About the Project
In the past, regular rainfall from May to September provided cotton farmers in Burkina Faso with the water their crops need to grow. But in recent decades, climate change has made weather patterns increasingly unpredictable. Since cotton in Burkina Faso is rain-fed, without basic irrigation infrastructure, cotton farmers are at the mercy of mother nature. Cotton farmers in Burkina Faso name a shortage of water as one of their biggest worries: Without reliable and adequate water supply, crops suffer from low yields and diminished quality, leaving farmers unable to feed their families, pay for unexpected medical expenses, or afford their children’s school fees.
Through access to training in better soil and water management practices and supplemental irrigation infrastructure, cotton farmers have a better chance at increasing their cotton yields. This opportunity is, in part, the result of a unique partnership between IFC, °µÍøÁÔÆæ, the International Development Association (IDA), and the Global Partnership for Results-Based Approaches (GPRBA) with La Société Burkinabè des fibres textiles (SOFITEX), the largest buyer of raw cotton in Burkina Faso. Together, they have trained more 1,600 cotton farmers on the use, operation, and maintenance of supplemental irrigation, as well as in better practices for soil and water management.
In addition to farmer training, IFC, IDA, GPRBA, and SOFITEX have helped farmers access financing for investments in building stone contour lines to prevent erosion, small reservoirs for rainwater capture and storage, and equipment to pump and distribute water in their farms.