Burkina Faso

As part of the implementation of components 2 and 3 of the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP), Burkina Faso (FSRP-BF), a microproject co-financing process has been in place since November 2023. The aim of this mechanism is to support promising initiatives by players and promoters in the country’s strategic agri-food sectors, by improving access to the financial and technical resources needed to increase the productivity, competitiveness and incomes of beneficiaries. The sectors concerned include rice, maize, cowpeas, onions, tomatoes, moringa, orange-fleshed sweet potatoes and certain fruit crops.

Following a selection process, a total of 304 micro-projects were selected, representing various links in the value chains of the selected sectors. Subsidies were allocated to beneficiaries to facilitate the implementation of their projects, thereby strengthening local capacities for the production and processing of agricultural products.

To guarantee the quality of the agri-food products produced by these micro-projects, the FSRP-BF, in partnership with the Agence Burkinabè de Normalisation, de la Métrologie et de la Qualité (ABNORM), organised a training session from 28 to 29 October 2024 in Koudougou. The training session provided an opportunity to raise awareness and train players in the processing chain on quality standards and the product certification process. More than 52 promoters, including 40 women, from the maize, cowpea, tomato and orange-fleshed sweet potato sectors benefited from this essential training.

The participants received in-depth training on various key aspects of production and processing, including food standardisation, certification requirements, good manufacturing and hygiene practices, as well as packaging, labelling and legal metrology. This capacity-building will not only enable them to improve the quality of their products, but also to access more lucrative markets.

The training is part of a strategic approach to promoting food security and the resilience of agricultural systems in Burkina Faso. It represents an essential lever for the sustainable development of the agri-food sector, by bringing local products into line with international quality standards. The aim of these efforts is to make Burkina Faso products more competitive on national and international markets, thereby helping to improve living conditions for producers and strengthening the country’s food sovereignty.

Suite à l'atelier de renforcement des capacités organisé à Bamako par le CORAF et l'Alliance Bioversity International and CIAT, dans le cadre du projet Accélération des impacts de la recherche climatique du CGIAR pour l'Afrique (AICCRA), les acteurs du Programme de Résilience du Système Alimentaire (PRSA) ont renforcé leurs connaissances sur la mise en œuvre des Villages Intelligents face au Climat (VIC). À la suite de cette formation, le PRSA Burkina Faso (PRSA-BF) a tenu un atelier national de restitution à Manga, du 30 septembre au 4 octobre 2024, afin d'élaborer un plan d'action pour l'implémentation des VIC dans le pays.

L'événement, qui a rassemblé des chercheurs, des experts en météorologie, des représentants d'ONG et des acteurs du secteur agro-sylvo-pastoral, a été marqué par la participation du Dr Robert Zougmore, Directeur Programme AICCRA, Alliance Bioversity et CIAT. L'objectif principal était de doter le PRSA-BF d'un plan d'action concret pour intégrer les VIC dans ses zones d'intervention, en s'appuyant sur l'expérience pilote du village climato-intelligent de Ouda, dans la région du Centre-Sud.

Les Villages Intelligents face au Climat : une approche prometteuse

L'approche VIC, initialement introduite par le programme CCAFS, s'est avérée prometteuse pour le développement de technologies et d'innovations climato-intelligentes en Afrique de l'Ouest. Elle favorise une démarche participative pour le développement de solutions adaptées au changement climatique, intégrant des innovations technologiques, institutionnelles et socio-économiques, ainsi que des politiques climato-intelligentes.

L'atelier de Manga a permis de consolider les connaissances sur les VIC, notamment en ce qui concerne la formulation et la mise en œuvre de cette approche. Une sortie de terrain à Ouda a permis aux participants d'observer les bénéfices concrets des technologies climato-intelligentes, telles que l'utilisation de semences améliorées, de la fumure organique, et des biopesticides, ainsi que des services agroclimatiques. Les échanges avec la communauté de Ouda ont illustré comment ces technologies contribuent à l'amélioration de la résilience des populations face aux aléas climatiques et à l'augmentation des rendements agricoles.

Une approche participative pour l'élaboration d'un plan d'action VIC pour le PRSA-BF

Durant les trois jours de l'atelier, les participants ont travaillé à l'élaboration d'un plan d'action pour la mise en œuvre des VIC au Burkina Faso. Les discussions ont porté sur la sélection des villages pilotes, la sécurisation foncière, l'encrage institutionnel, ainsi que l'identification des parties prenantes et des risques. Il a été convenu de mettre en place quatre VIC : un dans le sous-bassin du Kou, un dans la Sirba, et deux dans le Mouhoun Inférieur.

Le plan d'action élaboré comprend un chronogramme détaillé et un dispositif opérationnel qui sera intégré dans le Plan de Travail et Budget Annuel (PTBA) 2025 du PRSA-BF, après validation par la Banque mondiale. Ce plan marque une étape décisive pour l'adoption de solutions climato-intelligentes et renforce l'engagement du PRSA-BF à promouvoir la résilience des communautés rurales à travers la diffusion de technologies climato-adaptées.

Des résultats tangibles et des perspectives prometteuses

Les objectifs de l'atelier ont été pleinement atteints, offrant au PRSA-BF un cadre stratégique pour l'implémentation des VIC dans ses zones d'intervention. Le succès de cette démarche devrait permettre d'amplifier les résultats du PRSA-BF, notamment en contribuant à l'atteinte des indicateurs liés à la diffusion des technologies climato-intelligentes et à la résilience des systèmes alimentaires.

En résumé, l'initiative de mise en place des Villages Intelligents face au Climat au Burkina Faso s'inscrit dans une stratégie plus large visant à positionner les communautés rurales sur une trajectoire durable vers la sécurité alimentaire et nutritionnelle, tout en intégrant les principes de gestion intégrée des paysages et d'agriculture climato-intelligente. Les résultats atteints à Manga augurent d'un avenir prometteur pour la résilience climatique au Burkina Faso et au-delà

The onion sector is enjoying remarkable growth in Burkina Faso. In recent years, national onion production has grown significantly, propelling this market garden crop to the top of the country’s agricultural production list. This expansion has made Burkina Faso the second-largest onion exporter in West Africa, behind Niger.

Between 2011 and 2012, Burkina Faso exported around 36,100 tonnes of onions, with growth in value of 24% between 2009 and 2013. Onion cultivation currently covers more than 11,000 hectares, involving some 15,000 growers and generating substantial income for those involved in the sector.

In this context, the Food System Resilience Program (FSRP-BF) is positioning itself as a key player in strengthening this dynamic. Recently, the FSRP’s National Coordination in Burkina Faso organised a regional consultation workshop for players in the bulb onion sector in the Centre-South region. The event brought together nearly 70 participants, including producers, traders and technical and financial partners, to discuss the vision and strategies to be put in place. The main objectives of the workshop were (i) to present the Centre-Sud bulb onion innovation platform; (ii) to share the content of the platform’s three-year action plan; (iii) to advocate for funding of the plan from partners; (iv) to present the platform’s vision and strategies.

With the support of the FSRP-BF, the platform aims to triple onion production in the region, from 14,607 to 43,821 tonnes by 2027. This ambitious objective is focused on producing competitive onions, both in terms of quantity and quality, for the national and sub-regional markets.

Despite challenges such as the lack of inputs, storage infrastructure and marketing difficulties, the sector continues to grow. The FSRP-BF’s support, through its structuring initiatives and accompanying actions, is strengthening the capacity of producers and all stakeholders to deal with these obstacles.

With better organisation and structuring, the onion sector in Burkina Faso is well positioned to play a decisive role in the local and regional economy, while contributing to food security and improving farmers’ living conditions.

On 20 March 2024 in Ouagadougou, stakeholders and implementing partners of the West Africa Food System Resilience Program (FSRP) in Burkina Faso were briefed on measures to combat sexual harassment and gender-based violence.

From the FSRP regional implementation offices and the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Resources and Fisheries, 30 agents were given training on measures relating to sexual exploitation and abuse and sexual harassment (EAS/HS) as well as gender-based violence to facilitate the implementation of the FSRP.

These measures are intended to help promote gender equality, protect the rights of women and girls, and combat sexual harassment and gender-based violence among the actors and implementing partners as well as the target populations of the PRSP.

In its implementation in countries, FSRP carries out actions that include the construction of numerous infrastructures, such as buildings and productive facilities. These activities involve many people of all categories, in particular men, women, and young people. From this point of view, the implementation of the FSRP is likely to give rise to social and environmental risks, particularly the risk of trafficking in women for the purposes of prostitution, the risk of forced early marriage, etc. It was therefore necessary to train the stakeholders involved in the implementation of the programme to avoid any inconveniences likely to hamper its implementation.

FSRP has been implemented in Burkina Faso since 2022, with funding estimated at FCFA 72.5 billion, and aims to improve the living conditions of nearly 100,000 households, or 650,000 people, in seven regions: Boucle du Mouhoun, Centre-East, Centre-West, Centre-South, East, Hauts-Bassins and North.