The Project Officer of the WFP Centre of Excellence against Hunger, Joelcio Carvalho, participated last Wednesday, July 12, in a virtual “Innovation Spotlight event” as part the WFP Innovation Accelerator innovation champions community. He presented the Beyond Cotton project and the innovative solutions that the initiative has brought to the countries in which it operates: Tanzania, Mozambique and Benin. Joelcio also provided insights during the session on why and how the project was developed, as well as current challenges and opportunities for other WFP staff.
Beyond Cotton explores the possibilities of supporting smallholder cotton farmers and public institutions in African countries to link cotton by-products to intercropped food crops, as cotton has a large and secure market. An example given by the Programme Officer is Benin, where about 50% of smallholder farmers work with cotton production. “We need to support cotton farmers, because who produces cotton, also produces food,” said Joelcio.
During the event, innovative solutions that the project has brought to the participating countries were also presented, such as technologies related to water access, sustainable agricultural practices and food conservation. In Tanzania, Beyond Cotton provided training on cistern construction for smallholder farmers, enabling better access to clean water and benefiting around 6,000 children. In addition to this training, farmers were also trained in sustainable agricultural practices with equipment such as power tillers and seed drills, which make it possible to save labour days and plant more efficiently.
In Mozambique, training activities on post-harvest loss management were provided to producers with the aim of reducing food waste and improving the maintenance of food properties and quality. In Benin, training was provided to diversify the planting of nutritious foods and better hygiene and food preparation practices, in addition to carrying out actions focused on food and nutritional security.
The Beyond Cotton Project is a joint initiative of the WFP Centre of Excellence and the Brazilian Government, through the Brazilian Cooperation Agency (ABC, in Portuguese) and the Federal University of Western Bahia (UFOB, in Portuguese), with the financial support of the Brazilian Cotton Institute (IBA, in Portuguese).
About the WFP Innovation Accelerator
The WFP Innovation Accelerator is based in Munich, Germany and seeks out, supports and scales up high-impact innovations to end hunger within and beyond the organisation. The Accelerator works closely with WFP Country Offices as well as Regional Offices and Business Units at headquarters level.
The Innovation Community is composed of a network of WFP Innovation Centres, based in WFP Country Offices or Regional Offices, a community of WFP Innovation Champions who work together to foster a culture of innovation across the organisation, and an internal innovation support service for WFP Business Divisions and Country Offices.
The WFP Innovation Champions Community is an initiative of the WFP Innovation Accelerator and supports and empowers WFP staff to become agents of change, driving innovation within WFP and accelerating solutions to end hunger. Members are supported in taking an active role in creating a wider culture of innovation at WFP and provided with opportunities to gain access to exclusive resources and to voluntarily host, contribute to and participate in knowledge sharing sessions and events on the topic of innovation at WFP.