The program has already supported 270 initiatives in West Africa since its launch in 2009. In 2022, the Promotion of Family Farming in West Africa (PAFAO) program focuses on the massive consumption of local products with a big question, “How can family farming adapt to climate change, contribute to the preservation of natural resources and biodiversity, whether in its production, processing or marketing phases?”
In a local context marked by the domination of imported products, the challenge is open to farmers’ organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in West Africa who face the dual challenge of ensuring the availability of healthy locally produced food and meeting the requirements of sustainable management of natural resources.
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“In West Africa, in the face of rapid urban growth and increased demand from urban and rural consumers, food systems based on family farming are already strengthening a country’s or region’s capacity to feed its people through local production, processing and distribution. The initiative therefore aims to support its amplifying effect,” explains the Network of Farmers’ and Producers’ Organizations of West Africa (ROPPA), a historical partner of the PAFAO.
The call for projects, which will be closed in the evening of February 22, 2022, will reward short-term projects (one year), with grants ranging from 10,000 to 15,000 euros, and multi-year projects (maximum three years), for a maximum amount of 50,000 euros over three years. The funded projects must start before December 31, 2022.
The Promotion of Family Farming in West Africa (PAFAO) program is co-organized by the Fondation de France and the French Committee for International Solidarity (CFSI) in partnership with the French Development Agency (AFD) and ROPPA. The PAFAO program works in favour of family farming which, according to experts, is characterized by its diversity and resilience, as well as its ability to propose appropriate responses to food, social and environmental challenges.
For more information on the call for projects, click here.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi