OUAGADOUGOU — In a significant push towards food self-sufficiency in Burkina Faso, the Alliance of Women Committed to the Fatherland (AFEP) called on women to engage actively in agro-pastoral and fisheries sectors. This initiative aligns with the President of Faso’s campaign to boost agricultural and livestock productivity to ensure national food security.

According to Burkina Information Agency, coordinator of AFEP, the organization held a press conference on Saturday under the theme “Agro-pastoral and fisheries offensive 2023-2025 of the Transition: Issues and participation of women.” Ilboudo emphasized the importance of viewing agriculture and livestock as lucrative and vital sectors, encouraging women to see farming as a dignified and wealthy occupation due to its crucial role in national stability and self-sufficiency.

The AFEP is actively participating in the president’s initiative by cultivating 10 hectares of corn to aid internally displaced persons. Ilboudo highlighted that each woman in the alliance is encouraged to own a field and engage in breeding to contribute to the country’s food security.

Further elaborating on the program’s benefits, Amadou Kabré, a technician from the Ministry of Agriculture, explained that the agro-pastoral and fisheries offensive aims to decrease Burkina Faso’s reliance on imported food while creating respectable employment opportunities within the sector. He noted that the conference would help underline the opportunities available to women in these fields and illustrate how they can help achieve the government’s vision for food security.

The initiative represents a strategic effort to empower women and strengthen the nation’s food sovereignty through increased local production and community involvement in agriculture and fisheries.