Burkina Faso – China: millet, a strategic lever for food security

A discreet but strategic partnership: China and Burkina Faso are betting on the cultivation of millet to combat food insecurity, against a backdrop of persistent climatic and security crises. 

Phase II of the “Mil Project ” has just been completed in Ouagadougou. It enabled the introduction of high-yielding, disease-resistant Chinese millet varieties better adapted to Burkina Faso’s climate. The result: up to 1.4 tonnes per hectare on average, according to experts.

For Burkina Faso, this is a major step forward: Millet accounts for 20% of the country’s cereal diet. But beyond yields, it’s the transmission of skills that lies at the heart of the project. 35 agricultural technicians have been trained in new production techniques.

China intends to go even further, training 9,000 Burkinabe farmers, and delivering 44 agricultural machines and 20 tonnes of seeds. For Ouagadougou, it’s one more stone on the road to food self-sufficiency, a priority declared by the authorities in a country affected by fragile supply chains.

An agricultural project, but also a diplomatic gesture: Beijing is strengthening its présences in West Africa, not with arms, but with seeds.

source: CGNT