The Climate Resilience and Agricultural Productivity Project (ProPAD) initiative in Chad has introduced a call center to help modernize the agricultural sector through technology. Set up on the third floor of the Ministry of Agriculture building, the call center is equipped with state-of-the-art technologies to support climate-smart agriculture. For the first time, Chad is using an “e-voucher” system for distributing agricultural subsidies and providing e-extension services to farmers.
The e-voucher and e-extension platforms address the shortage of extension agents by offering agricultural advisory services, creating a transparent system for distributing input subsidies across project intervention areas. Since launching in April 2021, the call center, staffed with eight members, handles calls from farmers in the Mandoul, Moyen Chari, and Salamat provinces, communicating in local languages and French. Call center manager Adoum Djidda Ali explains that for necessary on-site interventions, trained farmer relays equipped with bicycles are dispatched.
ProPAD agents assist beneficiaries in using the e-extension system to disseminate agricultural information to 60,000 households. Farmers can access a toll-free hotline to receive advice. Through this system, over 5,000 tons of improved seeds have been distributed. "When an on-site intervention is necessary, we dispatch one of the 250 farmer relays, who are trained and equipped with bicycles, to visit the location and provide updates," states Adoum Djidda Ali.
In Balimba, inconsistent rainfall and lack of supervision have affected agriculture. Mndadjim Prisca, head of a local women's group, reported increased production and income due to the call center's assistance. “We have increased our production; we now earn between 60,000 and 80,000 CFA francs,” she says.
The e-voucher system's effectiveness is evident in the provision of over 5,000 tons of improved seeds to farmer organizations. Project data indicates that 133,656 producers, with 41% being women, have accessed improved seeds, fertilizers, and pesticides.
Experts like Dr. Djinodji Reoungal from the regional agricultural research center in Bébedjia acknowledge the positive impact, stating the introduction of new seed varieties is a relief. Yacine Doudoua, Director General of ITRAD, confirms, “Yields have increased by up to 80% since the introduction of the new varieties by ProPAD.”