Decease of Franck Bisiaux

Franck Bisiaux did not need any other diploma than his agricultural BTS to lead a brilliant career for more than 20 years in West and Central Africa.

He started in the 90's in Benin by managing a training center dedicated to bovine traction within the framework of a program of the German International Cooperation for Development (GTZ). He then seized the opportunity to enter the private sector by managing a garage, then stone extraction and export activities to France, which he then expanded to Togo.

His natural leadership brought him back to the world of cooperation and the Hanns Seidel Foundation in DRC in the 2000's to become Manager of agricultural programs and to quickly assert himself as one of the precursors of the development of agroforestry plantations with acacias in rural areas, mostly on the Batéké Plateau (Kwilu Province, formerly Bandundu Province), but also in the provinces of Kinshasa, Central Kongo (formerly Bas-Congo Province), Tshopo (formerly Orientale Province) and Kasai Oriental. These sequential agroforestry systems (alternating periods when the soil is occupied by plantations of tree legumes and shorter periods when it is occupied by plantations of maize, then cassava) make it possible to intensify agricultural systems, to produce charcoal in order to save on the use of fossil fuels for domestic energy, and to limit forest clearing for slash-and-burn cultivation, which is the primary factor in the destruction of natural forests in Central Africa.

Franck Bisiaux has worked in this direction with method, determination, perseverance and modesty, knowing how to reconcile respect and involvement of local communities as well as customary and state authorities. His field work over time has enabled the deployment of this agroforestry model, demonstrating that it meets real needs and produces benefits for both rural and urban populations. Faced with the challenges posed by climate change, these sustainable agroforestry technical itineraries are concrete solutions, which led him to respond to the GiZ's request to go and implement them in Côte d'Ivoire, where he settled with his family at the beginning of 2020.

The experience gained over the years and the associated successes mean that today these practices, initially supported by research and development aid projects, have become common and attractive to private investors.

Based on his experience, Franck Bisiaux reminds us that successful actions are not only linked to the quality of research publications and project documents, but are also dependent on those who implement them.