I am Douglas Francisco and I run a project in Benin. I am currently working in Germany for Deutsche Bahn as a district manager. My project is called Ferme Frandov and is located in West Africa Benin. Ferme Frandov is a breeding farm with its own staff and breeding animals.
Ferme Frandov is not an ordinary farm. It is also a school for many young people from Benin. One of the essential advantages is the education we give to our staff, interns and apprentices. They learn how to feed the animals, how to breed and how to use different machines like the feeding machine or how to use solar panels and how to use them most effectively. Of course we also have a vegetable garden like tomatoes or pimentos. We also plant many palm trees around the farm.
We currently have 23 cows, 149 rabbits, 14 pigs, 77 turkeys, 214 peri chickens, 12 sheep and a fish pond for 2500 seedlings of tilapia fish. This large number of animals requires a lot of work and, above all, knowledge. For this reason, our local veterinarian Mr. Marius Kotanou and his team.
Our goals for the next few years
Ferme Frandov Farm has several goals and plans to train and motivate young people in agribusiness. An important step for this is the creation of overnight accommodation for pupils and students who want to do an internship on the farm. The farm also strives to ensure good equipment and work safety in order to successfully support the next generations and pass on valuable knowledge. In addition, the farm also wants to build partnerships with students in Germany and build a seminar room to hold trainings and lectures. A current shortcoming is the lack of internet on the farm, but the team is working to implement this soon.