July 26, 2022

Koritimi SAWADOGO: Pioneering Adoption of Modern Rice Farming Practices in Burkina Faso

Staple Crops

Burkina Faso

For a long time, women in Africa have been confined to farming operations related to sowing, weeding, digging and harvesting. Given that they rely on the income from these roles in feeding their households, women are increasingly stepping up to the plate and acquiring knowledge related to good agricultural practices (GAP) in order to be leading actors in agricultural extension for the benefit of their communities. Agricultural extension provides a pathway for them to promote potentially innovative and environmentally friendly technologies for the development of sustainable agriculture.

Koritimi SAWADOGO, a rice producer in the locality of Bama, located 20 kilometers from Bobo-Dioulasso in Burkina Faso, has become a champion for access to better knowledge on rice productivity and sustainable soil fertility for the benefit of rice producers in Bama. Through her demonstration plot supported by the Nebnooma-2SCALE partnership, she is able to highlight the benefits of applying Fertiplus organic fertilizer, Urea Deep Placement (UDP) technology and the Intensive Rice Cultivation System (IRC). Thanks to her promotion of these farming methods, she is becoming a model in agricultural extension and continues to seize opportunities to sensitize rice farmers to adopt these innovative technologies.

Koritimi SAWADOGO notes with bitterness the continued decline in rice productivity in Bama, which was once renowned for its high rice productivity. Since 1970, the commune has been home to the Kou Valley rice-growing perimeter, covering an area of 1,260 hectares, and its rice farmers have contributed significantly to the increase in rice productivity in this part of Burkina Faso. Today, this plain is in danger of disappearing due to the depletion of its main water source, the Kou River, and the impoverishment of the land due to heavy human pressure, particularly the abusive use of chemical fertilizers.

In the face of this bleak picture, Koritimi finds it necessary for women to have a voice in agriculture in order to restore the image of the commune of Bama. This requires, she says, "the research of information on appropriate innovative technologies and good agricultural practices by women and their dissemination to community members.” A task that is not easy without support, she acknowledges.

Through the 2SCALE program, Koritimi was able to bring her commitment to agricultural extension to life. Having benefited from the establishment of a 500m2 demonstration plot on the use of Fertiplus organic fertilizer and technologies such as Urea Deep Placement (UDP) and the Intensive Rice Cultivation System (IRC), she was able to see firsthand the impact on the quality of her rice production and yields. This has resulted in an increase in the quantity of rice produced on her demonstration plot, with a yield twice as high as her previous cropping habits. Her commitment to agricultural extension seems to have come to fruition. She states:

The guided tour of my demonstration plot attracted a large number of rice farmers, especially women. I allowed them to observe and have clear information on the technologies in order to better integrate them. The enthusiasm for their adoption was real and pleasant.

Making her way in agricultural extension for the benefit of her community, Koritimi capitalizes on outreach to increase adoption of Fertiplus organic fertilizer, Urea Deep Placement (UDP) technology and the Intensive Rice System (IRS) by rice farmers in Bama. To do this, she does not fail to seize formal and informal opportunities to disseminate her messages. Whether at meetings, neighborhood assemblies, or during market days, Koritimi uses these opportunities to highlight the benefits of applying the new innovative technologies she has learnt through the Nebnooma-2SCALE partnership.

As a woman, Korotimi hopes that she can serve as a relatable example for fellow women rice farmers to be proactive and actively embrace new methods of farming to increase their productivity.

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