Towards Sustainable Rice Production in Burkina Faso

Lead Organization:

Université Norbert ZONGO

Partner Organizations:

Union National des Producteurs de Riz du Burkina Faso (UNPR-B); Ministère de l'Agriculture, des Ressources Animales et Halieutiques (MARAH); Université Yembila Abdoulaye TOGUEYENI (UYAT); Institut de l'Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles (INERA); Plant Health Institute of Montpellier (UMR PHIM, IRD-CIRAD)

Community of Practice:

West Africa

Countries:

Burkina Faso

Duration:

11/2024—11/2027

Overview:

More than half of the world’s population depends on rice as their main staple food. In West Africa, rice accounts for 20% of total cereal consumption, behind sorghum (25%), maize (23%) and millet (23%) (Mendez del Villar et al., 2011). In Burkina Faso, it plays a role in the diet and livelihoods of many households (Koutou et al., 2021). Rice is therefore a source of hope for the government and those involved in the fight against food insecurity.

Despite efforts to develop the sector, national rice production barely covers half of demand. The shortfall is made up by imports, estimated at around 42 billion CFA francs per year (Koutou et al., 2021). Low rice productivity is partly due to poor soils, low use of healthy seeds, insufficient adoption of good agricultural practices, and damage from pathogens. Diseases can cause yield losses ranging from 20% to 100% (Kumar et al., 2017; Fahad et al., 2019; Jamaloddin et al., 2021). Seed-borne diseases such as blast, brown spot and bacterial leaf blight are very damaging and are associated with the failure to accept healthy seed. They reduce germination capacity by 30-40%, cause seedling failure and are a major source of inoculum for epidemics and spread of infection in rice fields. 

There is also a close relationship between soil fertility and rice diseases (Freeman, 1964). Better fertility management, combined with the use of healthy seeds, can therefore reduce the use of pesticides, which are harmful to humans and animals and are not very environmentally friendly (Hervieux et al., 2002). Agronomic practices that conserve soil fertility while reducing chemical fertiliser and pesticide use have already been demonstrated by Coulibaly et al. (2019), Sanon et al. (2020) and Sanon et al. (2021) through rice-legume rotations. Furthermore, in 2018, Koné’s work showed that heavy mineral fertilisation increased the incidence and prevalence of leaf streak bacterial disease in the Bama rice-growing area. The opposite effect was observed for brown spot (Barnwal, 2013). These are preliminary results that require further investigation. 

With regard to seeds, numerous assessments have shown that the seeds used by farmers in Burkina Faso carry several pathogens (Ouédraogo et al., 2016; Nikiéma et al., 2020). Technical services, such as the Ministry of Agriculture, have focused on the dissemination of improved seeds without first ensuring the health status of these certified seeds. To date, very few participatory approaches to disease management have been tested using agroecological practices. So in 2022, thanks to funding from the IFS Foundation, we began evaluating different agronomic practices with farmers in their fields in Bama. The results show that some of these practices improve soil fertility, save water on plots and reduce the incidence of the main rice diseases. It is therefore important to continue research, taking into account other factors and encouraging approaches that integrate seed health and a combination of agroecological practices, such as rice-legume rotation.

Grant Aims:

The project aims to:

  1. Improve the sustainability of rice production in Burkina Faso through agroecological practices.
  2. Enhance disease management in rice crops by integrating pathogen-free seeds and optimizing diagnostic tools.
  3. Strengthen the capacity of farmers through training and the co-construction of agroecological systems.

Outputs and Outcomes:

Outputs:

  1. Establishment of a surveillance network:
    • A collaborative spatio-temporal surveillance network will be set up to monitor rice diseases across various regions in Burkina Faso.
    • The network will involve 500 farmers across 25 selected sites.
  2. Optimized molecular diagnostic tools:
    • Diagnostic tools for identifying pathogens, including fungi, bacteria, and viruses, will be optimized.
    • These tools will be made available for assessing seed health and detecting diseases in rice fields.
  3. Participatory agroecological practices:
    • Farmers will be introduced to and trained in agroecological practices such as rice-legume rotations, which are aimed at improving soil fertility and reducing pesticide use.
    • A participatory monitoring system will track the performance of these practices.
  4. Dissemination of results:
    • Workshops, technical leaflets, and radio programs will be used to disseminate the results of the agroecological trials.

Outcomes:

  1. Improved rice disease management:
    • A reduction in rice diseases and improved yield quality due to the use of pathogen-free seeds and better diagnostic tools.
  2. Enhanced farmer knowledge and adoption of sustainable practices:
    • Increased adoption of agroecological practices among farmers, with a focus on sustainability, soil fertility management, and integrated pest control.
  3. Strengthened seed health and local seed production:
    • Improved seed health in smallholder farmers’ fields, leading to better crop establishment and reduced disease incidence.