On 16 November 2023, the Dutch Ambassador in Benin, Mr Joris Jurriëns, visited the vegetable trials conducted in the SafeVeg project at Sèmè-Kpodji. The project “Safe locally-produced vegetables for West Africa’s consumers” (SafeVeg), funded by the European Union and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands, is promoting various climate-resilient vegetable varieties. After the on-station trials, the trials were downscaled to farmers’ fields to test the performance of these varieties in local growing conditions in partnership with the Institut National des Recherches Agricoles du Benin (INRAB). More than 100 farmers received a range of improved vegetable (e.g., pepper, tomato, Amaranthus and okra) varieties to evaluate under their growing practices. More than 200 farmers from different regions – Sèmè-Kpodji, Dangbo, Aguégués, Athiémé, Bonou, Cotonou, Grand-Popo – were invited by the project team for a participatory varietal selection, during which they visited each trial plots and assessed the performance of tested varieties against some key selection criteria that they collectively identified.

From left to right, Sigrid Meijer Policy Officer Food Security and Nutrition, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Benin), Dr. Edmond Totin (SafeVeg project Manager), Mr Joris Jurriëns (Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Benin)

During his visit, the Ambassador discussed the results of ongoing improved pepper trials with the farmers. Emile, a vegetable farmer, when pointing to one of the varieties, explained that “this variety is my top preference. It gives green and big fruits. I know what our clients want, and I am sure they will go for this variety”. Most farmers were able to clearly prioritize the pepper varieties that meet their preferences and, above all, those of consumers. They were enthusiastic with the plants bearing lots of fruits at this period of the year where growing conditions are harsh. The WorldVeg-developed varieties being tested will be released in 2024 to allow local seed production and ultimately making high quality seeds available to farmers.

A group of vegetable farmers assessing the performance of pepper varieties

From left to right, Sigrid Meijer Policy Officer Food Security and Nutrition, Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Benin), Dr. Edmond Totin (SafeVeg project Manager), Mr Joris Jurriëns (Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in Benin)

Dutch Ambassador (in the middle) sharing his impressions with the participants on the visit

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