The onion sector is booming in Burkina Faso, especially in the target regions of the Burkina Faso Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP-BF). Overall, however, poor farming practices predominate, notably the use of unsuitable varieties and the excessive use of chemical inputs, which greatly degrade the quality of the bulbs and cause a lot of rotting during storage.
The FSRP-BF has taken action by supporting the players in the bulb onion innovation platform through a three-year action plan that has helped to disseminate climate-smart cultivation practices and raise awareness of the need to use quality seeds.
Several demonstration plots were visited by both the authorities and growers in various localities. To share the promising results of these experiments, guided tours were organised to raise awareness and convince growers of the advantages of these innovative cultivation practices.
The village of Zigla (in the commune of Manga) welcomed authorities and producers on 27 March 2025 for a regional guided tour of an onion-growing demonstration plot. Under the aegis of Mrs Massadalo Yvette Nacoulma/Sanou, Governor of the Centre-Sud region, the guided tour was an opportunity to discover the good farming practices promoted through the demonstration plot, in particular organo-mineral fertilisation, the use of improved seed and biological pesticides. The results were clear: the demonstration plot produced the highest yields, with better quality bulb onions than the farmers' plot.
Before the village of Zigla, the commune of Tchériba in Mouhoun province hosted a provincial tour on Friday 21 March 2025. Chaired by the High Commissioner of Mouhoun province, this event brought together several players from the innovation platform. At the meeting, growers were able to see for themselves the positive effects of organo-mineral fertilisation on onion yield and quality. Convinced of the benefits observed, they undertook to promote the adoption of this technology to improve not only onion productivity, but also onion conservation.
On the eve of this visit, another meeting took place on Thursday 20 March in Nioniongo, in the province of Passoré. Organised by the Northern Regional Management Unit of the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP) as part of the activities of the Northern Onion Innovation Platform, the aim of this regional guided tour was to disseminate the results obtained from the implementation of the demonstration plot on organo-mineral onion fertilisation. The event was chaired by the President of the Special Delegation of Gompossom, representing the Governor of the Nord region. On this occasion, the stakeholders and partners present were able to discuss good agricultural practices and the prospects for extending this technique to a larger number of producers.
These guided tours illustrate the stakeholders' commitment to promoting sustainable farming practices that are adapted to local realities. Thanks to these initiatives, organo-mineral fertilisation is positioned as an effective solution for increasing yields and strengthening producers' resilience in the face of the challenges associated with growing onions in the dry season.
