Gourcy, The NGO Help organized a guided tour of a sorghum field on October 26, 2023 in Lèba as part of the implementation of the “Kick Start” technical package. Producers from the communes of Bassi and Lèba in the province of Zondoma, as well as those from Oula in Yatenga, took part in this visit chaired by the president of the Special Delegation of the commune of Lèba, Koanfanou Debora Kordiary.
For the 2023-2024 agricultural campaign, the NGO Help, in collaboration with the Fédération des Groupements Naam and local agricultural agents, supported 200 producers in the Northern Region for the implementation of the “Kick” technical package. Start”.
According to representatives of the NGO, this activity is part of the “Soonré” project, which aims to “ensure livelihoods and strengthen resilience to the crisis of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), returnees and host populations in the Centre-North and North Region ”.
In the commune of Lèba, located approximately 25 kilometers from Gourcy, it is the Sayouba Savadogo field which was the subject of the guided tour organized on October 26, 2023.
According to the project manager, Julien Nimbrata Ouédraogo, the main objective of this visit is to convince and encourage beneficiary and non-beneficiary producers to widely adopt good practices of sustainable land management with the use of certified seeds of improved varieties. .
On an area of 0.75 hectares, this internally displaced person from the neighboring village of Bouloulou sowed improved white sorghum seed called “Kapèlga” in the local language, using 3 cartloads of manure, 25 kilograms of chemical fertilizer and 10 kilograms of seeds. With the application of the recommended technical package, the expected production is 1.2 tons, according to agricultural technician Jean Paligdi Savadogo, who accompanied the producer throughout the process.
Certified improved seeds, a solution to food insecurity
At the end of the actual visit to the field, Help's agriculture specialist, Abdoulatif Kiendrebéogo, and the other members of the team discussed with the participants from the three communes, namely Bassi, Lèba and Oula, the advantages and benefits of the “Kick Start ” technical package on the one hand, and on the other hand, on the difficulties encountered in its implementation during this campaign which is in its last phase.
Resistance to water stress, the duration of the production cycle of 90 days, the high productivity (1.5 tonnes per hectare), the quality of the fodder, are, among others, the advantages linked to the “Kapèlga” seed, affirmed Mr. Kiendrebeogo , supported by certain participants who testified to the quality of the “Kapèlga” seeds for consumption.
“It is difficult to tell the difference between this sorghum and rice,” added Minata Ouédraogo, a producer from Lèba, who added that the flour from this cereal is suitable for several local dishes.
However, some concerns were raised by producers, notably the invasion of striga, this parasitic weed which prevents the development of plants, and the scarcity of soil suitable for cultivation in certain localities.
In response, the falling of fields, crop rotation and the practice of intensive agriculture were advised by technicians.
Unanimously, the participants recognized the need to use certified improved seeds, particularly in the context of climate change which characterizes our time.
Strengthened by the technical package they benefited from the project, the producers are committed to popularizing it.
As a reminder, the “Kick Start” package consists of support in the recovery of degraded land, support in materials for constructing manure pits, capacity building in land recovery techniques, composting, and technical route for producing manure. crops, and in post-harvest technology and inventory management.
To show their satisfaction with Yacouba Savadogo's performance, the Help team gave him a wheelbarrow and a 50 kilogram bag of fertilizer.
Source: Burkina Information Agency