THE MECAWAT PROJECT

As part of its activities to improve farming techniques, Ivoire Coton participates, in partnership with CIRAD, CNRA, FERT and UFACOCI, in a project called Projet Mecawat (Mechanization and Work in Agroecological Transitions), which has started in April 2023, for a duration of 24 months.

The project aims to contribute to the development of agro-ecological systems, by working on the development of ad hoc mechanization options taking into account the removal of technical constraints, the improvement of productivity and the arduousness of work. It is structured around the following main axes :

• The implementation of experimental systems for the development and evaluation of innovative cultivation systems, based on the mobilization of ecological intensification levers : restitution of biomass to the soil, rotation, succession, association, reduction then elimination of work of soil.
• The development of new equipment such as the Strip-till, the localized powder distributor, the sowing wheel, etc.
• The development of collections of plant materials, in particular legumes, for the production of grains and/or biomass for fodder or “fertility” purposes.
• Support for the dynamics of implementing innovative systems and innovation systems, at the scale of pilot regions.

The implementation of this project takes place on two sites in the Regional Directorate of M’Bengué, one in a farming environment in the village of Kachofa and the other on the Observation Post (PO).