In West Africa, groundnut is a very important grain legume crop for smallholder farmers, especially women, it is a major cash crop for many households; it contributes to soil fertility with biological nitrogen fixation; and its haulm is a good livestock feed. Despite its importance, the productivity of the crop remains low with yield of around 1t ha-1 compared with global average of 1.5t ha-1 and over 3t ha-1 in USA and China.

1. In West Africa, groundnut is a very important grain legume crop for small-
holder farmers, especially women, it is a major cash crop for many house-
holds; it contributes to soil fertility with biological nitrogen fixation; and
its haulm is a good livestock feed. Despite its importance, the productivity
of the crop remains low with yield of around 1t ha-1
compared with global
average of 1.5t ha-1
and over 3t ha-1
in USA and China.
• baCkground
 Enhance farmers’ knowledge of improved groundnut production
technologies including improved groundnut varieties and comple-
mentary crop management practices,
 Enhance seed production and marketing at grand scale,
 Enhance farmers’ knowledge and diffuse improved aflatoxin
management technologies, and
 Enhancing farmers’ access to small scale processing technologies.
• objeCtives
 The Project adopts a multi-pronged approach to achieve its
objectives.
 Key proven technologies have been identified by partner research
institutions
 These include improved groundnut seed varieties, integrated crop
management as well as aflatoxin management practices
 A multi-stakeholder partnership of research institutions, national
Services, NGOs, Farmers organizations, and private sector players has
been assembled to ensure implementation.
• methodology/implementation
approaCh
 Enhance farmers’ knowledge of new technologies through variety
evaluation and demonstration plots
 Organize farmer visits and training
 Train communications staff on improved groundnut production
technologies
 Enhance the production and availability of different classes of seed
for improved varieties
 Enhance the knowledge of value chain actors on the effect of aflatoxin
on human nutrition
 Promote improved processing technologies.
• aCtivities
 460 and 214 demonstrations were established on integrated crop
management practices and aflatoxin management respectively
 6,534 farmers participated in field days
 263 facilitators were trained (ToT)
 9,000 value chain actors were sensitized on the effect of aflatoxin on
human nutrition and health
 215 researchers were trained on the effect of aflatoxin and Management
 3,515 were trained on postharvest and storage technologies for
managing aflatoxin.
 24.35 tons of breeder seed produced
 51.44 tons of foundation seed produced
 526.85 tons of certified seed produced.
• results and main aChievements 2015
• Current partnerships and future
engagements for out sCaling
 Beneficiaries are enthusiastic about the project especially the perfor-
mance of improved groundnut varieties
 Community Based-Seed System is appropriate and is likely to lead in
long run to a better dissemination of improved groundnut varieties
 The challenges are insufficient quantities of Breeder and Foundation
Seed.
• ConClusions
Ghana: 8 Partners including SARI, CRI, Heritage Seed and
MoFA etc.
Mali: 15 Partners including IER, Plan Mali, AMEDD,
Sahel 21Faso Kaba, ADAFE/Galle, AKF and
World Vision etc.
Nigeria: 12 Partners including IAR, SADP, KTARDA, JARDA,
KADP, KNARDA etc.
Increasing Groundnut Productivity of Smallholder Farmers in Ghana,
Mali and Nigeria
Hippolyte Affognon, Ayoni Ogunbayo, Paul Tanzubi, Michael Vabi and Hailemichael Desmae
International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics
Corresponding author email: h.affognon@cgiar.org