Summary:
This project aims to build networking and knowledge transfer structures between University Jean-Piaget Bissau and Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC), along cE3c (Faculty of Sciences /UL, Portugal) as partners, contributing to capacity-building in Guinea-Bissau to tackling the challenges facing its agricultural sector. In order to fulfill these aims, one visit to Scotland and two visits to Guinea-Bissau are planned, with the following objectives:
a) demonstrate agricultural research and education practice across SRUC sites;
b) conduct a workshop between Guinea-Bissau stakeholders of the agricultural sector, including policy-makers, agricultural authorities, academics, farmer associations officer;
c) provide small workshops for farmer groups on cashew farming practices, diseases and pests, and crop diversification;
d) conduct a pilot survey to compare farmer behaviours regarding practice uptake during the height of the cashew season and the hunger period;
e) investigate the possibility of working with women’s agriculture associations to identify labour-saving and investment strategies for the cultivation of non-cashew crops;
f) contribute to the setting up of a new Agronomy degree in UniPiaget Bissau institute.
The scheduled meetings, networking events, workshops and field work, will allow the project team to:
i) characterise the risks currently faced by the Guinea-Bissau agricultural sector;
ii) identify the diversification practices that are currently available in the country;
iii) identify additional diversification practices that could be implemented;
iv) analyse the potential for added-value in the cashew industry;
v) make an initial characterisation of the barriers to uptake diversification and integrated management practices.
Funding Institution:
Global Challenges Research Fund Networking Grants.
Partners:
Project Leader: Aladje Baldé, UniPiajet Bissau, Guinea-Bissau.
Partners: Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC, UK).
Team: Joana Ferreira (SRUC, UK), Andrew Barnes (SRUC, UK), Henry Creissen (SRUC, UK), Jean Marsault Ella (UniPiajet Bissau, Guinea-Bissau) and Alaje Baldé (UniPiajet Bissau, Guinea-Bissau).
