WASHINGTON, June 27, 2014 – The World Bank Board of Executive Directors has approved a total US$73.05 million in ongoing support for Burkina Faso’s program to boost the productivity of agriculture, livestock, fisheries and forestry activities to ensure food security for the country’s rural poor.
Today’s financing, with the International Development Association (IDA)* contributing US$35.95 million and the Global Agriculture and Food Security Program (GAFSP) contributing US$37.10 million, will expand the Agriculture Productivity and Food Security Project, (or Projet d’Amélioration de la Productivité et de la Sécurité Alimentaire, PAPSA). PAPSA supports the Government’s National Rural Sector Program by helping poor famers increase their crop and livestock production and expanding the volume of food products sold in rural markets.
“Burkina Faso’s economy is based on farming and livestock production in rural communities, which provides jobs for 86 percent of the country’s workforce,” says Mercy Tembon, World Bank Country Manager for Burkina Faso. “The continuation of this project will improve food security by promoting activities that build farmers resilience to climate shocks, increase agricultural productivity, boost incomes for rural populations, and lead to reduced poverty and shared prosperity in Burkina Faso.”
Launched in July 2010, PAPSA project activities have already benefitted some 300,000 people in Burkina Faso. Key achievements of PAPSA in the last three years include a 32 percent increase in food crop production; 7,000 hectares of lowlands developed, 1.3 million liters in milk production and about 200 million CFAF in revenues generated.
Today’s additional financing will expand the project activities to benefit 750,000 people, of which 40 percent are women. The funds will scale up ongoing initiatives by developing 3,000 new hectares (ha) of lowland for crop production, installing an additional 2,000 ha of small scale irrigation projects, and introducing an additional 5,000 ha of soil conservation and water harvesting measures. The funds will help construct 800 kilometers of corridors to enable sheep and cattle better access to water resources, improve the development of local poultry vaccination and the promotion of sheep and cattle fattening. New fish farming facilities around water reservoirs and new fish hatchery stations will be built.
The funds also support marketing strategies for food products for 500 farmers’ organizations. These activities, such as the construction of an additional 50 community warehouses to hold food crops, and the development of a simple rural credit guarantee scheme, known as Warrantage, will help expand the income generated by farmers. With new income farmers can purchase improved seed, fertilizer, small pumps and other inputs that help to increase yield and production. The use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) will be piloted to improve beneficiaries targeting and the project M&E system.
MEDIA CONTACTS
In Washington
Aby K. Toure
Tel : (202) 473-8302
akonate@worldbank.org
In Ouagadougou
Lionel F. Yaro
Tel : +226-50-49-6300
lyaro@worldbank.org
2014/603/AFR
