Togo

Background

With 8 million inhabitants and a surface area of 56,785 square kilometers, Togo is one of Africa’s most densely populated countries. There are almost 56 child deaths per 1,000 births. The gross domestic product per capita amounts to 679 US dollars.

Agriculture constitutes 40% of the Togolese GDP, and about two third of the population work in this sector. The country regularly faces floods and drought, which have serious consequences for the both the people and the livestock: degradation of the soil, animal losses, decreases in yields, and rising rural exodus.

Forest degradation is another major concern: it is an additional threat to biodiversity and food security. In 2004, the Togolese government listed the Abdoulaye forest as a nature conservation area. As a result, the communities that had lived there had to start finding alternative sources of income and thus an alternative way of life, as they had previously been used to hunt their daily food in that very forest.

VSF-Suisse was asked to support the people in bringing environmental protection in line with alternative, sustainable livelihoods. Ever since, we have been training auxiliary veterinarians, have distributed healthy livestock to families in need, and have launched various training sessions and campaigns to raise awareness on environmental protection.