Seeds for 100.000 farmers in Burkina Faso

25 June 2010, Ouagadougou/Rome -  Amid a growing food crisis in the Sahel that is putting millions at risk of hunger, FAO has started providing quality seeds to 100.000 vulnerable farmers in Burkina Faso, as part of an € 18 million operation funded by the European Union (EU).

According to FAO's Global Information and Early Warning System (GIEWS) the food situation is of grave concern in parts of the Sahel, where more than 10 million people are at risk of hunger. In Burkina Faso, poor rains led to an estimated 17 percent decline in cereal production in 2009.

"This drought exacerbates an already difficult food security situation caused by persisting high food prices," said FAO's Emergency Coordinator in Burkina Faso, Jean-Pierre Renson. FAO has started distribution of improved seeds to 100.000 farmers for the coming planting season, benefiting about 700.000 people.