Self Help Africa received a grant of €11,940 from ElectricAid to increase the productivity of cashew orchards in the communities of Soubakaniédougou and Banfora in the southwest of Burkina Faso while also improving women’s access to the commercial assets needed for cashew farming.
2,790 women were targeted for this project all of whom benefitted from the initiative. Both in terms of diversification and how the money was spent, the grant was used to provide kit including five beehives, a protective suit, a pair of gloves, a pair of boots, a smoker, a frame lifter, a bee brush, a harvest bucket, and ordinary embossed wax for the preparation of beehives to 60 women, including 15 children, from 20 different farms across the Soubakaniédougou and Banfora regions.
The project also included two, three-day training sessions on bee keeping, honey production and diversification. This training educated participants on the role of bees in cashew production, biodiversity conservation and other associated benefits, it also showed the farmers the best practices for producing honey and other complementary bee products and finally it showed participants the best practices for processing, preserving and marketing honey. This training helped Self Help Africa meet two of their aims which were to improve cashew nut production quantitatively and qualitatively and to create another source of income for women.
The project already has improved the living conditions of women and their families in the cashew production areas, by strengthening their personal economic conditions. The groups have already applied their knowledge and training to achieve their first year of honey production. The field officers will continue to identify the quantities of honey collected and support the packaging for commercialization.
ElectricAid and Self Help Africa would like to thank our generous doners, with your help we were able to achieve our goals and help promote women economic empowerment in Burkina Faso. These project aims were also aligned with eight of the UNs sustainable development goals including 1 No Poverty, 2 Zero hunger, 5 Gender Equality, 8 Decent Work & Economic Growth, 10 Reduced Inequalities, 11 Sustainable Cities & Communities, 13 Climate Action and 15 Life on Land.
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