Counterpart International (CPI) an NGO in collaboration with Virginia Tech is working on a regional food aid procurement program (LRP). Mung bean and orange flesh sweet potato are the crops that the project plans to secure through production in (and donations from) communities to contribute to school meals. In 2019, the project introduced mung bean to ten communities in the Departments of Dagana and Podor located in the St. Louis region of Senegal.

The overall objective of the work accomplished was to assess and encourage Farmer Groups’ ability to provide high quality, nutritious commodities for school feeding programs. Since the initiation of the program in July 2019, we have trained over 700 community members, teachers, and leaders. The initial grant amount was $200,000 for two years. The group was awarded an additional $70,000 to develop school and community-based curriculum for the dissemination and adoption of mung bean.

Farmer group in Senegal

Since July 2019, the project has provided partial funding (reassert/travel to Senegal) for several graduate and undergraduate students. Graduate students: Andre Diatta, Josh Mott, and Jessica Wilbur. Undergraduate students: Lucy Adamson, and Mary Michael Lipford. You can read more about the VT students involved in the project here.