Burkina Faso: Celebration of World Soil Day
The Burkinabe Minister of Agriculture, Animal Resources and Fisheries, Dr Dénis Ouédraogo, launched World Soil Day (WSD) in Burkina Faso on Monday 5 December. This was an opportunity to raise awareness among the population and stakeholders in the agricultural sector about the importance of healthy soil and to promote the sustainable management of soil and the resources it offers.
Agriculture is an essential component of the economy in Burkina Faso.
The agricultural sector contributes 35% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product and employs 82% of the working population. Agricultural production is dominated by cereals, the main food crop, cotton, the main cash crop, and livestock.
To further boost the sector and effectively combat food insecurity due to human activity and the effects of climate change, there is a need to reflect on how to ensure that soil management is better taken into account. Hence the interest in commemorating such a world day which is in its ninth edition.
According to the Representative of the FAO Representative in Burkina Faso, Ibrahim Ouédraogo, World Soil Day aims to raise awareness of the importance of maintaining healthy soils, as 95% of food is produced by farmers thanks to the soil.
The theme of this year’s commemoration is “Soil as the source of food”. For the Minister of Agriculture, Animal Resources and Fisheries, Dr Dénis Ouédraogo, “this theme is of paramount importance in view of the high number of food insecure people in the world and particularly in Burkina Faso”.
The Minister also recalled the paramount importance that the President of the Transition attaches to food security in his policy.
This interest is shown in the Strategic Plan of the Transition. A roadmap in which Captain Ibrahim Traoré reiterated his commitment and willingness to work so that all Burkinabè can eat sufficiently and in quality.
In his first speech as president, the young officer listed some of his objectives, including agriculture, which he said should be rethought in order to contribute more to the country’s prosperity: “Our objectives are also to envisage endogenous development by relying only on ourselves and by trying to rethink our agriculture, our livestock farming, etc., from our inspiration to prosperity.
World Soil Day was proclaimed in December 2013 at the United Nations General Assembly, following a request from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).
Miss OLY
