Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country with 45% of the population living on less than $1.25 per day. It is further challenged by high climate variability. Droughts, floods, and heat waves constantly slow and hinder productivity in key sectors.

Burkina Faso, Oudalan Province, Sahel, near Gorom Gorom, a truck pushed to cross water on the track during the flood of the

Fragility/Conflict status:	Conflict situation
Programme type:	Country multi-year
Funding:	$2.19 million
Duration:	2017-2024
Status:	Ongoing

Key goals

Improved early warning and risk information for agriculture and food security.
Building capacity of the National Meteorological Service on data management, monitoring, and forecasting.
Develop technical expertise from the cooperation of regional institutions.

Progress to date

4 hazards – drought, floods, sand and dust storms, and severe weather – with stronger forecasting and warning ability.
22.5 million people are covered by sand and dust forecasting systems.
267% average income increase among farmers in the first 2 years of using crop calendars, forecasts, and agro-meteorological advisories.

Burkina Faso, Oudalan Province, Sahel, near Gorom Gorom, a truck pushed to cross water on the track during the flood of the

Spotlight

Roving seminars for farmers’ self-reliance

Early warning in Burkina Faso has been evolving from drought and locust monitoring to warning on multiple hazards. But food security remains a critical issue. Nearly 1 in 5 people are undernourished and a quarter of all children are stunted. Drought, conflict, and poverty are the major culprits.

To make farmers more self-reliant in tackling weather and climate issues affecting production and income, they – along with local radio staff and extension agents from the Ministry of Agriculture – are trained and guided on using weather and climate information for farming needs. Since 2018, that has happened 3 to 4 times a year through ‘roving seminars’ at project pilot sites of Niangoloko, Tenado, and Titao. These regular mobile training sessions build and entrench learning for self-reliance. They also increase interaction between farmers and national hydro-met entities – so farmers get the services they need for greater food security.