03-08-2026 | di COOPI

CAR. New agricultural techniques and seeds for 360 farmers

In the prefectures of Ouham-Pendé and Ombella-M’Poko, in the Central African Republic, a field-based intervention programme has begun, combining agricultural technical training with the distribution of seeds, with the aim of restoring food self-sufficiency among the most vulnerable families. Since November 2025, thanks to COOPI – Cooperazione Internazionale, with technical support from the Central African Agency for Agricultural Development, 360 farmers in the municipalities of Bozoum, Bossemptélé and Yaloké have received training on new agricultural techniques through the so-called Farmer Field Schools. Women’s participation has been remarkable: nearly half of the people trained are women.

The training sessions directly addressed the communities’ actual needs. In Bozoum, vegetable growers and producers of food crops (intended for household consumption) learned new techniques for sowing and soil management. In Bossemptélé, participants studied the production of natural biopesticides and organic composting, while many farmers focused on food crops. In Yaloké as well, the sessions involved numerous vegetable growers and farmers cultivating food crops.

Theoretical training was immediately followed by practical action. On 28 April 2026, in Bozoum, the first distribution of vegetable-growing kits began: 79 heads of households and members of local associations received seeds of lettuce, amaranth, spinach, carrots, cucumbers, okra and tomatoes. Distributions then continued in Bossemptélé and Yaloké, including the provision of food crop seeds such as maize and sorghum.

The real strength of this intervention lies in its flexibility and in actively listening to communities.

explains Vincenzo Altomare, COOPI’s head of mission in the Central African Republic.

During the training courses, farmers told us that maize cultivation offers better market opportunities than sorghum. We therefore adapted the composition of the kits compared to what had initially been planned: responding to their actual needs is essential to ensuring lasting results.

The interest shown by participants in the Farmer Field Schools is clear.

Thanks to this training, I have learned how to protect my plants using natural extracts, without spending money on chemical products that we cannot afford.

says Jeanne, a farmer from Bozoum.

With the seed kit I received, I will finally be able to grow tomatoes and carrots to feed my children and sell the surplus harvest at the Bozoum market. This land is our only wealth, and today we know how to make it productive.

The training courses and distribution of kits are part of the project “Strengthening food and nutrition security and promoting access to healthcare in the villages of the Ouham-Pendé and Ombella-M’Poko prefectures, CAR”, funded by Italian Cooperation and implemented by COOPI – Cooperazione Internazionale in partnership with Amici per il Centrafrica. The aim is to improve food and nutrition security and promote access to healthcare in villages by strengthening the agricultural sector and developing value chains, to restore communities’ self-sufficiency.

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COOPI has been present in the Central African Republic since 1974, where it has implemented more than 271 projects reaching over 9.5 million beneficiaries. It works in the areas of food security, emergency education and protection.

Strengthening food and nutrition security and promoting access to healthcare in villages in the prefectures of Ouham-Pendé and Ombella M’Poko, Central African Republic