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Ouagadougou: Training of trainers in climate-smart agriculture

The Global Green Growth Institute (GGGI) with the financial support of the Kingdom of Denmark  organized from the 11th to 15th April 2022, a training on climate-smart agriculture at the Ministry of Environment, Energy, Water and Sanitation.

About sixty technical advisors on agriculture, livestock, and the environment from Hauts-Bassins, Centre-Ouest, Nord and Centre regions strengthened their theoretical and practical knowledge of climate-smart agriculture and the sustainable management of natural resources.

Disseminating sustainable practices

The sixty technicians were trained to become the trainers who will transmit  innovative approaches and supervise their deployment in their regions. With GGGI’s support they will build the capacity of 1,000 irrigating farmers and 30 Village Development Councils on more resilient and climate smart farming, including the shift to solar powered irrigation pumps.

Participants were able to address the following points:

  1. The use and operation of an irrigation system with a solar pump;
  2. Efficient management of water in production plots;
  3. Climate-smart agriculture (CSA) tools for sustainable and inclusive management of resources (land and water);
  4. Sustainable management of a farm equipped with solar irrigation system;
  5. Promotion of ecosystem services;
  6. Mobilization and involvement of communities for rural development;
  7. Manufacture and use of natural fertilizers and pesticides based on the smart agriculture approach.

The adoption of solar irrigation in rural areas

Nearly 59,000 irrigation pumps in Burkina Faso run on gasoline, diesel or gas. Solar energy offers an environmentally friendly alternative that also generates savings for producers. Although since 2011 some initiatives are promoting solar irrigation, it is not widely adopted by farmers. One of the difficulties on the ground is the low accessibility of solar pumps in the territory with the exception of Ouagadougou and Bobo Dioulasso. In addition, the quality of some of the available pumps remains unsatisfactory.

In the workshop, expert trainers, producers already using solar irrigation, and solar irrigation suppliers informed the participants on the choice and use of solar irrigation equipment, sizing based on the watering needs of the plants, and other parameters.

The activity is part of GGGI’s demonstration project “Promotion of solar pumped irrigation systems (SIPS) and solar mini-grids in Burkina Faso”, implemented in collaboration with the General Directorate of Hydro-Agricultural Development and Irrigation Development (DGAHDI), the General Directorate of Green Economy and climate change, and the Regional Directorate in charge of Rural Development.  The project increases farmers’ awareness of solar energy solutions and generates evidence-based data on business models that effectively promote the use of renewable energy in agricultural value chains. The Kingdom of Denmark supports the project financially as part of its investments in climate resilience in Burkina Faso.