International Training Workshop on “INNOVATIVE PRACTICES FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SUSTAINABLE AGRI BUSINESS FOR THE FUTURE”

Date:  19-23 February 2024.
Venue: Songhai Center, Benin

Organized by COMSTECH and ICESCO in collaboration with Songhai Center

Convened by: COMSTECH Forum for Environment and Ecosystem Restoration (CFEER)

1. Objectives

Integrated workshop to build broad-based and sustainable solutions to the challenges of our present Food and Agricultural systems.

Make participants discover and appropriate a holistic vision of the world that is foundational to the SDGs and the other integrated and sustainable development programs. They will discover how Songhai was able to appropriate this vision through an innovative organizational structure and a value system to operationalize this vision to build a regenerative agriculture and agro-ecological development system.

2. AREAS OF INTERESTS

1. Biomimicry and Eco-literacy:

Understanding and aligning ourselves with the fundamental principles of the workings of our planet to sustainably unlock the power of our environmental capital to build a sustainable agro-food system.

2. A transition to a connected and sustainable agricultural and food system: Principles and Practices

Principles and Designs of integrated production system that organically creates and intensifies dynamic links and synergies between primary production units (Plant, Animal, Aquaculture, and other living things in the environment), between agriculture, industry, and services. And how this can build a sustainable and regenerative Eco-system that can reverse the present trend in Africa.

3. Practical Implementation and contextualization of a sustainable integrated Agricultural system:

Rebuilding the Soil and keeping it Regenerative as key to climate smart agriculture with innovative technologies revisiting Cop22

4. Soil management of the future:

• Effective Microorganisms as primary producers and in rebuilding the basic food system of our planet.
• Soil aggradation with organic fertilization practices- Bio-fertilizers production practices.

5. Water Resource Management: Food Grows where water flows on a healthy soil.

• How to mobilize, preserve and channel the immense water resources of our lands, for the Food and agricultural system of tomorrow?
• Practical irrigations systems
• Sizing in water resource management for effective all year-round agricultural production

6. Energy in Agriculture: The transition for the energy of tomorrow, clean energy

Intelligent platform for the production and management of renewable energies for sustainable growth with:

• Agri photo voltaic (Agri-PV): an innovative approach combining agricultural production and the production of renewable energy on the same surface for a rational use of land.
• The production and use of biogas.
• Wind energy.

About the Resource Persons

The resources persons will be from various fields related to climate smart agriculture, soil management, water resource management etc. The list of tentative speakers is attached.

Travel & Local Hospitality:

The organizers will arrange local hospitality for selected participants from OIC member states. The organizers will also provide air travel support to the selected participants. Selected participants from Togo, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Chad will be eligible for air travel support for the training.

Registration Process:

Step 1: For Physical Participation please register at: Click Here

Step 2: For Virtual participation please register at: Click Here

Step 2: Read instructions in the application form carefully and submit a properly filled form along with your CV. Foreign participants must submit a scanned copy of passport.

Step 3: Selected candidates will be notified through email; hence, applicants are required to check their emails.

Selection Criteria for Songhai Training:

Songhai training aims to provide African communities with young men and women capable of:

• Adopt agriculture as a worthy profession
• Promote local resources available to create wealth
• Becoming leaders capable of creating entrepreneurial dynamics
• Develop attitudes and skills that put them into a culture of success
• Produce useful goods and services for the socio-economic well-being of their community
• Consider the environment as a “partner”, a heritage to be safeguarded
• Transform the comparative advantages of their environment into competitive advantages in an increasingly globalizing world
• Profile of applicants to be eligible for the training

Men and women who felt the need for their transformation, for their preparation to be in charge of their own destiny and contribute to the development of their basic community. The candidate for this training must have the following attitudes and skills

• Adherence to the vision of Songhai development based on the reconversion of mentalities for the revaluation of social work
• ambition for one’s own life and for the development of one’s community
• openness to the assimilation of new values and skills
• the manifestation of a desire for innovation and curiosity
• ability to live and thrive in a rural environment

1. Terms

Applicants must meet the following conditions and criteria:

• be a national of one of the COMSTECH/ICESCO member countries,
• be aged 18 to 35,
• have experiences in agricultural and para-agricultural activities,
• have a passion for living in a rural environment,
• be able to follow the training and ready to set up on your own account or to continue your activities at the end of the training, or to work in the logic of results-based management
• hold a diploma in agriculture and/or technical and general education (Biology, Microbiology, Economics, Project Management, Energy, Environment, Animal and Plant Health, etc.) or in Agribusiness
• good organizational skills and determination to achieve a goal
• female applications are very encouraged

Eligible Countries: Togo, Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Senegal and Chad

Venue:

Songhai Center

Porto-Novo

Republic of Benin

Technical Focal Person

Ambassador Shahid Kamal
Advisor Climate Change
OIC – COMSTECH

Workshop Coordinators

1. Mr. Muhammad Haris Akram

Program Manager, COMSTECH
Tel: +92-51-9220681-3
Email: haris@comstech.org

2. Mr. Luc

Songhai Center
Benin
Tel:+229 97017940
Email: houemaluc@gmail.com