Burkina Faso, formerly called Upper Volta, is a landlocked country of western Africa.

Situated at the margins of the Sahara desert, its northern regions are extremely affected by drought and desertification problems.The south-western regions are instead quite rainy in some periods of the year, the prevailing activity being subsistence agriculture.A former French colony, it obtained independence in 1960.

In 1984, the never forgotten president Thomas Sankara renamed the country as to mean "the land of upright people"Although Burkina Faso is a democratic country, as recognized all over the world, it has strong economic problems, mainly caused by the poor exploitation and development (valorization? improvement?) of its resources.Our project is concerned with agriculture and livestock raising, which are indispensable fields for the development of the territory; it is important that the population becomes aware of this and has the tools to safeguard their own patrimony.Thanks to the work of people devoted to their country who are conscious of the role and the importance of the new generations in the promotion of agriculture, many young people were spurred into active involvement in development plans which take this important field into account.

Burkina Faso

General data

Burkina Faso, formerly Upper Volta, is situated at the margins of the southern Sahara desert (the Sahel), the capital city is Ouagadougou and the official language is French. The currency is CFA Franc. Burkina Faso extends for approximately 274.122 square kms and is inhabited by 11-14 million persons (2004). It is a landlocked country.

History

Burkina Faso, a former French colony, obtained independence on the 5th of August 1960. Since then, there have been 5 coup d'état in 20 years, which led to the disorganized and uncontrolled exploitation of the country’s resources, except in the Sankara-years. The most important coup was certainly that of 1983, that brought to power captain Thomas Sankara, a young, very smart, soldier, with a revolutionary spirit. Sankara renamed Upper Volta as Burkina Faso, the land of upright people, making it the most revolutionary country of the whole African continent. Sankara fought courageously against the corruption of civil servants, the marginalization of women, illiteracy, and economic crisis. During his government the GDP of the country increased by 4,6%. Burkina Faso was one of the few African countries where the per capita income increased. They were years of stability, growth and peace, but on the 15th of October 1987 a commando of the Armed Forces assassinated Thomas Sankara and a new president, Blaise Compaoré, took power.

Burkina Faso today

Today Burkina Faso is a presidential democratic republic, and is one of the five poorest countries in the world. The life expectancy is less than 45 years, more than 70% of the population is illiterate and 60% of it survive with lessthan a dollar a day. In order to understand what it means, it is enough to know that a eurocorresponds to 655 local francs. A meal consisting of rice and a meat-based sauce costs approximately 250 francs per portion. A bottle of water can cost as much as 400 francs. About half of the population is composed of children and a mother has on average 6-7 kids. It is estimated that more than 54 million children live in western Africa, and it is on their bodies that the signs of the hygienic, sanitary and alimentary deficiencies can be seen most clearly.

The economy

The economy of Burkina Faso is based on farming and that is why our plan is addressed to this field. Farmers and herdsmen represent 90% of the population and 95% of the active workforce. But there is a large problem of unemployment, that a training center could help to solve. The cultivation techniques are backward and do not manage to satisfy the needs of the entire population. On top of that comes the problem of drought, although in some areas, like the one where the center will be built, water is abundant.For instance, the ploughs are scarce (a plough could triple the production of a farmer), while the culture of management of land and resources is almost completely lacking.

The cuisine

Traditional cuisine is directly connected to agriculture. In Burkina Faso the typical dish is "To", a paste of millet, served with a sauce, in many different versions. Rice and durum wheat pasta are also common. It is most common to eat meat, both red and white, but fish can also be found, and is then fried. Meat is certainly the most consumed food, both in cities and in villages. Fruits are of good quality; pineapples, mangos, bananas and avocados are the most common.

Let’s rediscover our dignity and our identity