Building new generations of farmers
How the Network of Young Producers and Agricultural Professionals of Togo (REJEPPAT) is helping to build the next generation of agroecological farmers.
The Network of Young Producers and Agricultural Professionals of Togo’s Ma Joie farm school in Maritime region, where young people receive training in agroecology and landscape restoration (Photo: Agridigitale/FAO)
Following the 2005 food crisis in Togo, government programmes in the country encouraged farmers to expand cultivated areas to improve food security. But because of high labour costs and labour scarcity, farmers relied strongly on chemical inputs and slash and burn practices for land clearing and production.
Over time, these practices caused deforestation, soil degradation and declining soil fertility, with yields increasingly affected by climate change related irregular rainfall and drought pockets.
At the same time, young people in Togo – who generally do not own land and cultivate only small plots allocated to them by their families – found these production challenges particularly acute. These combined environmental and structural constraints highlighted the need for targeted support to young Togolese farmers.
The Network of Young Producers and Agricultural Professionals of Togo (Reseau des Jeunes Producteurs et Professionnels Agricoles du Togo, REJEPPAT) was created in 2020 in Sokodé in Tchaoudjo prefecture in the Centrale region of Togo. REJEPPAT brings together 15,751 members active in agriculture, livestock production, agrifood processing, entrepreneurship and health services.
REJEPPAT’s mission is to promote the economic and social empowerment of youth-led farmer organisations and agricultural producers, contributing to sustainable and inclusive development in Togo.
The network works to improve young farmers’ access to production resources and financing, while providing coaching, mentoring and technical support.
But before receiving Forest and Farm Facility (FFF) support, REJEPPAT’s training through the network’s farm schools was fragmented, its curriculum was not harmonised and its master trainers had uneven capacities.
Forest and Farm Facility activities
With the support of FFF, REJEPPAT was able to build on its vast institutional knowledge acquired over time to develop and harmonise its training curriculums, and prepare a written master trainers’ manual as well as a manual for the students themselves.
FFF support has also allowed for the upgrading of master trainers’ capacities by funding their participation in specialised courses. Additionally, the funding has enabled the network to define and document the criteria for farms to serve as farm schools.
Significance of impact
FFF support has allowed REJEPPAT to establish further agroecological farm schools, thus scaling up its efforts to develop capacities among the next generation of young Togolese farmers in agroecological practices.
REJEPPAT now has 22 agroecological farm schools in its network, training young farmers in agroforestry, organic regenerative farming and general agronomy practice.
This practical farming training is complemented by capacity building on agricultural entrepreneurship, to enable young farmers to increase the value of their produce in the most effective way.
Conclusion
By transforming fragmented training approaches into a structured and harmonised effort with the support of FFF, REJEPPAT has strengthened the skills, resilience and livelihood prospects of young farmers facing land constraints and climate pressures.
Ultimately, this helps young people become key actors in the transition to more sustainable food production and environmental restoration.
Further reading
News: How car tyres are helping tackle climate change in Togo, Forest and Farm Facility (2024)