Constant Ayihounoun Is Popularising Ecological Agriculture In Benin
2019 TEF Alumni, Constant Ayihounoun, is on a mission to raise awareness of sustainable production techniques in his home country Benin republic, through training, production, and distribution of organic agricultural inputs by his company, Agreco.
Agreco is a company that produces organic fertilizers and pesticides and sells them to agricultural cooperatives and green spaces. Unlike chemical fertilizers, those produced by this company are obtained from natural microorganisms.
The bright 21-year-old began his entrepreneurship journey at the early age of 18 while he was still in high school. He founded Africabio House, an NGO focused on raising awareness in his home community about sustainable agricultural practices which greatly impacted his diversion to social entrepreneurship.
During this journey, Constant became more aware with the challenges that farmers in Benin face with regards to low soil productivity and pest management which automatically led to the decline in agricultural yields and the gradual destruction of soils in rural areas.
Constant’s agricultural solution allows farmers to significantly increase their agricultural yield and ensure the protection and sustainable management of land while preserving the health and biodiversity of living things through the adoption of the use of organic fertilizers and bios pesticides. He has successfully run this business without neglecting his studies.
According to the Food and Agricultural Organisation of the United Nations, The agriculture sector in Benin Republic is struggling to meet the food security needs of its growing population particularly in the face of highly variable weather and changes in climate with factors such as declining soil fertility, poor, financial services, land tenure complications, limited infrastructure and underdeveloped markets hampering agricultural growth.
This agricultural solution by Agreco serves as a beacon of hope. Over 100 farmers have directly been benefitted from Agreco’s products. To further advance his mission to improve the agricultural ecosystem in Benin, Constance is currently in the process of industrializing its production to maximize its impact on the development of sustainable agricultural practices.
