Agriculture - Togo
A Community Farming project raises chickens about 20 km outside of Lomè.
Women farmers as a part of Feed the Future in Togo with ActionAid
Insufficient education in agriculture and cattle rearing, soil insecurity and inaccessibility, limited resources and insufficient organisation of farmers in structured associations, adverse climatic conditions that have an influence on the crops but also weak production and marketing systems all attribute to the lack of food security in Togo.
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Total Area: 56,785 sq km
Land Area: 54,385 sq km Water Area: 2,400 sq km Climate description: tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north Terrain description: gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes Arable Land Use: 44.2% Permanent Crop Land Use: 3.7% Irrigated Land: 73 sq km Total Renewable Water Resources: 14.7 cu km Total Freshwater Withdrawal: 0.17 cu km/yr Per Person Freshwater Withdrawal: 33.46 cu m/yr Natural Hazards description: hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during winter; periodic droughts Environmental Current Issues: deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; water pollution presents health hazards and hinders the fishing industry; air pollution increasing in urban areas Total Labor Force: 2.595 million % of Labor Force in Agriculture: 65% Agricultural Products description: coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava (manioc, tapioca), corn, beans, rice, millet, sorghum; livestock; fish |
Here is Kokou in his field. Kokou M.Akpo-Adjati, 46, is married with three children, all of whom are in school. The eldest is 18 and the youngest is 12. Kokou approached the microfinance institution WAGES a year ago and his first loan of 100,000 CFA francs enabled him to get his business off to a good start. He repaid it promptly, and is now seeking a second loan. Microfinancers allow many farmers in Togo to get business started.
Kokou grows Watermelon, Okra, Tomatoes, Chillies and a vegetable called Chou. The loan was used to buy fuel for his water pump and fertiliser for the soil. Kokou is funded by Lend With Care
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