Soilless Vegetable Farming: Burkina Faso (Extended)
Summary
This 12-month project aims to reduce the poverty levels of 75 economically vulnerable women with disabilities in Burkina Faso through establishing a sustainable, organic vegetable production enterprise.
This project is an extension of our pilot soilless farming project which concluded in 2023.
Location: Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso
Date: August 2024 to August 2025
Participants: 75 women with physical disabilities
Partners: Platforme Nationale du Commerce Equitable Burkina Faso (PNCE-B), Association Fraternité des Personnes Handicapées Physique de Bobo (AFPHPB) and Groupe d’Action des Femmes pour la Relance Economique du Houet (GAFREH)
Image: Sanon Salimata, project participant, holds a crate of tomatoes produced using soilless farming techniques.
DONATEProject Details
To deliver this project we have partnered with GAFREH, a local NGO which advocates for the economic development of over 6000 women PNCE-B, the fair trade network of Burkina Faso, and AFPHPB, an association supporting people living with disabilities in the city of Bobo-Dioulasso.
Vegetables will be grown year-round using innovative soilless farming methods proven to produce yields 300% higher than traditional agriculture. This farming technique is climate resilient, does not require fertile land and is particularly suited to people with physical disabilities as the incorporation of technology makes it less labour intensive than traditional farming.
Vegetables are grown in a greenhouse, which utilises water saving drip irrigation technology. In place of soil, seedlings grow in a substrate made of locally available materials including clay or coco peat, which provides structural support to the crops. The vegetables will be sold to an already established market of local consumers and businesses generating a sustainable, year-round source of income.
Project aims
- 75 women with physical disabilities will establish a sustainably managed, organic vegetable production enterprise generating year-round income.
- The project participants will engage in year round vegetable production producing on the average 5,000 kg of assorted vegetables.
- The availability of nutritionally diverse vegetables will increase contributing towards a reduction in local food insecurity.