Capacity Building and Income Generators for Small Scale Farmers

Finkolo (Mali) and Koloko (Burkina Faso) communities

Population data statics show that both countries are among the world’s poorest with Burkina Faso and Mali having a 2015 yearly per capita income of 650USD and 781USD, respectively. The percentage of the population living under the poverty line in 2016 is 43,76% for Burkina Faso and 41.8% for Mali.
The economic growth and the creation of prosperity have not created real improvement in the living conditions of the people in parts of these countries.
A significant number of younger citizens have very little opportunity to access vocational training or to obtain employment.

This is exactly where we would like to help and in light of all these difficulties the YOU Foundation has started a pilot farm as a project model:

– a model farm to support small scale farmers,

– a support system for small scale farmers to create a professional non-for-profit organization to represent their shared interests,

– a sustainable finance mechanism for small scale poultry farmers as well as a centralized sales system.

The importance of the livestock sector in both countries:

Both countries have more or less the same type of economy with a very significant livestock sector that supports almost 80% of the population and contributes more than 50% to GDP. The sector concentrates mostly on cattle and sheep, but poultry farming is on the rise. In the last years, the sector has grown rapidly as livestock levels continue to increase. Th two countries combined are home to over 100 million of these farm animals. The sector remains an important development area as it provides a livelihood for many people and the poultry products maintain a secure food and health source.

Having said that, the poultry industry has experienced some difficulties in certain areas which has impeded the farmers from maximizing their income. Small farmers are the most impacted by the industry’s challenges as training facilities, knowledge on how to correctly farm poultry products, and business plans on how to manage all aspects of poultry production seldom exist. Therefore, it is of utmost importance that schooling be available to explain the practicalities of the work with visual demonstrations and an illustrated handbook.

Organizational problems also exist. Small scale farmers are not organized into cooperatives or groups. This would allow them to combine their interests, knowledge and experience and have more power in business negotiations such as setting the market price of poultry meat and eggs.

This pilot project is therefore the first training center of this kind the border region between Burkina Faso and Mali (Finkolo und Koloko).