Feasibility study of an agricultural project for the Dabola groundnut basin Guinea

Context of the service

The groundnut basin of Dabola straddles the prefectures of Dabola, Dinguiraye, Faranah and Kouroussa, in the Sudano-Guinean zone.
The vast majority of family farms practice mixed cropping and livestock farming and their decisions are taken taking into account a set of aspirations and constraints that go beyond the groundnut sector alone.
The project must therefore promote the development of the production system as a whole, while relying on the leading role that the groundnut sector can play.
In addition, if the project primarily targets family farms, it also aims to involve various local actors: Professional Organizations (POs), Municipalities, private actors (suppliers of inputs and equipment, traders, credit institutions), Chamber of Agriculture, State services (National Agency for Rural Promotion and Agricultural Advisory - ANPROCA, Agricultural Research Institute of Guinea - IRAG, etc.), COPEOL (agro-industrial managing the Dabola oil mill), etc.

Services provided

Two field missions made it possible to collect very detailed information on local agrarian systems, including the most locally developed agricultural sectors: groundnuts, rice, maize, sesame, cashew nuts and market gardening. The strengths/weaknesses/constraints/opportunities of these farms have been identified and the following areas of intervention have been proposed:
- Develop agricultural advice to family farms, particularly on agroecological and climate-resilient techniques;
- Identify and disseminate improved varieties (productive and adapted to climate change) of rice and groundnuts;
- Promote harnessed traction, through the training of blacksmiths and cowherders, the dissemination of modern traction equipment, support for the maintenance of plough oxen;
- Facilitate access to agricultural credit for the purchase of ploughing cattle and traction equipment;
- Promote alternative income-generating activities to rain-fed agriculture: market gardening, lowland rice cultivation, small livestock, NWFP processing, etc.

Summary of the service

Feasibility study of the agricultural development project in the groundnut basin of Dabola: Detailed agrarian diagnosis; Design of support measures for agricultural production (support and advice in agroecology, promotion of harnessed traction, dissemination of improved seeds, enhancement of agricultural credit); Design of measures to support the diversification of income and food (irrigated rice cultivation, off-season market gardening, NWFP processing, fattening, semi-modern poultry farming, etc.).