Sustainable Agriculture & Agroforestry – Garamba National Park

CONTEXT

The Sustainable Agriculture and Agroforestry Project in the Garamba Landscape is being implemented by African Parks, in partnership with the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation (ICCN), within the Garamba Complex and its surrounding areas. This program aims to sustainably improve the livelihoods of local communities while preserving the natural resources of Garamba National Park. 

As part of this effort, an initial network of certified farmer-leaders has been established to disseminate, through peer-to-peer exchanges, agroecological practices adapted to local production systems. By 2024, this network already included 399 active farmer-leaders in surrounding villages who were promoting agroecological practices within Farmer Training Fields (FTF). 

To support the program’s implementation, African Parks and the ICCN sought technical assistance from Agrisud International. Its mission is to strengthen the quality, scope, and sustainability of the agroecological dissemination system through training, methodological support, the development of monitoring tools, and technical guidance for local teams and farmer ambassadors.

OBJECTIVES

• Expand and strengthen the network of certified farmer-liaisons, increasing the number from 399 to 600 by 2028 
• Improve the dissemination of family-scale agroecological practices adapted to food crop systems, lowland market gardening, and garden-based market gardening
• Establish a structured technical and economic monitoring system to assess the technical and economic performance and evolution of production systems 
• Strengthen the local team’s capacities through training cycles (agroecology, management consulting, training of trainers, knowledge capitalization)
• Support the implementation of a training program for adult and junior CEPs to reinforce learning and the local dissemination of practices 

RESULTS

• 600 certified farmer-advisors supporting farms in villages bordering the Park 
• 24 new Junior CEPs and strengthened Adult CEPs, involving students, teachers, and farmer-advisors 
• Implementation of a comprehensive training program for the project team and farmer-advisors: agroecology; management consulting; methods for preparing and facilitating training sessions  
• Deployment of a technical and economic monitoring system. 
• Implementation of a comprehensive knowledge-sharing process, including educational tools and operational methods for the dissemination of agroecology and management consulting 

KEY PROJECT INFORMATION