The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Agriculture in Burkina Faso

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I’m a Health/Small Enterprise/Education/Girl’s Empowerment volunteer! Why on Earth do I have a book about agriculture? And who are you calling a complete idiot, anyway?

To answer the last question first, ourselves. This document was adapted from documents written by people with professional training in agriculture, agribusiness, and agroforestry, and possibly other words beginning with “agr-”. But it was adapted by volunteers with little to no previous training in these fields. We’re a bunch of interested but uninformed amateurs. This booklet is an attempt to distribute the information we’ve found along the way while trying to inform ourselves.

Why do you have this booklet? Because you live in a country where the large majority of the citizenry live off of what they grow. Subsistence farming is the norm in Burkina, and while food security isn’t the primary project of any of the Peace Corps Burkina sectors, it’s a concern that many volunteers have seen their neighbors face. For the volunteer interested in agricultural secondary projects, there’s information here that runs the gamut from projects you could do in a day to projects that could span a large part of your service.

If something in this guide strikes you as particularly interesting, take a look around Sharepoint. The Food Security Committee has made many documents available there, (PCV Group Files → Food Security Committee) including the Burkina Faso Agriculture Guide, Gardening in Burkina Faso, and many documents obtained online or from the Burkina government on divers aspects of agriculture. There are also many documents worth checking out in the SED folder (under Volunteer Resources).

Cheers,

The Food Security Committee

Aug 2009

Need-to-Know Burkina Agriculture Info at a Glance

Rainfall Apr-Jun 2009


Reproduced from Sécurité AlimentaireNo018 Apr-Jun 2009.

The above map typifies the distribution of rainfall in Burkina. In general, the southwest will receive over 1000mm rainfall annually, dropping off to the northeast to as little as 300mm annually.

Seasonal Calendar and Critical Events Timeline


Reproduced from

A simple timeline, useful for project planning. For example, a personal garden might be started in September, but if you wanted to work with your villagers, you might find they’re still too busy harvesting at this point.

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How to Create a Cooperative

What is a cooperative?

A cooperative is an organization created by a collective of associations or individuals with a shared economic interest to specifically create a functioning enterprise. Their objectives are toimprove the socio-economic status of their members; work cooperatively as a team; to improve the quality of their products and services; to add value and to maximize the products and services produced by its members; and to improve members’ understanding of product and service management.

What is an association?

An association is a group of like-minded individuals that have officially declared their interest in working together via submission and approval of the legally required documents. They work to improve their community through health, education, sanitation, etc. They may also serve as a “political action committee,” representing the interests of a particular constituency. They can also work together as an informal business usually. As a legally recognized organization, associations can pursue grants and other funds which individuals cannot.

How do you start a cooperative?

To start a cooperative you need is a minimum of five members, each with proper identification documents. During their first meeting, referred to as L’Assemblée Générale Constitutive, they prepare all required documents needed to start a cooperative. The documents required are the following:

  • 3 copies of the assembly’s Procés Verbal. This entails a documented statement of what was said during the Assemblée Générale Constitutive.It must be signed by all members of the cooperative.
  • 3 copies of a list of the cooperative’s members, including name and address, background check administered by local judiciary made in the last three months, and residential certificates of all members.
  • 1 copy of the report of finances, members’ dues and subscription fees paid by each member.
  • 1 copy of Declaration Statement and Internal Rules and Regulations of cooperative.

These documents must be deposited at your Sous-Prefecture, who will guide you through the next steps. The documents must end up in the regional capital’s Department of Justice. The Department of Justice will respond to the cooperative’s request within one month by delivering a Recipissé, legalizing the rights of the cooperative. Without this official document, a cooperative cannot function.

How is a cooperative structured?

Generally a cooperative is composed of the following groups:

  • General Assembly: The General Assembly is made up of all members of the cooperative. It is the deliberation and decision making branch. Their functions are: to create statutes; to verify all members’ admission fees and dues; to elect Administrative and Surveillance committee; to deliberate and adopt the activity program for the first year.
  • Administrative Committee (Conseil d’Administration): The number of administrators in the committee is between 3 and 10. They are the enacting branch of the cooperative. The committee is run through a President and Vice President, elected by the General Assembly. Their functions are: to administer the activities of the cooperative based on the statutes created by the General Assembly; to keep records and receipts of all coming and going inventory; to take appropriate measures in order to maximize cooperative’s productivity (equipment, financial issues, resources…); ensure proper bookkeeping of cooperative’s various activities.
  • Oversight Committee (Comité de Surveillance): The number of members is between 2 and 5. They are the interior control agents of the cooperative. Their functions are: to ensure the activities of the cooperative are in accordance to the statutes created by the General Assembly. All mistakes found by members of this committee must be immediately reported to the Administrative Committee in order to make appropriate changes. At the end of each year, the committee will prepare a surveillance report, detailing their records throughout the year.

References

For more information visit your local Mayor’s Office or SousPrefecture. See the following matrix for a comparison of the differences between an Association, Cooperative and GIE.

Group / Required Documents / Steps
Association
One person can have the idea of starting an association, initially. Then they bring together a group of like-minded people and have an official meeting. A “Procés Verbal (PV)” or meeting minutes must be recorded to document the interests of the group. Purpose is NOT to create a business. /
  • Declaration Statement
  • Documented minutes (PV)
  • Rules and interior regulations
  • List of members
  • List of officers
/
  • Write document of creation: Recipisé
  • Public Declaration
  • Publication in an official journal i.e. “l’Essoir”

Cooperative
Can be composed of a group of individuals or a group of associations. Purpose IS to create a business. /
  • Declaration Statement
  • Rules and interior regulations
  • Report of finances, Member dues, and fees
  • Minutes from a general assembly creating the Coop.
  • List of members
  • List of Officers
  • List of Board Members
  • Police check of officers
/
  • Determine rules and regulations
  • Registration
  • Official document of creation: Recepisee
  • Official Registration number

GIE: Groupement d’interet economique /
  • Minutes from a general assembly meeting
  • Notorized contract between members
/
  • General Assembly
  • Register with the Chamber of Commerce

Comparison of Different Types of Organizations

Characteristics
Types of Organizations / Managing Group / Objectives / Member Benefits / Capital
Association / Easily created and few regulations, but require a lot of management to survive / Social, cultural and development / No financial benefits / No capital, but members pay dues
Cooperative or Union / General Assembly, Board of Directors, and Administrative Officers / Economic, Social and income generating / Insurance, Savings, Return on investment / Required membership fee and dues
Savings and Credit / General Assembly, Board of Directors, and Administrative Officers, Financial oversight committee / Economic, Social, cultural / Insurance, Savings, Return on investment / Required membership fee and dues
GIE- Groupement d’Interet Economique / General Assembly, Administrative Officers, Board of Directors / Economic / Sharing of profits / No capital required to begin
Agricultural Co-op (Syndicate) / Congress
Board
Executive Officers / Lobbying and promoting interests of the members / No economic activities / No capital- membership dues

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How to Start a FarmerFieldSchool

  1. Working with your homologue, identify up to 10 men and 10 women farmers to participate in the FFS. Criteria for selection of participants may include:
  • representatives of various families or quarters, or organizations
  • individuals who enjoy farming- are “really into it”
  • people who are somewhat educated- literate/alphabetizer
  • people who are curious and have a record of experimenting with new things
  • people who are well respected in the community
  • people who are outgoing and communicate well with others
  1. Define the goal of the organization using a consensus process for example: “to seek out new information, test it, and if it works, share it with others.”
  1. Obtain basic equipment:
  • Tape measure
  • Scales
  • Journals and pencils
  1. Introduce the group to the scientific method
  • Demonstrate how to measure an area and define a precise plot
  • Explain the concept of “scientific control” and why it is important
  • Explain how to measure differences and change over time
  1. Identify themes to study
  • Use a problem tree to identify the causes of problems that concern them
  • Use prioritization matrix to identify top priority problems
  • Make lists of issues or new techniques and vote on the most interesting
  1. Divide group by self selection into two groups: “seekers and spreaders”
  • “seekers” contact resource people to get information on new techniques
  • “spreaders” develop and implement strategies for sharing the new techn.
  • Also elect officers to manage the FFS- Pres., Vice Pres., Treasurer, Recorder, etc..
  1. Determine and maintain a regular meeting schedule for each of the theme groups of 5 members (weekly); and as a larger group of 20 (monthly)
  • Theme groups visit each of their fields and compare results, make observations and suggestions, measure output
  • Every theme group reports on their results and observations at the monthly meeting
  • Every large meeting also entails a report from the representative of the seekers, spreaders and shepherds on how their groups’ activities are progressing.
  1. At the end of the season, review what was learned and shared, and celebrate!

How to Build a Metal Fence

Materials (to surround 1 hectare)

  • 1 Ha= 400 m
  • Fence – 25 m/roll - 17 Rolls (24,000 FCFA each)
  • Tie wire 2 rolls, 4000 FCFA each
  • Guide wire
  • Metal Fence Posts – 400/4 = 100 posts; 1 6m bar= 3 two meter posts per bar; 34 six meter bars
  • OR - Wooden fence posts 124- 300 FCFA each (can be provided as community contribution)
  • Gates (3) 3,000 FCFA each
  • Cement- 1 sack per 25 bars = 4 sacks
  • Sand
  • Gravel
  • Shovels
  • Wheel Barrels
  • Pliers
  • Wire cutter
  • Water

Preparation

  • Meet with the community to determine goal of project, develop a budget, determine community contribution, and divide responsibility for different tasks among community members. Determine where fence materials will be stored.
  • Carefully measure perimeter to be fenced. Develop budget for the project based on perimeter size. Get a “Facture Proforma” (estimate) from a hardware store (quinquillarie). Remember to get an estimate for the cost of transporting materials.

Technique

  • Upon receipt of funding, purchase materials and transport to site. Store and protect materials from damage by rain, wind and animals.
  • Erect fence posts, digging a hole and securing with cement and rocks. (It will take 3 people 3 days.) Make sure posts are straight and equally distanced (4 meters apart for metal posts, 3 meters apart for wooden posts)
  • Tie fence to posts using tie wire and wire cutters. (it will take 4 people 4 days)
  • Erect gates (1 person 2 days)

Maintenance

Check poles; straighten if crooked, replace if broken. Retie if loose. Check gate for effective closing and open, repair if not closing securely.

Benefits

Replaces dead fence, which usually falls down and allows animals into the garden. Dead fences have to be repaired several times a year, and rebuilt completely every 3-4 years. Also, does not provide habitat for garden pests, such as rodent, lizards, frogs and birds.

Another possibility is that metal fencing allows live fencing to be planted inside and metal fencing to be re-used somewhere else later.

Lessons Learned

[name removed], Maihna, 06-10

Make sure you have a solid agreement about transport before you request money. Transport of fencing rolls can be a big portion of your cost. Rolls can generally only be found for 24,000 CFA in Bamako, but it is sometimes cheaper to buy in Bamako and transport to somewhere near enough that your village can haul them the rest of the way.

When using wooden posts, good practice is to have an elbow-to-fingertips length of the post under the ground. After half a days work, feel free to kick a few random posts and pull a few out. Make sure they are sturdy and deep enough. Think cow bumping into them or hippo getting too close.

With metal posts and cement, watch the first few and make sure they are deep and sturdy.

Get an agreement with other people present with the post layers that the posts will withstand normal wear-and-tear. Example: If the fence falls down within the first year, they will reset it at no charge. Pieces of paper with a stamp are golden.

[name removed and photos removed] Debere, Mopti Region 06-10

I chose a combination of fence posts.The only fence I could find in Mopti Region was not as structurally strong as hoped and more expensive. We used steel wire (4 mille per roll and 50m of wire per roll) to run the length of the fence on top and bottom (total 800m of steel wire).

After punching holes in the bottom and top of the metal posts, the steel wire was run through to increase the strength of the fence. The attachment wire was also used to bind the wooden posts to the fence.

Before the construction began villagers became concerned that we needed professional help to construct since a neighboring village had professionals build theirs. We found a local that had some experience and was willing to lead groups of villagers to build the fence. His price was 2500 a day and he lead for 10 days.

After bending the corner metal posts a couple times we noticed that they needed more help to support the fence. We created legs to increase the strength.

One problem we ran into while building was that livestock were not used to the fence and collided and jumped over the fence on two occasions bending and breaking posts. In a dense livestock populated area it may be beneficial to hang bright markers on the fence so that large livestock recognize the barrier.

How to Build a Garden Shed

The following is the suggested method for planning and building a small storage shed in village. The procedure below can be used in many different storage situations and can be altered to meet the needs of the community. That being said, PCVs most commonly build these sheds for the storage of garden produce, garden tools, or other agricultural products or materials.

Materials

Note that the amounts of each of these will depend upon the dimensions of the shed you are looking to build.

6 penny nails / 10 penny nails
lock and key set / metal door with frame
mud or cement bricks / sheets of toll roofing
metal stripping (if using mud) / lumber for roofing
brick mold / shovels
dabas / saw
trowel and mason’s palette / hammers
gravel and sand (if using cement) / measuring tape

Technique

1.Meet to determine the uses of the shed and the needs of the community.

Ask the following questions in order to better understand how the shed can serve the project’s needs:

  • What will the shed be used to store and in what quantities?
  • Are there any specifications for storing these items? (they can’t be stacked; they must be raised; etc.)
  • For what duration will materials be stored and during which seasons?
  • What should the maximum storage capacity be?
  • Who will use it and who should have access to it?
  • Where is a secure, convenient location to build the shed?

2.Use the information gathered to plan the layout and placement of the shed.

You will want to decide on the dimensions of the shed including the height. Issues to consider at this stage of planning:

  • Determine the square meters necessary to accommodate your needs
  • Make the door width and height appropriate. (Think of the items you need to be moving in/out of the shed, make sure the doorway isn’t too small!)
  • Consider variations in layout: one room or multiple? One doorway or multiple entrances?
  • Windows typically aren’t included, but if circulation is important covered windows might be incorporated.
  • Roofing options: Some roofs have a single slant (which saves toll) and others have two faces to the roof that meet at a peak in the center.

3.The community should choose a mason, choose a building site, and set a work calendar. Once a mason is selected, have them sit down and review the building plan and materials list for accuracy—all masons build to different restrictions and regulations.