Global warming and drought are increasingly causing the earth in Burkina Faso to dry out. Many people in the rural central plateau suffer from hunger and poverty. Solidar Suisse trains small-scale farmers in environmental agricultural practices that spare water and produce good yields. A safety net for small-scale farmers is being developed through local solidarity initiatives.

People in the highlands around the capital Ouagadougou are poor. In total, 90% of people live off what they produce from a small plot of land. The quantity they can produce is falling, because Burkina Faso is heavily impacted by climate change. Extreme weather events, droughts and heavy rain are causing crop yields to decrease. The regular use of pesticides is further degrading the soil. Many small-scale farmers struggle to feed themselves and their families and suffer from hunger. There is increasing pressure on available agricultural land because the population is growing, largely because people are fleeing conflicts in the northern part of the country.

Solidar Suisse is supporting organic farming to promote food security. In addition, we cooperate with local organisations of small-scale farmers. They have many years of experience in growing vegetables, livestock breeding and marketing produce. Together we educate small-scale farmers in sustainable land management.

In recent years, Solidar Suisse has successfully helped over 2,800 small-scale farmers to improve their agricultural productivity. Nearly 80% of these farmers were able to at least double their yields of millet. The self-sufficiency rate among farmer families surveyed rose from 12% to 80%, which greatly improved the food security of these households. Currently, as part of the project 8,150 farmers are producing sustainably and sufficiently. In total, 2,700 farmer families are earning additional income, with which they are able to pay school fees or go to the doctor, while 5,470 people are benefitting from the shared seed bank.