Plateforme des Ecoles Familiales Agricoles de Côte d'Ivoire - PEFACI (Ivory Coast)

Plateforme des Ecoles Familiales Agricoles de Côte d'Ivoire - PEFACI

The Platform of Family Agricultural Schools of Ivory Coast (PEFACI) is an Ivorian association that supports and develops a network of three Family Agricultural Schools (EFA) and two Rural Entrepreneurship Training Institutes (IFER) in Côte d'Ivoire (Ivory Coast). These centres train young people aged 13 to 25 in agriculture and livestock.

PEFACI has been present in Côte d'Ivoire since 2006. Benefitting from technical support from the European Institute for Cooperation and Coordination (IECD), PEFACI contributes to achieving three Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations: eradicating extreme poverty and hunger, ensuring universal primary education and promoting gender equality and women's empowerment.

In 2022/2023, the Eurofins Foundation provided a grant in support of agricultural training and the integration of young people in rural areas in the Ivory Coast.

The Ivorian agricultural sector is one of the engines of the national economy and represents 20% of the national GDP. This sector employs nearly one in two people of working age, especially in rural areas. However, more than 56% of the rural population is still below the poverty line. 

In 2006, PEFACI launched the project "Support for agricultural training and the integration of young people in rural areas", to offer quality training to disadvantaged rural youth. In five training centers throughout the Ivorian territory, 310 young people, 30% of whom are girls, benefit from quality training on production techniques, animal breeding and entrepreneurship for three years. During this time, young people are made aware of environmental issues and sustainable agriculture.  Obtaining a broad understanding is at the heart of the project: young people alternate between theoretical training and internship periods, during which they are taught about agricultural entrepreneurship. This pedagogy is a way to give them the keys to successful integration: 80% of the young people trained are employed after the training (including 93 girls), 30% of whom are self-employed. 

The Eurofins Foundation’s grant allowed PEFACI to implement the training of young people and to carry out awareness campaigns on the importance of the project to increase the number of trainees. Finally, this support helped PEFACI to communicate with the people surrounding the centers on agroecological practices and environmental protection.

The Eurofins Foundation renews its support to this project in 2023/2024.

This project contributes to the following United Nations Sustainable Development Goals