The Horticulture Innovation Lab received a $1,000,000 buy-in from the USAID Mission in Senegal to strengthen the horticulture sector in Guinea Bissau. This three-year project will enable agricultural producers in Guinea Bissau to practice improved horticultural techniques adapted to their environment and soil typology, taking into account each climatic season and its changes. Additionally, the project will strengthen the seed sector for horticulture crops in Guinea Bissau along with implementing several capacity strengthening initiatives in the form of trainings and the establishment of innovation centers where producers can learn preharvest and postharvest skills and see low-cost technologies that could be implemented at their farm.
The Horticulture Innovation Lab is collaborating with its West Africa Regional Hub at the University of Ghana along with People-to-People Development Assistance (ADPP), the Association of Women in Economic Activity (AMAE), Universidade Amílcar Cabral (UAC) and the National Institute of Agricultural Research (INPA). The inception meeting for the project was held in February during which partners engaged experts in the horticulture sector in Guinea Bissau to refine the activities of the project and set a clear course.