Offensive Agricole: Burkino Faso

Al Jazeera (2025)

Film Review

https://www.aljazeera.com/program/featured-documentaries/2025/2/19/offensive-agricole-burkina-faso-africas-new-directions

In 2014, Burkina Faso finally toppled dictator Blaise Compaoré, responsible for the 1987 coup that killed the Che Guevara of Africa Thomas Sankara (see Thomas Sankara: Africa’s Che Guevara).

The country really struggled between 2016 and 2022 with (western sponsored) Al-Qaeda terrorists controlling 60% of the its territory and internally displacing two million residents.

In January 2022, a populist coup brought Caitaine Ibrahim Traoré to power. With 90-99% of the population rural, Traore felt compelled to respond directly to their needs to retain power. He authorized the purchase of 500 tractors to plow farmers’ land for free, in addition to subsidizing the price of fertilizer and improved seeds. His plan was to reduce terrorism by keeping young people continually engaged in successful agriculture projects.

The filmmakers visit a woman’s cooperative of 460 members who have been growing rice in the three years since a government tractor cleared their land. They have also planted trees. They produce enough rice to sell the surplus for their children’s education. Another cooperative of seven hundred women buys and sells rice in addition to growing it. Following the rice crop, they will plant onions, peanut and black eyed peas.

Insufficient water remains an issue. Women have to carry it from a distance, which reduces productivity. They’re organizing to pressure the Taoré government to dig bore holes and wells into an abundant aquifer

At present 80% of Burkina Faso’s population work in agriculture, which is responsible for one-third of the county’s GDP. With the introduction of gainful employment, emigration rates have dropped significantly.