ASSOCIATED VOLUNTEER experts

Relaunching the cattle industry recently affected by two bovine epidemics.

At the request of an NGO in the Feshi territory, AVe expert Daniel met with several groups of cattle breeders during the second week of his trip to the DRC. These breeders have just experienced a very difficult time in 2019, as they have all been affected by a loss of 98% of their livestock. This is a real disaster that has not been taken into account until now. The causes would be two very contagious diseases: symptomatic anthrax and pasteurellosis. The exchanges with the breeders' groups have revealed a good awareness at their level regarding the measures to be taken in the face of such diseases and the guarantees to be provided before repopulating. With the help of the FAO, vaccination programs have been set up on a large scale in the country at the initiative of the Ministry of Livestock, involving local veterinarians. Daniel's recommendation focused more on improving consultation between livestock farmers' groups (which have 1,200 members) in order to exert sufficient pressure on the country's authorities and on the FAO representation to support them in the phase following such a disaster. The means to be gathered to replace the lost animals are about 17 million dollars!

Daniel met with several groups of of cattle breeders		recovery of the cattle industry recently affected by two bovine epidemics		the groups we met represent 1 200 breeders

What agricultural project for a 170 ha coffee plantation not exploited for 20 years?

At the request of a Cameroonian family, heir to a 170 ha coffee plantation that has not been exploited for 20 years, Louis, AVe expert, accompanied by Fabrice, the family's representative, surveyed the plantation for several days to define a new agricultural project based on the existing one.

The field mission on the plantation was completed by meetings with local authorities: the mayor of Kekem, the prefect of Nkongsamba, the prefect of Bafang and with economic actors likely to be the future clients of the plantation: in Bafoussam, the director of SPC (Société des provenderies du Cameroun) and the director of ASL (Agro Sourcing Logistic) The mission ended in Yaoundé with a meeting with representatives of the Ministry of Public Works for work in progress on a bridge located on the property and the Ministry of Agriculture to learn about the steps to be taken to obtain financing for the new agricultural project.

This intense mission, thanks to the field diagnosis and to the numerous exchanges with Fabrice and the different interlocutors met, allowed us to choose the orientations of the new project for the plantation : Coffee will be replaced by cocoa and banana-plantain mainly and by some vegetables. A method of cultivation based on agroforestry and agroecology was proposed.

At the end of the mission, the expert writes a file presenting the diagnosis of the plantation, the new project and its business plan.

	Louis Jestin, AVe expert with Fabrice Tchouaffé, the family representative		during the mission: many exchanges, here with the people working on the plantation		the plantation has a surface of 170 ha and many buildings and drying areas (around 5 000 m²) used for drying and first transformation of coffee; they will be used tomorrow for cocoa

1st AVe mission "project management assistance" for the construction of a dispensary and a maternity hospital in Djilas, a village located 150 km south of Dakar

Following the request of a religious congregation, Eric, an AVe expert specialized in building design, carried out a project management assistance mission for the renovation and construction of a dispensary and a maternity ward in their health center in Djilas. The size and condition of the current buildings no longer correspond to the rapidly increasing demand or to the standards of hygiene and cleanliness. The congregation of the sisters has been established since 1974 in the village of Djilas located about two and a half hours from Dakar.  

Eric Dufour, AVe expert specialized in building design		the entrance of the current health center of Djilas		a little shade near the entrance of the health center of Djilas

Field mission for 2 local NGOs in DRC / Diagnostics and roadmaps for 2 local NGOs

At the request of two local NGOs from the Province of Maniema in DRC (FOMAMA of Kalima - CAPS of Kindu), Louis Jestin, AVe expert, carried out a field mission in October 2020 (between the two confinements).s sow's small

 Quality mission in Vientiane in Laos

  Alain Coupel, AVe expert, carried out a one-month mission to Miracle Lao in Laos.

Audit mission in Savalou in Benin for AMJE

Upon request of the AMJE (Association Michel Jestin pour l'Enfance), a Breton association, Louis Jestin (AVe) carried out, in January 2020, an audit mission in an agricultural high school in Benin, located in Savalou ( 250 km north of Cotonou).

	The team managing the school : competence and dynamism		The 4 classrooms module which was funded by AMJE in 2017

Assessment of a vegetable garden managed by a vegetable cooperative in Benin

Upon request of a Belgian association "ASBL le Verso du Miroir", Louis Jestin (AVe) carried out a mission to assess the development of a vegetable garden located in Passari, near Djougou. The association set it up in 2015/2016 and entrusted the management to a women's cooperative. Louis Jestin has been working for the fourth time on this vegetable garden since 2017 (an intervention at the beginning of each year).

Learning to use new tools, here manual airplanter		The water supply installation allows year-round production		Watering is done by sprinkling

Marketing / sales support and meeting in Shanghaï

From December 9 to 23, 2019, Jean-Baptiste Genin, AVe expert, carried out a mission in China divided into 2 parts :

Pork project of two Cameroonians, MM Chengoue and Tchoubet living in France as part of a return to their country.

Preliminary discussions between the two interested parties and the AVe association led to the signing of a partnership agreement to formalize the project with the business plan establishment  in July and a mission to Cameroon in August.

From August 15 to 25, 2019, Angelet Tchoubet, one of the project leaders and Louis Jestin (AVe) led together a “field mission” to Cameroon in order to discover the different links in the country pork sector and to specify the project based on the realities of this sector.

Technical mission to the Laiterie du Berger in Richard Toll

As part of the agreement between the Laiterie du Berger, the In Vivo Foundation and AVe, Jean Paul and Gilbert, AVe experts, carried out a technical mission to Richard Toll (Senegal) in January 2019. During the previous AVe mission in May 2018, Daniel and Louis, following their diagnosis, had indicated that the most effective lever to increase milk production was the cow's feed in the dairy collection area. These cows,  zebu breed, produced 1 to 2 liters of milk per day. By improving feed, this production can be doubled. As the collection area is located near an irrigated area (development of the Senegal river) with a major sugar cane plantation (17,000 ha), the idea is to use two sugar cane by-products to feed cows : mooring lines (the end of sugar cane straws) left on the plot and molasses, a by-product of the cane refinery.

	Gilbert and Jean Paul with farm staff of the Laiterie du Berger		Mamadou, manager of the Laiterie du Berger with Jean Paul and Gilbert		Mamadou, Jean Paul and Gilbert in front of the (experimental) herd of the Laiterie du Berger