FSRP-Burkina Faso: 650,000 vulnerable people to be supported in 7 targeted regions and 26,000 hectares of arable land to be developed

In Burkina Faso, thanks to the West Africa Food System Resilience Programme (FSRP) financed by the World Bank with a contribution from the Government of Burkina Faso, approximately 120 million US dollars or 72 billion CFA francs have been mobilised to support 100,000 vulnerable households, i.e. 650,000 people, including 325,000 women and young people, and to help develop 26,000 hectares.

These beneficiaries from 7 regions of Burkina Faso (Haut-Bassins, Boucle du Mouhoun, North, Centre-West, East, Centre-East and Centre-South) will receive specific support to produce and market their products in a more stable environment due to the cross-border situation of the targeted areas.

To achieve this, "the FSRP will provide climatic and hydrometeorological information to help farmers in the targeted areas, plan their production according to climatic events and weather conditions. This digital advice will help them make informed decisions regarding the choice of seeds, sowing periods, production areas as well as the possible occurrence of natural disasters such as floods," emphasised Mr. Edouard SANOU, Coordinator of the FSRP-Burkina Faso, during the awareness-raising sessions for FSRP beneficiaries.

To facilitate trade and commerce in agricultural products, the FSRP will implement market-related mechanisms by helping to remove trade barriers and roadblocks to facilitate intra-regional trade and increase profits.

Research for development is at the heart of the FSRP, which will help build research capacity on fruits and vegetables. The Institut de l'Environnement et des Recherches Agricoles (INERA), Burkina Faso's national research centre, will be strengthened to play a role as a regional centre of excellence for fruit and vegetables in West Africa. In addition, infrastructure will be made available to farmers to support hydro-agricultural projects and the restoration of degraded land.

Various accompaniments will be provided to support agricultural projects and micro-projects with equipment, to which the beneficiaries will contribute up to 50%. The programme also provides for the introduction of technologies accessible to women and young people and initiatives to develop nearly 26,000 hectares, including the rehabilitation of the Bama agricultural lowland.

From 3 to 7 April 2023, stakeholders and partners from the 7 targeted regions of Burkina Faso were seinsitized on the objectives, expected results, implementation strategies and institutional and organisational arrangements of the FSRP in Burkina Faso in order to familiarise themselves with the national and World Bank procedures and to better understand the targeting strategy and the modus operandi for knowledge management, gender mainstreaming and environmental and social safeguards.

The West Africa Food System Resilience Programme is an important initiative that aims to strengthen the region's capacity to cope with food and climate crises. Conceived by ECOWAS and its technical arms CORAF and CILSS and funded by the World Bank, the FSRP is a joint effort to help stakeholders address the challenges they face.

The FSRP has a multi-phase approach. The first phase of the programme, amounting to US$395.74 million, of which US$330 million is provided by the World Bank, benefits four countries: Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Togo and three regional institutions (ECOWAS, CILSS and CORAF). The second phase of US$ 315 million targets three countries: Chad, Ghana and Sierra Leone.