Maboudou Dosso, 61, embodies the tenacity of Ivorian smallholder farmers. Since 1991, he has cultivated rice, maize, and soybeans in Gouaké, in the Touba area of the Bafing region, northwest Côte d'Ivoire. Having never attended school, he set himself a clear mission: to feed his family and offer his children the education he never received.
But for three decades, his hard work ran into the same recurring obstacles - a shortage of improved seeds, the prohibitive cost of fertilisers, transportation difficulties, and a lack of labour. The results were modest: yields of two tonnes per hectare for rice and maize, and one tonne for soybeans. Across his ten hectares, that translated into roughly three tonnes of rice, ten tonnes of maize, and four tonnes of soybeans, generating an annual income of approximately 2.8 million CFA francs. Enough to survive, but not enough to prosper.
The intervention of Côte d'Ivoire's Emergency Food Production Programme (2PAU-CI), supported by the African Development Bank Group, provided Dosso with resources he had lacked for decades. He received 80 bags of NPK fertiliser and 40 bags of urea, substantial quantities that allowed him to properly nourish all ten hectares.
But the material inputs were only part of the transformation. Technical training sessions on optimal fertiliser application taught him to maximize the efficiency of every kilogramme used. Workshops on pest control, particularly for the fall armyworm, a devastating threat to maize crops across West Africa, gave him effective tools to protect his harvest. Close guidance from field agents of the National Agency for Rural Development Support (ANADER) helped him translate new knowledge into practice. Access to tractors transformed how he prepared his soil.
The results have been impressive. Dosso's rice output rose from three tonnes to five tonnes, a gain of 67 percent, Maize production jumped from ten tonnes to 24 tons, up 140 percent and soybean yields climbed from four tonnes to ten tonnes, an increase of 150 percent. His total annual income grew from 2.8 million CFA francs before the project to 7.08 million CFA francs - a rise of approximately 153 percent, or close to two and a half times his previous earnings.
That income growth has transformed everyday life for his family. Nutrition has improved, with three balanced meals daily now the norm. All his children are now enrolled in school. The family has reliable access to healthcare. Dosso has also begun diversifying, trading food products, and cashew nuts to develop additional revenue streams.
"Thanks to 2PAU-CI and the support of ANADER, my production has more than doubled," he said. "I am able to better feed my family, send my children to school, and invest in other activities like trade. My wish is that inputs are always distributed on time and that extension agents continue to provide training to help us improve our practices."
Looking ahead, he plans to install a borehole to secure irrigation and further improve his yields.
Dosso's story proves that targeted technical support can turn decades of effort into true economic and social progress.
