Agricultural Diversification and Market Development Project

closed

The development objective of the Agricultural Diversification and Market Development Project is to increase the competitiveness of selected agricultural sub-sectors that target national and regional markets, thereby contributing to shared agricultural growth in Burkina-Faso. The project has three components as follows. The improvement of agro-sylvo-pastoral supply chains performance component aims at improving the performance of the targeted sub-sectors, by improving supply chain coordination, by strengthening private operators' capacities to respond to market opportunities and requirements, and by increasing agricultural product productivity. To this end, sub-components include: capacity building for professional and agricultural trade organization, and, investments for supply chain development, and agricultural trade organization, to improve coordination and performance of the targeted sub-sectors, and, for the cotton sub-sector, the national cotton producer organization (UNPCB) and the three ginning factories have recently created their inter-professional association to undertake collective action and identify mechanism to manage commodity price risk. The second component - development of irrigation and marketing infrastructure - will contribute to agricultural productivity increase, product quality improvement, and agricultural diversification, while strengthening producers' linkages to markets. Its sub-components focus on irrigation infrastructure, and marketing infrastructure, due to the requirements for adapted and efficient logistics and post-harvest treatments, particularly cold chains, and strict compliance with the more stringent consumer requirements in terms of standards, quality and safety. Finally, the improvement of the business environment, regulatory framework, and provision of advisory services component aims at improving the business environment to make it attractive to local and international private investors, by creating an enabling legal and regulatory framework more conducive to private investments, and by strengthening capacities of public and private service providers required for the supply chain development.