Soilless Vegetable Farming: Burkina Faso

Project Details

In Burkina Faso, soilless farming has provided an opportunity for women residing in the semi-urban communities around the major city of Bobo-Dioulasso to engage in vegetable farming. This innovative approach has enabled them to cultivate organic vegetables for sale in the local market and for consumption at home.  

Funded by Guernsey Overseas Aid & Development Commission, this project established two greenhouses with a combined area of 400m², supporting 200 women. Each of the greenhouses has been equipped with a solar-powered drip irrigation system, connected to a borehole and water reservoir. Besides offering a sustainable water source for the farms, this borehole also addressed a longstanding need in the local community, which previously lacked consistent access to water.

Groupe d’Action des Femmes pour la Relance Economique du Houet (GAFREH), is a women-led organisation based in Bobo-Dioulasso which supports over 6,000 women to become economically empowered. GAFREH estimates that between 100 and 150 households have benefitted from this water source, with each household paying a nominal social fee of 250 XOF (£0.32) per 200 litres – this rate is half the price charged by the government. The income from the sale of water is being used to pay the salary of a security guard for the greenhouses and also support borehole maintenance.

Zeynab Ouedrago, Project Officer at GAFREH commented:

“The project has given visibility to GAFREH both locally and nationally. The Central Government, through the Minister of Social Action, has requested GAFREH to help train internally displaced persons and other vulnerable groups to go into soilless farming."

Watch our event: The future of food: Digging into innovative soilless farming practices in Burkina Faso

To implement this project, we are working in partnership with GAFREH and the Platforme Nationale Commerce Equitable du Burkina (PNCE-B), a network supporting fair trade businesses across Burkina Faso. The Institute of Rural Development at the local Nazi Boni University is also providing additional technical support.

In March 2023, Shared Interest Foundation hosted an online event with special guest Issaka Sommandé, founding member and current President of PNCE-B. Joining Issaka was Dr. Salifou Ouédraogo, Head of the Institute of Rural Development at Nazi Boni University in Bobo-Dioulasso and Chair of Greening Africa Together, a network of universities, NGO’s and institutions collaborating to empower and enable African youth to fight climate change.

During the event, Kodzo Korkortsi, Shared Interest Foundation Manager, explored the innovative soilless farming project alongside fellow guest speakers, with many Shared Interest Foundation supporters joining us virtually. Following the presentations, hosts participated in an open question-and-answer session with event attendees. 

You can watch the event recording below 

If you have any questions about this event please email foundation@shared-interest.com

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SEED TO STALL: INCREASING SELF-SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH SOILLESS VEGETABLE FARMING (PROJECT EXTENSION)

Through funding from Evan Cornish Foundation, we extended our support to an additional 30 women, enabling them to establish soilless vegetable gardens at their homes. Following the training, each participant was provided with a production kit comprising tools, equipment and inputs, equipping them to create soilless gardens at home.

Since the training, some women have taken the initiative to establish locally made greenhouses to provide additional protection to their crops. In these expanded vegetable gardens, they are cultivating a diverse range of vegetables, including tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, peppers and aubergines. 

Our baseline data told us that at the start of the project, none of the 30 participants consumed organic produce due to its high cost and limited availability. At the end of the project, all the participants are now consuming the organic vegetables they produced on their farm at home.