Burkina Faso is opening a new phase of its agricultural offensive for the period 2026-2028, with the ambition of strengthening national production, creating jobs and consolidating the foundations of food sovereignty. After an initial stage presented as delivering encouraging results, this new sequence aims to amplify the efforts undertaken and respond more effectively to the needs of the population.
With an announced envelope of 840 billion CFA francs, this agricultural offensive rests on several priorities: increasing production capacity, modernising rural infrastructure, developing agricultural water management and promoting the processing of local products.
The stated objective is also to generate nearly 125,000 jobs, particularly for young people and women two categories essential to revitalising the agricultural sector.
Access to water is one of the pillars of this strategy. The development of hydro-agricultural schemes, the rehabilitation of water reservoirs and the improvement of irrigation systems should reduce dependence on rainfall.
Better water control could thus support production during several periods of the year, strengthen the resilience of farms and limit the effects of climate change.
The new phase pays particular attention to several value chains deemed strategic. Rice is among the priority crops, with the aim of reducing imports and better meeting national demand.
Milk, soya, sesame, groundnut and shea also hold an important place in the plan. These sectors offer opportunities in terms of industrial processing, income for producers and value chain development.
Beyond increasing production volumes, the challenge will be to better organise stakeholders, improve access to inputs, facilitate financing and guarantee the marketing of harvests.
Local processing must also create more added value and reduce post-harvest losses.
With this 2026-2028 offensive, Burkina Faso intends to make agriculture a driver of growth, employment and economic independence.
Its success will nevertheless depend on coordination among stakeholders, monitoring of investments and the concrete translation of announced objectives on the ground.
Manaf Traoré
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