PfD’s five year PINEX program will strengthen the pineapple value chain at all levels in Benin. Pineapple is the third highest agricultural earner in terms of GDP in Benin, and has significant potential for growth. PINEX will:

• Increase agricultural productivity by: building the technical and business management capacity of pineapple farmers, the Pineapple Producers Network of Benin (PPNB), and the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA); connecting producers with access to finance; and enabling the private sector to supply improved fertilizer.
• Improve agricultural processing by building the technical and business management capacity of pineapple processors and the National Association of Pineapple Processing Companies of Benin (NAPPCB), and by connecting processors with access to finance, equipment, and certifications.
• Expand agricultural trade by: building the marketing capacity of pineapple processors; connecting processors with marketing opportunities; establishing a market price and information system; improving border and airport storage and marketing facilities; and supporting innovation and collaboration across the Beninese pineapple value chain.

Activities include training and capacity building with pineapple producers and processors, facilitating agricultural lending and access to inputs, in-kind grants, and building infrastructure to facilitate pineapple production and marketing.

From November 2011 to July 2016, PfD implemented the USDA-funded Growing Resources for the Enhanced Agricultural Enterprises and Nutrition (GREEN) Project in six southern states in Benin: Atlantique, Littoral, Couffo, Mono, Oueme and Plateau. Through GREEN, PfD provided valuable training to over 7,300 agricultural producers and through increasing the farmers’ net income, benefited 36,000 family members.

The GREEN project worked with Beninese farmers’ associations to train vegetable growers to increase the money they take home from their harvests through better growing techniques, through strategies to decrease spoilage between the field and the market, and through improving their understanding of market-driven production. Centered on tomatoes, peppers, and leafy greens, the trainings GREEN provided focused on improving water and soil resources, appropriate use of pesticides, dry season cultivation, and how to handle vegetables immediately after harvesting. GREEN worked with growers’ associations on marketing and business strategies to help them maximize their earnings potential as a group.

GREEN trained 7,390 agricultural producers in vegetable value chain theory, market assessments, and modern methods to improve agricultural production. As a result of PfD’s work, 97% of participating GREEN farmers now produce in response to what the market wants, and 95% of GREEN farmers have increased their vegetable production by an average of over 160% by increasing the number of cultivation cycles from two to three and four ties per year.  GREEN’s final evaluation also showed, farmers increased their net income by over 220% and created over 8,600 seasonal jobs.