Mr. Cyprien Hindeme is a vegetable farmer in Southern Benin. He supported himself and his family by growing and selling vegetables and pineapples. Like many farmers in Benin, Cyprien was never formally trained in cultivation techniques or marketing.

Cyprien participated in PfD’s GREEN project trainings, which taught him modern cultivation techniques to improve his vegetable crops and other important farming skills such as the proper use of chemical fertilizers and pesticides. Through the practical marketing workshops, he also learned how to become market orientated in his production and continues to use the weekly vegetable prices he receives through SMS messages on his cell phone to negotiate sales of his cabbages and other vegetables even before they reach the local markets. This not only ensures he gets the best prices for his produce, but it also cuts down transportation time and costs and reduces post-harvest losses.

Cyprien also saw an opportunity for his pineapple grove. After witnessing the success of the GREEN project techniques with his cabbage, Cyprien decided to use this knowledge and skills to improve his Sugar Loaf pineapple production.

He modified his use of fertilizers and insecticide to be in line with GREEN recommendations, resulting in larger, juicer pineapples. He also used his learned marketing skills to research the local and regional pineapple markets and diversify his clients. Now Cyprien delivers his higher quality pineapples to wholesalers in Togo and Burkina Faso, while still servicing his local market buyers. He also now supplies his top quality fruit to three prominent hotels in the Atlantique Department. Altogether, these sales generated 1,200,000 CFA ($2,400 USD) for Cyprien during harvest time.

With this additional income, Cyprien sent one of his children to Benin’s agricultural technical college, ensuring his future and the continued success of his family’s farm. He also bought laptop computers for both of his children attending university, enabling them to develop marketable computer skills.

Cyprien is just getting started, saying, “now that GREEN helped me with my cabbages and pineapples, now I am ready to try other crops too.”

Cyprien’s drive to build a better life for himself, his family, and his community, allows him to proudly declare #IamPfD.

Throughout all of December we will be sharing stories from our staff, board, partners, and others from around the globe. We can’t wait to share all of the hopeful, engaging, and positive stories from our work. We will be using the hashtag #IamPfD on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Be sure to share the posts that you find engaging and inspiring with friends and family and don’t forget to donate and take an #unselfie of you making a donation and share it with us and use the #IamPfD for a chance to win prizes from PfD.