakthrough on her vegetable farm.
She testifies: “The sprinkler irrigation makes my work easier,
reduces the cost of production, and allows me to expand the
land I rent from 3 to 5 hectares. Formerly, my six children
and some five other young people from the village were my
main workforce. With these modern facilities, work is less
strenuous, and my children have more time to devote to
their studies.”
Introduction of Local Solar Dryers for
Chili Pepper – Benin, Mali, and Nigeria
2SCALE promoted improved technology for sun-drying chili
pepper using a local solar dryer. Chili farmers’ capacities
were built through practical workshops. For instance, 60
farmers and small processors in Benin, including 44 female
chili farmers, learned how to build a solar dryer locally and
how to use it. They then trained other actors and reached
621 female farmers. A female chili farmer in Allada, Benin,
The mechanized
cassava planter saves
women farmers
money, time, and
labor – Cassava
Partnership, Nigeria.
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