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Friday, February 15, 2008

Farmers’ exchange works

In the North West Burkina Faso (Province of Mouhoun) AFDI has promoted facilitation of better management and economic analysis of farm resources by their members. The fact that farmers could discuss the innovations amongst each other has contributed significantly to their awareness and effective changes. The impact (2007) has been very significant for farmers who have participated for at last three years. The example shows the potential to increase awareness and to improve yields and quality by improved farm resource management. The experience also points out the intensive and long term support needed to achieve these results. The membership remains limited (170 farmers have been involved directly and neighbouring farmers were affected indirectly).

“Just because of the approach and the farm analysis, farmers themselves have further requested their organisation to provide technical courses on making compost, cattle husbandry and also requested assistance of the supply of cattle vaccines. Farmers have organised themselves and requested more exchange between farmers which are now a regular part of the strategy of the farmer organisation. These exchanges have clearly motivated farmers and have led to in-depth discussion between farmers on the advantages of specific innovations like improved seeds. This approach was witnessed as the most effective way of convincing farmers for well considered innovations at farmer level.
- Because of this behavioural change, crop husbandry, yields and margins of crops have further increased. The yields (per ha) of rice, maize and peanuts is 969 kg, 1.333 kg and 824 kg respectively for farmers who have participated for more than three years. This compares to 600 kg, 1.111 kg and 648 kg for new participants.
- Because of the improved quality of products, in which some farmers now started to specialise, the market prices have further increased. All farmers who participated for more than three years, have witnessed increased income. The profit margins per ha have equally increased. For farmers who participated for more than three years, profit has increased to 97.046 CFA for rice, to 47.370 CFA for peanuts and to 42.425 for maize, compared to 71.333 CFA for rice in case of new participants, 40.638 for peanuts and 29.452 for maize.
- The method has also increased the consciousness of members of the food security needs of the household, also by men. Management of harvest and stocks is now better adapted to these needs. Participants further stressed that because of the sale of short cycle cash crops, school costs were better covered and the school attendance of children of participants have increased more than for non or recent participants.”

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