(Ouagadougou, June 06, 2023). AGRA has officially launched its country strategy in Burkina Faso on Thursday, June 08, 2023. In a ceremony under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Animal Resources and Fisheries, AGRA presented its 2023-2027 strategic plan to stakeholders to mark the start of its operationalization in Burkina Faso.
As part of the launch, a panel discussion was held under the theme : Catalytic interventions for a sustainable transformation of food systems in Burkina Faso ; to deepen reflections, share experiences and harmonize viewpoints on the ways to achieve the structural and sustainable transformation of food systems in Africa, and in Burkina Faso in particular.
Delivering the Keynote Address at the event, the Minister for Agriculture, Animal Resources and Fisheries, Dr. Denis Ouedraogo expressed the government’s appreciation for AGRA’s, contribution to strengthening state policy and capacity towards agriculture and food systems transformation in Burkina Faso.
“We speak with great satisfaction of AGRA’s interventions in Burkina Faso which have resulted among others in the reform of the subsidy program and exit mechanism; the re-alignment of the relevant law on seeds with a view to its harmonization with the ECOWAS Seed Regulation; and the design and deployment of the MARAH budget management software”.
The Minister also highlighted the alignment of AGRA’s strategic objectives to those of the government’s priorities in the areas of smallholder productivity, resilience to climate shocks and institutional capacity. He appreciated the catalytic nature of some targeted interventions AGRA made with little money, including EGS production, electronic tracker of ministry results, but with big impacts as well as the rice flagship and how it helped government mobilize resources.
AGRA’s Strategic Plan 2023-2027 aims to ensure food security in a resilient agricultural sector in Burkina Faso. It comprises three strategic objectives relating in particular to increasing the productivity of smallholder farmers, improving the capacity of agricultural systems to respond to shocks and stresses, and strengthening the government’s leadership and implementation capacities for food system transformation.
For the next five years, AGRA proposes to undertake a number of strategic actions in Burkina Faso in the areas of inclusive markets and trade, sustainable agriculture, development of seed systems and institutional capacity.
The country strategy will serve as a pact between AGRA and the government of Burkina Faso, and will be based on the macroeconomic and sectoral context of the country’s agriculture, AGRA’s strategic approach, alignment with the government and areas of interest with all partners in the country.
AGRA in Burkina Faso
AGRA is a pan-African institution born in 2006 out of the bright idea of former United Nations Secretary General Kofi ANNAN to mobilize partners to bring about a green revolution in Africa. AGRA is committed to the inclusive transformation of agriculture in Africa by raising incomes and improving food security for smallholder farmers, while supporting countries on the path to sustainable transformation of their agricultural systems.
Since 2007, AGRA has been working in Burkina Faso, in collaboration with the Ministry of Agriculture. It has strengthened agricultural research through the development of new varieties of rice, maize, sorghum, cowpea and orange-fleshed sweet potato, and the training of researchers. It has also consolidated the input distribution system, developed and disseminated approaches to integrated soil fertility management, and strengthened market access by setting up aggregation centers and supplying equipment to producers.
These interventions have enabled AGRA to reach 983,000 producers out of a target of 13,26215 -a rate of 74% – to produce 16,600 tonnes of seeds against a target of 2,485 tonnes, and to support the establishment of 615 agrodealer shops against an initial projection of 250 agricultural input sales outlets. AGRA has developed five (05) agrodealer hubs comprising 483 retailers who have sold 609,000 tonnes of agricultural inputs at $341 million. AGRA has mobilized $504 million in new public and private investment in the agricultural sector. AGRA has also prioritized the National Strategic Plan of Investments in the Agricultrural Sector (PNIASP) and supports the implementation of ECOWAS seed and fertilizer policies in Burkina Faso.
For more information contact
Jessie Lafourcade-Morena Communications Officer – AGRA West Africa.
media@agra.org
