Our Work in Burkina Faso
LWR began working in Burkina Faso in 1986 to address the food crisis assailing the country’s largely rural population. Subsistence farmers, a vast majority of the population, face a harsh and arid climate with seasonal and highly variable precipitation, exacerbated by the growing impact of global climate change. LWR works to break the vicious cycle of poverty by supporting agriculture and climate programs which are designed to improve livelihoods. In times of emergency, LWR and its partners use cash-for-work approaches to allow farmers to earn immediate income to feed their families while at the same time carrying out critical actions designed to build resiliency. LWR currently works in the predominantly rural northern and eastern regions of Burkina Faso, including the province of Passoré and the commune of Bitou in the province of Boulgou.
Agriculture: Value chains and climate smart agriculture
LWR improves the lives of thousands of rural farm families in Burkina Faso by increasing their participation in agricultural value chains and strengthening their livelihood base. LWR works with partners to improve smallholder farmer cultivation, processing and marketing capacity. LWR also strengthens the capacity of agricultural cooperatives and unions that serve these farmers, with training in governance and financial management, facilitating joint negotiation of credit and other services, and strengthening cooperative sales and marketing.
Climate: Building resilience through conservation
LWR works with communities to adapt to and mitigate the effects of a changing climate, and to reduce their vulnerability to climate-related hazards. Failed rains, drought and rising food costs regularly cause widespread food insecurity among the population of Burkina Faso, leaving millions of people at-risk. LWR reduces the vulnerability of Burkina Faso’s marginalized rural populations to ongoing environmental degradation and the effects of global climate change through long-term, sustainable development and emergency projects that meet immediate needs while building resilient communities.
LWR’s programs emphasize environmental rehabilitation through the implementation of soil and water conservation works and watershed management on community land, as well as tree seedling production for communityled reforestation. Community members are organized and trained to ensure sustainable community management of natural resources.
Emergency response: From relief to recovery
LWR’s established experience and strong relationships with communities in Burkina Faso, place it in a privileged position to respond quickly and effectively to emergency situations. LWR collaborates with donors such as the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to respond to drought and food crisis by providing household and community asset-building assistance to affected populations through cash-for-work initiatives focused on environmental rehabilitation. Cash-for-work (CFW) income allows families to purchase food and meet other immediate needs. LWR supports the establishment of community management committees who are responsible for the oversight and leadership of CFW activities.
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