Growing Resilience With Smallholder Farmers

Since 2021, we have been working with farming communities in Burkina Faso that are hard hit by poverty and the impacts of land degradation.

This project runs until 2025 and is supporting smallholder farmers to improve both food security and income, strengthening their resilience to the growing impacts of the climate crisis.

255

training sessions
organised

210,000

smallholder farmers
trained in agroforestry

6

climate-smart
technologies promoted

100,000

metric tonnes of
organic fertiliser produced

868

Village based advisors
established

1,000

hectares of land
under restoration

Why this project matters

In Burkina Faso, poverty and hunger are widespread issues. During the long dry months, when people struggle to grow enough food, many can only eat once a day. Children often suffer the effects the most, with mothers being forced to rely on non-nutritious foods like maize to feed them.

One-third of the country’s farmland is already degraded due to the effects of the climate crisis, and deforestation. These practices can degrade the soil, making it less productive over time. This is making it even harder for people to grow enough crops to eat and sell to earn an income.

Our Aims

This project aims to improve food security and income of 210,000 smallholder farmers in the Hauts-Bassins, Cascade, Boucle du Mouhoun and Centre-Ouest regions as well as strengthen the resilience to climate change in these region.

The approach is sustainable intensification; using innovations such as agroforestry and composting, to increase productivity on existing agricultural land with both positive environmental and social impacts.

Overall, the project will contribute to strengthen the development of maize, rice, sorghum and cowpeas value chains, while also improving living conditions of smallholder farmers.

Stories from Burkina Faso

Read the inspiring real stories of people we’ve worked with in Burkina Faso.

Our Impact So Far

Since the project began in 2021, we have been making agreements and building connections between with key project partners (i.e. NAFASO, INERA and CEAS).

Successful set-up of demonstration sites, showcasing good practice to be replicated by other farmers
Village-based advisors have been identified, and resources have been distributed
Baseline study completed