This text is part of the special section on International Cooperation
According to United Nations figures, more than half of agricultural production in Burkina Faso depends on women, even though they only own 8% of the land. The organization Mission inclusion and its local partners help them make their voices heard to access these lands and cultivate them sustainably.
On the one hand, the political context and armed violence are worsening the serious food crisis that threatens tens of millions of people in the Sahel region. On the other hand, climate change and rare rains are making the land infertile. Faced with desertification and soil degradation, 46.7% of the Burkinabe population lives below the minimum acceptable threshold.
“We work with the populations, mainly women, to promote agricultural techniques that help them resist climate change,” underlines Charles Mugiraneza, project manager for Mission inclusion in Africa. Women are particularly affected. They suffer from unequal treatment in terms of access to education and quality care, including sexual and reproductive health, according to Amnesty International.
To assert these fundamental rights, a Women and Climate Committee was created within Action for the Promotion of Local Initiatives (APIL), a partner organization of Mission Inclusion in Burkina Faso. Awareness-raising activities are organized to support them in their advocacy with men and local authorities, such as mayors and village chiefs, who own the land.
“Before, many women did not dare to speak out in public or in their households, but the project really encouraged us to become leaders”, says Assiata Sawadogo, member of the APIL women’s committee, to whom she is very grateful. The farming and advocacy techniques taught, as well as access to equipment and land, have changed her life and that of many Burkinabe women.
Towards climate resilience
At the same time, APIL offers training in agrotechnology and forestry techniques. The culture of cowpea, this fabulous bean endemic to the African continent and particularly profitable, was introduced and taught to the beneficiaries. The organization provides the inputs as well as the tools and short-cycle seeds that allow for more frequent harvests. “As the rainy period is very short, we use seeds that will remain in the field for a very short time”, explains Charles Mugiraneza.
With an average rainfall of 400 mm per year, concentrated between June and September only, water management is crucial in Burkina Faso. So that farmers do not depend solely on the rains, wells have been dug in several strategic places. “Currently, it is the dry period, but we can harvest carrots, onions, aubergines and peppers”, says Charles Mugiraneza. Off-season market gardening is a valuable asset for food security.
An alternative energy program based on livestock manure has also been launched. Using a device called a biodigester, the methane gas is extracted to then provide electricity. “Using methane for cooking, for example, means that people cut less wood,” says the project manager. The surplus is used as organic fertilizer for spreading. The biodigester also partially relieves the burden on women, who previously had to go back and forth carrying firewood on their heads, says Assiata Sawadogo.
Efforts are also focused on reforestation, with the planting of certain tree species resistant to changing climates, such as moringa and baobab, to regenerate the forest cover. THE Faidherbia, meanwhile, acts as a fertilizer thanks to its ability to capture nitrogen from the air, and animals feed on its leaves. It is a small circular economy all by itself!
Women entrepreneurs
The project in its current form will end in September, but its sustainability is assured, according to Mr. Mugiraneza. Mission inclusion, for whom he has worked for 12 years, promotes a decolonizing approach, that is to say with the fewest possible intermediaries and support by local organizations, without offices in the field.
“The changes are there, the purchasing power has increased a little and, with the additional income, the beneficiaries can buy agricultural equipment,” says Charles Mugiraneza. More people can pay for their health care costs, their children’s education and better housing. »
Although there is still a long way to go, the initial findings regarding empowerment are encouraging. Some of the seeds used are now produced locally, so will remain available directly, so as to no longer depend on the market. Several women have opened small restaurants, and some have even become entrepreneurs by operating small tree nurseries and reselling their trees to communities.
This special content was produced by the Special Publications team of the Duty, relating to marketing. The drafting of Duty did not take part.