28 April 2017, Bissau: From 24 to 28 April 2017, the Government of Guinea-Bissau hosted a delegation of Moroccan experts as part of a mission to formulate a South-South Cooperation (SSC) project as prescribed by the SSC Tripartite Agreement between the Government of Guinea-Bissau, the Government of the Kingdom of Morocco and the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), signed on 28 May 2015 during the official visit of His Majesty the King of Morocco. This collaboration is part of the General Agreement on SSC between the Kingdom of Morocco and FAO for the period 2014-2020, which envisages the provision of a trust fund to support African countries in the implementation of national food security programmes. In particular, the deployment of Moroccan experts and technicians will help support beneficiary countries in key areas of development, such as agricultural productivity, food security, resilience to threats and natural resource management.

Objectives and progress of the formulation mission in Guinea-Bissau

The objective of the mission was to formulate a proposal for a cooperation programme that could meet the needs identified by the Government of Guinea-Bissau for: (i) irrigation and water control; (ii) development of soil fertility maps; (iii) horticulture; and (iv) training.

To this end, in view of the Moroccan expertise in the areas chosen for the partnership, the delegation composed by Mr Riad BALAGHI, Specialist in Fertility of Cultivated Soils; Mr Ali HAMMANI, Irrigation and Water Control Specialist; Mr Hamid MEFTAH, Horticultural Specialist; Mr Abdessadek RACHQI, Training Specialist, met with stakeholders and visited a number of sites in order to jointly identify the most appropriate cooperation actions in the Bissau-Guinean context.

The mission was received by His Excellency Nicolau dos Santos, Minister for Agriculture, Forestry and Livestock, who particularly appreciated this tripartite collaboration and, more specifically, the provision of expertise and the commitment of the Kingdom of Morocco to Guinea-Bissau, with technical assistance from FAO.

Moreover, the mission had the opportunity to hold working sessions with the stakeholders concerned with the priority areas of the project, namely the Directorate for Agriculture, the Directorate-General for Engineering and Rural Development, the Directorate-General for Hydro-Resources of the Ministry of Natural Resources, the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INRA), the Directorate for Plant Protection, the Livestock Department and the FAO Representation in Guinea-Bissau. The delegation also visited the National Soil Laboratory, and the market gardening and rice fields of Pessubé and S. Paulo, located in Bissau, and exchanged ideas with women involved in market gardening.

The mission continued with a field visit to three irrigated rice-growing areas in the Bafata region, and held discussions with representatives of the Campossa and Mon na Lama Associations to identify constraints to the development of the rice and market gardening sectors. The field trip ended with a visit to INAC's Contuboel Agronomic Research Centre, where trials are being conducted for the adaptation of rice varieties.

The mission concluded with a stakeholder debriefing meeting, during which the mission revealed the main elements detected through this rapid diagnosis of the agricultural situation in Guinea-Bissau, emphasizing the need to support to capacity building in the four areas of intervention foreseen by the Guinea-Bissau-Morocco-FAO Tripartite Cooperation.

In particular, the mission identified a number of needs that were validated by the national team, such as: (i) upgrading of irrigation systems as a result of high losses and a more responsible use of water, through improved exploitation; (ii) promoting sustainable soil management through the execution of fertility analyses and the introduction of crop fertilization practices; (iii) introducing efficient agricultural practices in vegetable and tree crops, both in agronomic and phytosanitary terms; (iv) training in agriculture for managers and technicians. The modalities of cooperation suggested by the delegation to address the above-mentioned issues include, among other things, the carrying out of study tours to inquire about the Moroccan experience, the organization of training courses and the training of executives and technicians.

Creating new partnerships for integrated agricultural development

Countries in the South offer a multitude of successful development solutions that have been tested and proven to be effective, and therefore replicable, in other similar countries.

SSC and Triangular Cooperation (TrC) have proved to be effective in creating jobs, building infrastructure and promoting trade between countries of the South. The aim of this form of cooperation is to propel the establishment of a comprehensive framework of collaborations among developing countries, and to provide a model that complements traditional donor-recipient relationships.

As a facilitator of SSC, FAO brings together countries that propose solutions for development with countries that wish to implement them. Its role as an unprecedented facilitator within the international cooperation landscape for the development and promotion of innovation in the South, generates new tools and partnerships designed to solve the problems of food insecurity, poverty and agricultural sustainability.

For more information, please visit the following links:

FAO South-South Cooperation (SSC) Web site 

http://www.fao.org/partnerships/south-south-cooperation/news/news-article/fr/c/434175/

http://www.agriculture.gov.ma/