Cowpea Innovation Platform Interventions and Achievements in TL III Project in Burkina Faso

Abstract

In June 2015, four multi-stakeholder platforms (Sanguie, Zondoma, Soum, and Association Yiye) were established in different regions of Burkina Faso to promote agricultural activities. By 2018, more than 200 farmers had already been trained on different aspects of the cowpea value chain including grain production, storage, and food processing skills. The platforms played a key role in the dissemination of new cowpea varieties through demonstrations, field days, the mass media, and social media. About 160 demonstrations were established by the members of the platforms every year from 2015 to 2018. Each platform was supported to produce 10 ha of certified seeds making a total of 40 ha each year and 160 ha during the four-year period. Due to the demand for foundation seeds that was increasing year after year in Burkina Faso and the inability of INERA to produce enough seeds, the most successful platform members were contracted by the INERA Seed Unit to produce foundation seeds in order to meet the high demand in the country for certified seed production. Although there are no official statistics about certified seeds produced in Burkina Faso in terms of demand, recent happenings have shown their increased production. For instance, in 2018 about 1000 tons of certified seeds were produced compared to previous years which had less than 700 tons.