As part of the implementation of the “Soonré” project, the NGO Help initiated on Thursday, October 10 in Ziga village in the commune of Oula (Yatenga province), a guided tour on good cultural practices, in connection with the application of the technical package called “Kick Start”, in order to recover degraded land, noted an AIB journalist .

The “Kick Start” package is a set of cultivation techniques made available to producers to improve their productivity. For this 2024-2025 agricultural campaign, the NGO Help is supporting 400 producers in the North and Central North regions.

The beneficiaries received substantial support in the recovery of degraded land with organic fertilization, technical training on good agricultural practices and the provision of improved seeds. In the Northern region, 200 people are beneficiaries of this project, including 100 in Oula (Yatenga), 60 in Bassi and 40 in Lèba (Zondoma). This guided tour was held in the village of Ziga in the commune of Oula. The said visit was attend
ed by all the beneficiaries of the Northern region and the effective presence of the communal authorities.

The field visited and commented on covers an area of ??0.65 hectares and belongs to Irisso Savadogo, a producer from Ziga. The beneficiary received improved seeds of white sorghum (10KG) and cowpea (5KG), advisory support and training. Thus, technical, financial and operational partners such as Help, the National Federation of Naam Groups and the Regional Directorate of Agriculture of the North have worked hard to ensure the success of this “kick Start” package.

The expected forecast production is 725 kg of sorghum and 187 kg of cowpea. The beneficiary, Irisso Savadogo, faced with the results obtained after the application of the technological package on his perimeter, thanked Help for this open-mindedness towards producers in the Northern region.

“Before Help’s support, we were in the dark about good farming practices. But I can assure you that we have learned a lot through the Kick Start package. So
, we will be relays to advocate the implementation of good farming practices to improve our yields” maintained the happy producer who, at the same time, invited other producers to use improved seeds and to recover degraded land.

Promotion and popularization of good agricultural practices

After the field visit, Help’s agricultural specialist, Abdoulatif Kiendrebéogo, spoke at length with the Help delegation, the municipal authorities and agricultural producers from the municipalities of Bassi, Lèba and Oula. The discussions allowed the participants of the guided tour to better understand the benefits of the “kick Start” package.

Kiendrebéogo suggested that through the project, technicians are working on the recovery of degraded land, composting techniques to improve soil fertility and the promotion of improved seed varieties.

“We will work to ensure that this year’s good practices are repeated for next season. We insist on the promotion and popularization of the Kick Start package by beneficiaries to non-b
eneficiaries. We wanted to support a large number of producers, but unfortunately our resources were limited. We are asking for the support of beneficiaries of the 3 years of implementation to spread the word so that the benefits of the Kick Start package are popularized,” explained the project manager.

Moussa Ouédraogo, President of the special delegation (PDS) of the commune of Oula, in his speech after the visit indicated that in the face of climate change, it will be necessary for the ways and behaviors to change in the ways of producing. “I thank the NGO Help and its partners who have spared no effort for the successful implementation of this project.”

The head of the NGO Help in Ouahigouya, Julien Nimbrata Ouédraogo, invited producers to make good use of the innovative agricultural practices taught by the specialists. “It is up to the beneficiaries to popularize good practices to other producers who have not had the opportunity to receive training under the project,” said Mr. Ouédraogo.

At the end of
the guided tour, the NGO Help congratulated and encouraged the performance of Irisso Savadogo while inviting him to contribute to the popularization of the “Kick Start” package. The Help delegation handed over fertilizer, a wheelbarrow and a pickaxe for the activities of the 2025 agricultural season.

Source: Burkina Information Agency