BURKINA FASO – The government of Burkina Faso has introduced two major initiatives aimed at bolstering food security and resilience among vulnerable populations in response to ongoing challenges posed by insecurity and climate variability.
Alassane Guire, Director of the Cabinet of the Minister of Agriculture, launched the African Program for Integrated Climate Risk Management, Burkina Faso component (GIRCA-BF), and the Project for Sustainable Strengthening of Resilience to Food and Nutrition Insecurity (P2RIA) on July 9.
These initiatives represent a combined investment of 20.8 billion CFA francs (US$34.4 million) designed to ensure food and nutritional security nationwide.
GIRCA-BF, with a budget of US$16.3 million over six years, focuses on enhancing small farmers’ resilience and food and water security. It will operate in regions including Boucle du Mouhoun, Hauts-Bassins, Cascades, South-West, North, Sahel, and East.
The program aims to manage climate risks related to natural resources through integrated approaches.
P2RIA, which will be implemented over three years and cost US$18.1 million, will be implemented in the South-West, Cascades, Hauts-Bassins, and Boucle du Mouhoun regions.
This initiative aims to increase the number of beneficiaries under the Agricultural Sector Support Project (PAFA), mainly Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs).
It includes provisions for agricultural inputs, equipment, development of rice-growing lowlands, household support, and assistance for rural micro-enterprises.
“The objective of these projects is to support vulnerable populations, including IDPs, by enhancing agricultural productivity and resilience to food insecurity,” stated a press release from the Ministry of Agriculture.
Burkina Faso, where approximately 2.5 million people, or 11% of the population, face acute food insecurity, according to Harmonized Framework projections, underscores the critical importance of these initiatives in mitigating food crises and supporting sustainable development in the country.
Additionally, earlier this month, the government approved an increase in the share capital of the National Food Security Stock Management Company (SONAGESS) to 1 billion CFA francs (US$1.6 million), five times the initial capital (US$329,250).
”The adoption of this decree aims to better respond to current challenges in terms of producers’ access to markets and food safety management,” a press release by the government stated.
SONAGESS is a public instrument created in 1994 to manage the national food security stock (SNS), composed of three priority cereals: millet, corn, and sorghum, corresponding to the population’s eating habits.
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