Small-scale irrigation in the Greater West and East Regions of Burkina Faso
The objective of the project is to establish the basis for sustainable agriculture in selected catchment areas in western Burkina Faso in order to improve food security and create income opportunities for the local population. The project consists of three components:
- construction of irrigation infrastructure,
- accompanying measures, and
- monitoring and evaluation.
The infrastructure component mainly includes the construction of small contour dams for rice cultivation in the lowlands and the construction of wells and irrigation basins for vegetable cultivation. Related activities will include water and soil conservation measures and soil protection. Infrastructure for input supply, storage of agricultural products, access to markets and processing centers will also be built.
As part of the accompanying measures, GFA experts will pay special attention to the management and maintenance of the infrastructure and to good agricultural practices - important aspects for the sustainability and success of the project. Modular training will be provided to beneficiaries using a "training of trainers" approach through service providers and NGOs supporting lead farmers who will further disseminate best practices. The GFA team will consider all aspects of land management to avoid social conflicts associated with the project. To this end, the team will follow a "do no harm" approach. Farmers will also receive intensive support in accessing credit to ensure sustainable farming. In addition, farming households will be enabled to process and market part of their rice harvest.
As the intervention area is located in a politically unstable environment, GFA will use a remote management and M&E system for the implementation of all activities, which will form the basis for an integrated approach combining security aspects and participatory project measures.
