Fert has been supporting cowpea producer organizations (POs) in Burkina Faso since 2008. Today, Fert teams work with 6 POs in the Center North, Center and North regions, which represents a total of nearly 8 000 cowpea producers

In order to promote exchanges around the activities carried out by the POs and the strategies to be implemented, the Fert teams and the representatives of the POs meet twice a year within the framework of a steering committee. These committees make it possible to take stock of the activities of the past semester and to plan those of the following semester.

In order to promote exchanges around the activities carried out by the POs and the strategies to be implemented, the Fert teams and the representatives of the POs meet twice a year within the framework of a steering committee. These committees make it possible to take stock of the activities of the past semester and to plan those of the following semester.

“The COPILO strengthens the partnership with Fert and allows us to propose ideas for the proper functioning of our organizations and the achievement of the objectives we have set ourselves. Fert involves producers in decision-making through thought-provoking frameworks. In my opinion, it is a good way to support producers and we are satisfied with this method of collaboration.”

This last steering committee was also an opportunity to discuss with elected officials on issues of viability of POs and in particular on the opportunity for some POs to recruit and manage an agricultural adviser themselves. While some POs want to give themselves more time before moving on to this stage, others are very enthusiastic and convinced that this opportunity will allow them to improve the activities undertaken. A next meeting with the producers of the SCOOPS of Pissila has been scheduled in order to initiate discussions and initiate a process of recruitment of an agricultural adviser by the PO. Fert will remain committed alongside the SCOOPS de Pissila in order to support producers in this dynamic.

In addition to the meeting with the Fert teams, the committees offer the different organizations the possibility of exchanging and collaborating with each other.

“I find that the steering committee is a great opportunity for us because it allows us to share experiences with other producers and we learn from each other”.

The next steering committee will take place in January 2023 and will be an opportunity for the teams and producers to see whether the objectives defined on June 30 have been achieved and to adapt the strategy according to the results obtained previously.