CocoaSoils launched in Cameroon
As part of its four-country implementation initiative, the CocoaSoils Program has been officially launched in Yaoundé, Cameroon. This is the third program launch and it builds on the momentum following the Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire launches. The program with its theme “Sustainable intensification of cocoa production for the development and dissemination of integrated soil fertility management” took place at the headquarters of the Institute of Agricultural Research for Development (IRAD) in Yaoundé, on 4 September.
A group photo of participants at the launch ceremony.
The two-part program was attended by over 80 scientists and key partners. Partners present included IDH, IITA, the World Cocoa Foundation (WCF), IRAD, the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), Yara International, the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF), the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development (MINADER), local universities, government agencies/ministries, multilateral organizations, and other private NGOs.
The program included a technical session with participants debating varying scientific questions regarding the project protocol design, the CocoaSoils Partnership as well as its extension and dissemination tools.
The launch was chaired by the IRAD Deputy Director General Dr Ngome Ajebesone Francis Emmanuel, who represented the Director General. Speeches were made by Richard Asare, the Coordinator of the CocoaSoils Program; Dr Hervé D. Bisseleua, Director, Agricultural Productivity and Chief Party ACI II for WCF; and Dr Didier Begoude, the CocoaSoils Focal person for IRAD.
