in the trial field

– From Annual Report 2024 –

Selected highlights

• 2,050 farmers reached in Benin on diversifying maize-based production systems and benefits of good agronomic practices. The most productive systems were maize mungbean and maize-chili intercropping.
• An impact study in Benin showed that school gardens and training on good agricultural practices increased children’s fruit and vegetable consumption.
• A study in Benin provided evidence on achievements and gaps regarding (i) food and diets, (ii) equity and livelihoods, (iii) sustainability and environment, identifying a set of needed changes on the push (supply), pull (demand), and policy (legislation) sides.
• A study in Benin showed that vegetable farming improves the livelihoods of women, but interventions must acknowledge social diversity and differentiation, i.e. whether women are ‘hanging in,’ earning just enough to cover essentials, ‘stepping up’ by growing their business, or ‘moving out’ to other livelihoods, and that depends on access to assets, resources, labor, and support.
• Multilocation distinctiveness, uniformity, stability (DUS) trials were accomplished in Benin for 11 varieties, with registration in the national seed catalog as the next step.
• New WorldVeg breeding lines were presented at the African Vegetable Breeding Consortium workshop in Benin, with 7 new tomato lines bred to fit product profiles for farmers and consumers.
• 12 WorldVeg tomato breeding lines with different combinations of bacterial wilt genes were evaluated in Benin, with 4 lines identified for resistance to bacterial wilt and horticultural traits.
• 2,000 amaranth, okra and jute mallow seed kits were distributed to farmers for citizen science trials using the triadic comparison of technologies (TRICOT) approach in Benin.
• 200 tomato seed kits containing new varieties were distributed for on-farm trials through the TRICOT approach in Benin.
• Field-based screening of WorldVeg developed pepper lines for resistance to bacterial wilt in Benin was conducted, with 6 high performing and highly tolerant lines identified.
• 2 WorldVeg-developed chili lines were found to be tolerant to CMV and PVMV in Benin, the major viral diseases facing farmers in the region.
• 1 chili pepper line is being scaled widely in Benin through the informal seed systems due to its high fruit quality and yield and resistance to local diseases and stresses.
• 3 new improved mungbean lines were showcased at the African Vegetable Breeding Consortium workshop and field day in Benin.
• Preferred okra traits were identified by farmers through participatory selection in Benin: earliness, high yield, high mucilage content, tolerance to jassid pests, resistance to viral and fungal diseases, and dark green pods, and of 7 seven entries, Konni was the most preferred variety.
• The okra seed system in Benin was analyzed and findings revealed that 80% of okra growers used local varieties and produced their own seed, while only 5% used hybrid seed.
• 5 advanced amaranth and 6 African eggplant lines were evaluated in Benin.
• 11 okra lines were made available from Benin for African Vegetable Breeding Consortium programs.
• 10 African eggplant lines developed from genebank accessions for the West Africa market were evaluated, with seed of the same lines sent to Benin for evaluation under local conductions.
• Incidence and severity of bacterial wilt in African eggplant were assessed in Benin, hotspots for field screening identified, and the diversity of bacterial wilt strains were analyzed.
• 250 vegetable business networks were established in, Burkina Faso, Mali and Benin.
• Two baseline surveys in Burkina Faso, Mali and Benin evaluated the impact of distributing vegetable seed kits to farmers, and the impact of training farmer groups in business development.
• Black soldier fly compost showed promise as a soil amendment, enhancing soil quality and boosting vegetable production in, Ghana, DR Congo and Benin: e.g. with a 1.7% increase in soil organic matter in Ghana, and 5 t/ha + 100 kg/ha fertilizer giving the highest tomato fruit yield (16.9 t/ha).
• A study of food environments in Mali and Benin showed that vegetables are generally available around urban schools, with more outlets and diversity in Benin, but more outlets selling vegetables in Mali.
• Two pepper varieties derived from WorldVeg breeding lines were registered and released in Nigeria.
• A needs assessment survey was conducted for vegetable drying in Kano State, Nigeria.

Okra fruit