WorldVeg seed kits help internally displaced women in Burkina Faso feed their families, and restore dignity…

The ‘Safe locally produced vegetables for West Africa’s consumers’ (SafeVeg) project is an interdisciplinary initiative of the World Vegetable Center. It is increasing the production and availability of vegetables in West African food systems, and contributing to improved farmer incomes and the nutritional quality of diets. Predominantly targeting young women vegetable farmers, it fosters innovation in the vegetable sector by testing and scaling quality seed of new climate-resilient varieties in Benin, Burkina Faso and Mali.

Internally displaced women receiving the first of 10,000 seed kits to be distributed

The SafeVeg project is having many positive impacts on the lives of smallholder vegetable producers, traders and consumers. But it is also benefitting those who have been internally displaced by the ongoing conflict in parts of the country. The project gave 10,000 vegetable seed kits to the national Institute of the environment and agricultural research (Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles, INERA), who distributed them with FAO to mainly women in the areas were there had settled. And here, two women now living in the commune of Boussouma in Sanmatenga province, share their stories…

Fatimata Sawadogo came from Daké. “With terrorists coming to our village, I, my husband and two children were forced to move. In 2021, we left everything we owned behind to take refuge in Louda. But how to house and feed my family? So many questions, with uncertain answers. But thanks to the humanism of village leaders, we were given a host family and food. But so as not to rely solely on my host, together with the other internally displaced people (IDP) in the village, we formed a women’s group and applied to the village landowners for a plot of land on which to start market gardening, and we were offered two hectares.”

Nogma Sawadogo, now living in Tanlouka, explained that, “After the wet season, we have nothing to do. I am dependent on my rainy season production, which isn’t enough because of the vagaries of the weather. To avoid this reliance, we formed a women’s group and asked the village landowners for a plot of land so that we could start growing vegetables. We were granted us a one-hectare plot.”

With support from FAO, the land was developed for market gardening. But both women explained that they had a hard time getting started because they lacked the necessary inputs, especially seeds and suitable fertilizers. “Then the SafeVeg project provided us displace people with vegetable seed kits, including amaranth, jute mallow and okra. We were so happy because vegetable seeds are very expensive, and FAO also gave us fertilizer.”

Nogma said that in her first production season, she harvested 180 kg of amaranth and jute mallow leaves, and 48 kg of okra, and Fatimata harvested 200 kg of amaranth and jute mallow leaves, and 88 kg of okra. Of this, they both used about a third for domestic consumption – providing a very valuable addition to the family’s diet. The rest they sold for FCFA 65,000 (US$110) and FCFA 80,000 (USD135), respectively. Not an insignificant amount, especially for displaced persons with limited income generating opportunities. And as both confirmed, “vegetable production is easy, and we can harvest green leaves and okra all year round. These seeds meet our needs because they yield quickly, are adapted to our soils and climate conditions, and are preferred for our local dishes like babenda.”

“I used the resulting income to cover my family expenses, including children’s schooling, and I invested some to start sheep fattening for extra income” revealed Fatimata, “and I spare the good plants to harvest seeds for next season.” And she concludes, “I can’t thank FAO and SafeVeg enough for their support. We pray God that they can also assist other populations in need. But above all, we wish for peace to return to our country, so that everyone can return home and live again.”

This work was carried out with funding from the European Union and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands through the project “Safe locally produced vegetables for West Africa’s consumers (SAFE VEG)” – ID-4000003936, part of the DeSIRA program and implemented by the World Vegetable Center, Centre de coopération internationale en recherche agronomique pour le développement CIRAD and Wageningen University & Research (WUR), and national partners, the Institut National des Recherches Agricoles du Bénin (INRAB, Benin), Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA, Burkina Faso), and Institut d’Economie Rurale (IER, Mali).