IFDC

Strengthening Agricultural Resilience: SISDev Successfully Concludes Cascade Training on Crop-Livestock Integration!

The Savannah Institute for Sustainable Development (SISDev) has achieved a key milestone in boosting agricultural resilience with the successful completion of its cascade training on Crop-Livestock Integration across Toro, Ningi, Shira, Jamaare, Zaki, and Itas Gadau.

Delivered from September 18 to 23, through hands-on Farmer Field Schools, the initiative equipped local farmers, including women, youth, and Persons with Disabilities (PWDs), in crop residue utilization, manure production, controlled grazing, and fodder management. A major step forward in restoring soil fertility, increasing livestock productivity, and securing sustainable rural livelihoods!

Taking Action for Soil Health and Agricultural Resilience in the Sahel!

As part of the Soil Values program, local partner AMAPROS is taking another decisive step toward restoring agricultural land and ensuring food security in Mali.

From August 10 to 15, the San region hosted a major series of training workshops bringing together 150 lead farmers and 10 officials from the government’s technical services. This initiative covers six target municipalities—San, Somo, Sourountouna, Tominian, Yasso, and Sanékuy—with the goal of sustainably strengthening local expertise in Water and Soil Conservation (CES/DRS) practices.

During these sessions, participants learned to apply proven techniques such as the zaï method, half-moon plots, living hedges, and composting, while setting up demonstration plots for Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR). The approach combines a participatory analysis of local constraints, theoretical lessons, and practical demonstrations directly in the field.

Beyond technical training, the key challenge lies in the program’s multiplier effect: each trained lead farmer committed to mentoring at least 48 people in their community to help spread these best practices.

By mobilizing local stakeholders and regional technical services in this way, the Soil Values program and AMAPROS reaffirm their commitment to sustainable soil management, strengthening the resilience of family farms in the face of climate change in the Sahel.

Achieving lasting, sustainable agricultural impact requires scaling practical, science-based solutions adapted to real-world contexts.

Under our new Strategy 2026-2035: Fuel the Farmer, Feed the Soil, Foster the Future, IFDC is:

✅ Advancing fertilizer innovation, soil fertility, and soil health solutions with our partners in research and development.
✅ Empowering farmers to grow more nutritious food, boost productivity, address food insecurity, enhance resilience of food systems, and protect the environment for lasting agricultural transformation.

Watch the video: https://buff.ly/Essrqp8

The upcoming Soil Values Program website will provide access to publications, success stories, learning resources, program updates, and knowledge products from across the program.

The ongoing fertilizer crisis is also a financing crisis.

Even when fertilizer is available internationally, countries need foreign exchange and fiscal space to import it. Importers need trade finance, suppliers need credit protection, agro-dealers need working capital, and ultimately, farmers need affordable fertilizer at the right time in the cropping season.

Our response must do two things:

1️⃣ Absorb today’s disruption
2️⃣ Build stronger systems for tomorrow

Read more about how financing moves through fertilizer and food systems: https://buff.ly/rxkaDLO

Journées Vétérinaires du Bénin 2026 !
Construire un élevage durable passe aussi par le maintien de la paix et la protection de la santé animale.
Au cours des Journées Vétérinaires du Bénin 2026, le Programme ACMA3 a mis en avant ses actions pour renforcer la cohésion sociale entre producteurs agricoles et éleveurs et soutenir la lutte contre la peste des petits ruminants (PPR).
✅ Sensibilisation et mobilisation des communautés rurales
✅ Prévention des conflits agropastoraux
✅ Soutien aux campagnes de vaccination
✅ Renforcement des capacités des acteurs de la santé animale
Parce qu'un élevage performant repose à la fois sur la paix sociale, la santé des animaux et la collaboration entre tous les acteurs, nous continuions d'accompagner les communautés rurales vers des systèmes agricoles et pastoraux plus résilients et durables.

The Fertilizer Show is happening next month, November 18-19, at Tampa Convention Center in Tampa, Florida.

Join America’s only free-to-attend gathering of the entire fertilizer production supply chain; it's the place to discuss the latest technologies for a sustainable, efficient fertilizer industry.

Do you have your free pass? https://buff.ly/80WiMd6

See you at booth 1011!

𝐆𝐑𝐄𝐁𝐈 𝐂𝐨𝐡𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝟏 𝐇𝐚𝐬 𝐋𝐚𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐝. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐥 𝐁𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐰.

On September 30, 2026, the Green and Resilient Economy Business Incubator (GREBI) Project, an IFDC-led initiative in South Sudan, officially launched its first cohort of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) from Juba and Terekeka into the incubation and acceleration program.

Held at the University of Juba, the event marked a turning point from selection to real, hands-on business building.

The 22 businesses in Cohort 1, many of which are youth- and women-led, are drawn from value chains such as honey, groundnuts, vegetables, fruit juices, recycling and waste management, tree nurseries, maize, sorghum, and shea butter.

Enterprise owners stood alongside government institutions, the private sector, civil society, and development organizations. For the entrepreneurs, it was a first chance to meet the people and institutions who will back them throughout the journey.

Alana Sebit, IFDC Country Representative and GREBI Program Lead, described the launch as a significant step toward putting the potential of South Sudan's MSMEs to work for the country.

The journey ahead runs for nine months:
1️⃣ Onboarding and diagnostics
2️⃣ Six months of structured business development
3️⃣ Mentorship and advanced guidance (months 7-9)
4️⃣ Final assessment and Demo Day

To our 22 entrepreneurs: welcome to the journey. We're excited to walk it with you. 🌱

🌾 New research highlights the potential of urea deep placement (UDP) to improve rice production and fertilizer efficiency.

A new review, co-authored by IFDC scientists Yashpal Singh Saharawat, Upendra Singh, Padma Shanthi Jagadabhi, Yam Gaihre, and Dharamvir Singh Rana and published in Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems, examines UDP across rice systems in Asia and Africa, analyzing findings from 34 peer-reviewed studies.

UDP places urea below the soil surface, closer to plant roots, helping reduce nitrogen losses compared with conventional fertilizer application methods.

Across the systems reviewed, UDP was associated with:

- 14-15% higher grain yields
- 38% improvement in agronomic nitrogen use efficiency
- 21% increase in nitrogen recovery efficiency

UDP is not a one-size-fits-all solution. Its effectiveness depends on local soil, water, and growing conditions.

Read the study and learn more about the impact of UDP: https://buff.ly/YepXrGi

“IFDC stands ready to support the country’s priorities and build new pathways for collaboration across West Africa," shared Henk van Duijn, President and CEO of IFDC, during a recent mission to Togo.

The visit combined high-level discussions with national authorities and the official handover of the Hydro-Agro-Meteorological Information System (SIHAM) and Digikiosk equipment – a key milestone in expanding farmers’ access to digital agricultural services and climate information.

Learn more about Henk's trip to Togo: https://buff.ly/1tkAyUF