Blog originally posted in French on the website of Sun4Water
As part of the implementation of the Climate-Smart Agrifood Systems Program (ProSAC) and in line with the cooperation agreement on supporting agricultural development and promoting renewable energies, a series of training workshops were held throughout March 2024 in Togo. These workshops were aimed at agricultural advisors and state agents from the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock, and Rural Development (MAEDR) and focused on sustainable solar irrigation and the use of the SPIS toolbox. Jointly organized by ProSAC and the Program for the Promotion of Climate-Smart, Water- and Energy-Efficient Small-Scale Sustainable Solar Irrigation Systems (Sun4Water), the training was delivered in two phases: a theoretical phase (online) and a practical phase at the pedagogical site of the National Agricultural Training Institute (INFA de Tové).
The beneficiaries of this training were diverse:
– 10 technicians from the Agricultural Transformation Agency (ATA)
– 05 technicians from the Directorate of Land Development, Equipment, and Agricultural Mechanization (DAEMA)
– 06 section chiefs from the Regional Directorates of Agriculture, Livestock, and Rural Development (DRAEDR)
– 15 agricultural advisors from the Institute of Technical Advice and Support (ICAT)
– 06 advisors from OCDI, GRADSE, Solidarité en action, PAEJ-SP
– 03 trainers from agricultural training centers like INFA
– 01 technician from the Federation of Cooperative Savings and Credit Units of Togo
**How to Better Promote Solar Irrigation in Togo?**
At the end of this training, which was rich in practical activities, experience sharing, and discussions, the participants developed and adopted best practices and recommendations to ensure the success of initiatives supporting the development of solar irrigation in Togo. It was also noted that there is a need to strengthen the regulatory framework for irrigation, enhance collaboration between agricultural advisors, field technicians, training institutions, and financial institutions to provide and guarantee adequate and quality services to producers, aiming for “green fields that bring joy to producers,” as desired by Dr. Thies Florent Dirk, Program Manager of ProSAC.
**Contact**
For more information on program activities, please visit the Sun4Water subpage or contact stephane.lako@giz.de (Regional Coordinator for West Africa).