USADF Signs Two Grants to Support Potato Farmers in Burkina Faso / Funding will Improve Farmers’ Income
OUAGADOUGOU, Burkina-Faso, April 27, 2010/African Press Organization (APO)/ — The United States African Development Foundation (USADF) signed two grants to benefit grassroots groups in Burkina Faso. The grants will benefit Association pour la Promotion du Maraîchage au Burkina Faso (APMB) and Fédération Provinciale des Professionnels Agricoles du Lorum (FEPPAL). Both groups are located in the Titao District, Lorum Province.
After signing the grants, USADF President Lloyd Pierson stated “These grants are designed to create jobs, lift people out of poverty, and sustain a higher quality of life for some of the most marginalized and poorest people in Burkina Faso.”
APMB is composed of 48 member unions representing 2,305 farmers, 59% of whom are women. Potato production in the Titao region has regained interest in recent years with greater promotion by authorities at the local and national levels. The farmers in this region are extremely poor, constrained by a lack of access to quality seeds, insufficient water resources, weak equipment, a lack of training, poor market prices, and weak organizational structure. APMB plays an important role to organize farmers and support activities. Funding will support improvements to water access, procurement of seeds, equipment, and training.
FEPPAL works to improve the livelihoods of poor farmers and contributes to the economic and social development of the Titao district, Lorum Province. The group oversees 19 member unions of fruit, vegetable, and cereal producers, comprised of 308 farmers, 125 of whom are women. While potatoes are one of the main products grown and marketed in the Titao district, farmers are constrained by the lack of quality seeds, insufficient water resources, weak equipment, a lack of training in specialized production techniques, poor market prices, and weak organizational structure. Thus, small-scale producers are hampered by the quality and price of their product. The two year grant will fund improvements to water access, procurement of seeds, equipment, and training.
SOURCE
The United States African Development Foundation (USADF)
