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SONGHAI
CENTER PARAKOU
The
Songhai site at Atagara is a school farm, situated 80km to the east
of the city of Parakou on the Parakou-Pèrèré
route in the Borgou region. The Parakou area is a crossroads to
the Sahel. The site covers an area of 126 extensible hectares, of
which 41 are comprised of a manmade lake adapted for agricultural
activities (rice farming and fish farming). The training and production
center of Parakou has been in operation since 1999. Like the other
training centers of Songhai, Parakou receives young men and women
for an 18-month training period each semester. There are currently
17 permanent staff and 80 student farmers, of which 14 are women.
Why
did Songhai expand to the Borgu region?
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The Borgu region is representative of the climate of northern
Benin, which is very topographically and climatically different
from that of Porto-Novo.
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The
life of the people, their diet, and their farming techniques
present peculiarities compared to the rest of the country. The
use of ox-driven ploughs, very common in the region, allows
the peasants to cultivate larger areas than in the South.
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The
Atagara site chosen by Songhai possesses large water resources,
favorable for large-scale plant and fish production.
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The
functioning of the center will allow the young people of the
northern zone to remain in contact with the realities of their
milieu.
ACTIVITIES
Songhai
is in the process of developing an integrated, sustainable agriculture
system based upon ox-driven farming, irrigation, and the use of
agricultural machines. The principal activities are as follows:
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Training in agriculture.
- Plant
production
(yam, maize, sorghum, peanuts, soybeans).
- Animal
production
(cattle sheep, pigs, rabbits, turkey, chicken, guinea fowl, grasscutter
(African giant bushrat), laying hens, etc.).
- Fish
farming with floating cages (5 sq. m) where diverse
species are raised (tilapia, clarias, catfish, carp, etc.).
- Agro-food
processing
such as fruit drying, production of fruit juices, and production
of syrups all without chemical additives and preservatives.
- Installation
of a mechanical workshop
for the maintenance and repair of the farm's agricultural vehicles
and tools and promotion of the use of renewable energies (biogas,
windmill, etc.).
- Installation
of a telecenter offering office automation and Internet
services.
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