Mouhoun: In the village of Bona, in the commune of Safan©, a young man named Pascal Kot© has been a major player in the gold mining industry since 2002. Faced with the changing market and economic needs, he decided to diversify his resources and respond to the Head of State's call for an agri-food offensive. To do this, he cultivates a one-hectare area of tomato farming and employs six young people on his market garden site. He received a visit from AIB on Saturday, March 22, 2025.

According to Burkina Information Agency, in a context where Burkina Faso seeks to strengthen its agricultural sector and promote food self-sufficiency, Pascal Kot© made the strategic decision to launch into market gardening, an area with which he is less familiar, but in which he sees strong potential for development and growth. He chose to grow tomatoes, a market garden crop that is in high demand and essential to the daily diet of Burkinabe people.

To do this, he set up a farm on a one-hectare plot of land, where he created a fenced-off perimeter. Mr. Kot© also installed a well equipped with a motor pump, an essential infrastructure for irrigating his field regularly, as market garden production depends largely on access to sufficient, quality water. Since January 8, 2025, he has been doing the tomato nursery and started transplanting on February 4.

For him, by joining the agri-food offensive launched by the President of Faso, he will not only diversify his economic activities, but will also actively participate in achieving the country's food security objectives. "This agricultural project aims to produce quality tomatoes throughout the year, in a controlled environment, thanks to irrigation provided by the motor pump which will allow continuous cultivation," he said.

In addition to the agricultural initiative, Pascal Kot© has maintained his social commitment by continuing to employ many young people in his company. "Young people not only benefit from stable income but also gain valuable experience in the agricultural sector. This agricultural project therefore becomes an important lever for creating sustainable jobs and contributing to the stabilization of the labor force," he explained.

The choice of tomatoes as a crop is strategic, because this commodity is not only widely consumed in the country, but also offers numerous processing possibilities (preserves, sauces, etc.), which opens the way to a diversification of the offer and better management of the value chain. He aims to expand his business to other market garden crops in the future and thus contribute to reducing his country's food dependency.

A visit to the farm reveals a production in full bloom that can be appreciated by any visitor. Some plants bear early fruit. The young agricultural entrepreneur benefits from the technical support of agricultural agents who provide him with good supervision.

Through the farm visited, Mr. Kot© has established himself as a model of success and a source of inspiration in his sector of activity and employs 6 young people full-time. It not only contributes to the local economy but also to reducing unemployment in its community.

Pascal Kot©'s story demonstrates an entrepreneur's willingness to adapt to new economic realities and actively participate in promoting local development. By diversifying his activities into agriculture, particularly tomato production, he is making a valuable contribution to Burkina Faso's agrifood offensive.

His project embodies both the spirit of initiative, entrepreneurial vision and commitment to food self-sufficiency and job creation for young people. This young entrepreneur thus becomes a model of success in entrepreneurship, while working for the prosperity of his community.

Faced with the numerous difficulties, Mr. Kot© is looking for commercial partners to facilitate the sale of his finished product and financial partners to support the expansion of his farm area and the improvement of agricultural infrastructure. He calls on tomato factories that can buy large quantities of tomatoes for their production lines to encourage the initiative.

With a clear vision, strong partners and effective management, it will be able to achieve its objective of contributing to the prosperity of the commune of Safan© and to food self-sufficiency in Burkina Faso.