Community-based forest enterprises

Burkina Faso: Promoting micro and small community-based enterprises of non wood forest products

In January 2005, the Forest Department of Burkina Faso, FAO and the non governmental organization TREE AID joined their efforts to launch in Ouagadougou, a pilot project to promote micro and small community-based rural enterprises of non wood forest products both, in Burkina Faso and Mali. The project adopted the Market Analysis and Development (MA&D) approach.

The choice of using non wood forest products has many advantages : they are competitive products, a niche market already exists, they are traditional products used by the people for centuries. Besides, they constitute the only natural resources available that women can count on for income generation purposes in rural areas.

The project objective is to strengthen the national expertise on Market Analysis and Development linked to non wood forest products in order to support rural people initiatives aimed to create feasible enterprises, while protecting, at the same time, the natural resource base. The long-term objective of the project is to contribute to poverty reduction in rural areas of both countries.

The Market Analysis and Development approach (MA&D) adopted by the project promoters and facilitators is disseminated by the FAO with active support of Tree Aid. This approach is developed in three main phases, each one of them starting with the training of supervisors and facilitators in the field. The first training workshop was carried out in Burkina Faso in January 2005, with 42 participants from Burkina Faso and Mali. From February to April 2005, participants implemented the first MA&D phase in eight project sites in Burkina Faso and in one project site in Mali.

A second mission was carried out from May 23rd to June 13th in order to train the project national team, regional supervisors and local facilitators in the second phase of the MA&D approach. The mission was developed in eight successive stages, in Burkina Faso, and two stages in Mali.

The second workshop carried out during this mission trained 40 participants coming from Burkina Faso and Mali. The workshop had the objective of providing participants with the basic expertise, methods and tools required to guide, encourage and efficiently organize small entrepreneurs through the second phase of the MA&D process.

The mission was partially carried out in Tominian, Mali. The visit to target groups in two villages confirmed that a strong mobilization of people in favor of the MA&D initiative exists. People were enthousiastic, the resources were available and some villagers were already selling their products outside their village. Phase 1 was effectively implemented in the field in 6 villages thanks to the participation of two supervisors who continued to train facilitators after their trip to Burkina Faso.

The learning objectives were accomplished and the results of phase 1 in the project sites and those of phase 2 were satisfying. The main results achieved by the field facilitators and their supervisors during phase 1 were: the identification of a target group of small entrepreneurs who will continue through phase 2. Facilitators also assisted community groups in selecting a list of non wood forest products for feasible enterprises.

From mid June to January 2006 supervisors and facilitators will apply their new expertise through the guidance of community entrepreneurs during the three stages of phase 2. Training about Phase 3 is foreseen to take place in February 2006.