We had planned, as we have done in the past, to show you live the planting activities, but due to frequent terrorist attacks in rural areas, entering the area today is not possible. Despite this, we are in touch with our local partners, who keep us informed about the status of the project, and often send us information about the activities.
Spoiler alert: the little trees look great!
Planting activities are conducted by the Union de Femmes de Garango, a women’s association that plants and maintains green areas. The trees are their main source of income to support the family. The group is led by local agronomists, who provide technical support, in collaboration with the team of Etifor, a partner in the initiative. The activities were carried out as part of the “Project to Improve the Nutritional Conditions of Women and Children in Garango and Tenkodogo Health Districts”, led by the Italian NGO AES-CCC, and co-funded by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation.
The 2,000 trees that were planted in 2020 and 2021 are doing just fine! Though there has been little rainfall, the plants have been cared for by women who are watering when necessary. That’s especially the case of moringa, which is planted within agroforestry systems. Shea and African locust bean, on the other hand, endure dryness much better, so all it takes is a little care and protection. In these contexts, agroforestry is a great help. Some baobab and moringa trees are planted in tandem with a small vegetable garden, so that mutual benefits are generated between the two components.
There’s another important piece of news. The Union de Femmes has obtained ECOCERT certification, for the marketing of organic or natural cosmetics according to the COSMOS directive. As you know, the women combine the fight against desertification and the climate crisis with the need to obtain useful products for the community’s livelihood. For this reason, they plant species to obtain flour, butter, edible and essential oils, and then sell them in neighboring villages, but also in the capital city of Ouagadougou.
We’re not done! As a further guarantee of the quality of their products, they are working to join the World Fair Trade Organization (WFTO), which will allow them to export their products to Europe as well. It will be a great step to generate more added value to their products, and stabilize their source of income.
In late July 2022, the president of the Union de Femmes de Garango and the AES-CCC association’s contact person for Burkina Faso, who were visiting Italy, dropped by our office and updated us in person.
