Rural development

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), “the essential objective of sustainable agricultural and rural development is to ensure a sustained increase in food production and to improve food security”. To achieve this, it is necessary to organize educational activities, adopt economic incentives and promote appropriate new technologies so as to guarantee a stable supply of foodstuffs of adequate nutritional value. This will facilitate access for vulnerable groups and enable commercial production. Also, create jobs and income to reduce poverty, manage natural resources and protect the environment.

Key factors in sustainable agricultural and rural development include: policy and agrarian reform, participation, income diversification, land conservation and improved input management. Achieving sustainable agricultural and rural development will depend heavily on the support and participation of rural populations, public authorities and the private sector, in addition to international cooperation at both technical and scientific levels.

To this end, Solidar Suisse Burkina Faso is improving the livelihoods of vulnerable rural populations through the development of market garden areas and lowland rice fields; training in water and soil conservation/soil defense and restoration (CES/DRS) techniques such as Zaï, stone cordons, manure pits and half moons; and the adoption of agro-ecological techniques through the establishment of compost production units enriched with trichoderma: Zaï, stone cordons, manure pits, half moons; adoption of agroecological techniques by setting up compost production units enriched with trichoderma; awareness-raising for the adoption of agroecological techniques through theaters and forum workshops, as well as radio broadcasts.