WHAT IS THE SONGHAI FARMERS NETWORK?
The network of Songhai farmers is a vibrant entity, which, like an organism, is composed of structures closely linked and interrelated to one another. The weakness of one structure leads to a breakdown of the entity as a whole. The National Network of Songhai Farmers (RENAFERS) is made up of indivisible units (cells) which are the individual farmers themselves (about 250 farmers are currently established in all the regions of Benin). They are then grouped into local coordination units based upon their geographical location. The Songhai graduates initiated this structure due to the increasing number of farmers and the resulting difficulty of communication beyond the annual meetings. The Network began with 5 coordination units in 1995, established on the basis of geographical proximity and the need for an exchange of ideas on the technological level. Although appealing, the idea was not accepted by everyone at the onset. It was not until certain zones distinguished themselves and accumul
