USADF Gives a Hand to Farmers in Burkina Faso:

WASHINGTON - JULY 19, 2011  

WASHINGTON, D.C. – July 19 , 2011 –The United States African Development Foundation (USADF) signed a grant (No. 2431) to increase incomes for more than 400 rural farmers in Burkina Faso’s arid, far north. The Economic Growth Grant will provide funds to Coopérative des Producteurs Semenciers du Loromi (COPROSEL), a rural cooperative that boosts incomes for members and increases the availability of certified seeds adapted to the Africa’s volatile Sahel region. Burkina Faso is one of 21 countries where USADF creates jobs, generates incomes and improves the quality of life for remote, rural populations in Africa.

“These 23 rural farming groups that make up COPROSEL prove that economic development starts with improving revenues for local farmers and ensuring the availability of seeds,” said USADF President Lloyd Pierson. “Our grant to COPROSEL provides direct economic gains at the grassroots level for farmers in Burkina Faso’s extreme north.”

A lack of equipment, limited capital and inadequate marketing and financial management skills severely limit seed production cooperatives, like COPROSEL, in rural Soum Province, Burkina Faso. USADF works with groups to provide financial management skills and marketing know-how, as well as modernized storage methods to increase and secure production, which improves incomes. USADF estimates that the gross income for farmers will double in the second year of this project.

USADF programs target marginalized grassroots groups across sub-Saharan Africa. To learn more about USADF projects in Burkina Faso, see our Burkina Faso Country Page at http://www.usadf.gov/USADFBurkinaFaso.html.

The United States African Development Foundation (USADF) is an independent United States Government agency dedicated to ensuring economic opportunities for marginalized populations in 21 sub-Saharan African countries. Over the past 30 years, USADF has funded more than $200 million in African designed and led development projects.  For more information on USADF and its programs, visit www.usadf.gov.

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