“With the support of our business coach, we have managed to get credit without a guaranteed deposit, collateral or proof of ability to re-pay” said Athanase Dangbenon from Goulossodji. “We then used part of this loan to build irrigation facilities and increased our off-season production.”

Athanase is just one of the 5000 farmers who have benefitted from the implementation of vegetable business networks in Benin, Burkina Faso and Mali  ̶  part of the SafeVeg project coordinated by the World Vegetable Center. After its second year of operation, some of the farmers involved share their perspective on the initiative, and how it has impacted them.

At Goulossodji, in Zê region, the project responded to farmers wanting to increase off-season production, because farmers make a much better profit from their vegetables during that period. However, they had struggled to produce much because of the lack of irrigation facilities. As part of the vegetable business network activities, specialist coaches managed to connect the group with a local bank that provided a loan of 16,808,200 XOF (about €25,000). With this, they were then able to install irrigation infrastructure, that boosted yields – and profits!

The coaches also facilitated access to collective marketing outlets, and participating farmers can now aggregate their individual pepper harvest, for example, into bulk sales, which adds further profit to their vegetable businesses by spreading costs amongst the group. They also became more focused on the benefits of such collective marketing and selling efforts.

Athanase added that through this collective initiative, the group could now market much larger quantities of pepper and tomato than would be possible individually. And he was so happy with the fruits of the projects after two years. “SafeVeg is a great initiative. Our coaches help us to produce much, look for loans that we can invest, and more remunerative outlets for collectively marketing our harvests.”

Mathias Zannou, another farmer from the same vegetable business network from Zê, concurred. “SafeVeg has been of great help in this village. When the project started, we expressed our need for finance to invest in increasing our vegetable production. The project coach helped us put together our financial plan, which we submitted to a local bank. And it was fully financed! Today, we produce more, so we can better support our children’s educational needs.”

Vegetable business networks are offering a new avenue for producers, as Bienvenue Dayou noted, “Our network champion is constantly looking for new market outlets. And there is great news, that we have just signed a contract with a wholesaler to provide them with 500 kg of green pepper every week.”

At Bamè, about 150 km from Cotonou, Thérèse Houessou explained that thanks to the new vegetable business network, farmers were able to sign agreements with large traders, and that ensured them a better deal. Farmers also followed training modules on pest management, and that allowed them to improve yields through new management techniques. And she concluded that “the project has really enabled us to move forward with off-season production”.

These are just a few stories from a handful of five producers across the three project countries involved in these new vegetable business networks. And it is clear that the approach is effective, and that farmers are looking forward to more coaching, and more collective benefits in the years to come.

SafeVeg is implemented by the World Vegetable Center in Benin, Burkina Faso and Mali, in partnership with WUR and CIRAD, and the Institut National des Recherches Agricoles du Bénin (INRAB), Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA) in Burkina faso, and the Institut d’Economie Rurale (IER) in Mali. SafeVeg is financed by the EU and the government of the Netherlands.