Agricultural Productivity and Food Security Project (PAPSA)

About the Project

Burkina Faso has been faced with some major challenges over the years that have threatened food security in the country, from a severe drought in 2011 to an influx of Malian refugees in 2012. As a Sahelian country with 86% of its population employed in the agricultural sector, Burkina Faso is vulnerable to climate shocks, which lead to poor harvests yields, a challenging food production system, and a poor rural population, in addition to the pastoralist lifestyle that promotes competition and may lead to conflict.

GAFSP invested $37.1 million to scale up activities to improve the capacity of poor producers to increase food production and to ensure improved availability of food products in rural markets. PAPSA supported the government’s National Rural Sector Program by helping poor farmers increase their crop and livestock production and by expanding the volume of food products sold in rural markets. This includes activities such as improving crop production infrastructure through an additional 3,000 hectares of lowland development, 2,000 hectares of small-scale irrigation, and 800 kilometers of corridors to facilitate animal access to water resources and supporting an additional 5,000 hectares of soil conservation and 3,000 compost pits for soil restoration. The project engaged in a variety of activities to develop animal production facilities, including constructing 5,000 fattening units for cattle and sheep, improving vaccine dissemination, building farmer capacity on artificial insemination techniques for cattle, and improving milk collection and processing efforts. The project also supported the warrant warehouse receipt system, a rural credit guarantee scheme for 500 farmers’ organizations, and post-harvest management and marketing of food products by constructing 50 community warehouses.