Actual agriculture-specific expenditures* in Burkina Faso from 2006–2020 stood at an average of USD 174 million, with the lowest of that period being USD 80 million in 2015, the highest being USD 273 million in 2013. 

On average in the last 5 years (2016–2020), budgeted amounts stood at USD 309 million, while actual spending at USD 210 million, implying a budget execution rate of 72%. 

Burkina Faso’s agriculture expenditure level was below the CAADP 10% target. Between 2006 and 2020, the share of agriculture spending over total public expenditure ranged from the lowest 2.9% in 2010 and the highest 7.9% in 2015, with an annual average over the period of 5.8%. 

In the last 5 years, on average, two-thirds (66%) of all expenditures on food and agriculture came from donors, while the rest (34%) was financed by the government. 

On average, in the same period, the bulk of actual agriculture-specific expenditures – more than two-thirds (70%) – was directed towards general sector support (i.e. public goods such as research, extension or infrastructure), followed by almost a quarter of spending (23%) targeting producers, mainly in form of input subsidies, around 4% allocated to consumers (through food or subsidies and school-meals programmes), and just 2% to other agents in commodity value chains.

*in USD nominal terms

The nominal rate of protection (NRP) at farm-gate – the ratio of the price gap at farm-gate in relation to the reference price – was 40%, on average and across all 6 commodities: cotton seeds, groundnuts (with shell), maize, rice (paddy), sesame seeds, and sorghum between 2005 and 2020, with the most negative being -60% in 2010 and the most positive 352% in 2008. 

There is, however, substantial differences across the five commodities analysed: 

• Groundnuts producers benefitted from positive price disincentives on average over the period 2005–2020, as the average NRP at farm-gate (observed) was -4%, with the highest value of 50% in 2019 and the lowest of -56% in 2008. 
• Maize producers benefitted from positive price incentives between 2005 and 2020, as the average NRP at farm-gate (observed) was 53%, with the highest value of 351% in 2008 and the lowest -26% in 2006. However, maize producers faced negative price incentives in 3 more years, with a value of -0.7% in 2009, -1.43% in 2013 and -6.87% in 2020. 
• Rice producers benefitted from positive price incentives, with the average NRP at farm-gate (observed) at 58% over the period 2005–2020, with the highest value of 133% in 2005 and the lowest value of 33% in 2008. 
• Cotton seeds producers benefitted from positive price incentives, with the average NRP at farm-gate (observed) at 36% over the period 2005–2020, with the lowest value of -60% in 2010 and the highest value of 184% in 2008. 
• Sesame seeds producers benefitted from positive price incentives between 2005 and 2020 (average NRP was 29%) , with the lowest value of -34% in 2016 and the highest value of 118.72% in 2014 . 
• Sorghum producers benefitted from positive price incentives between 2005 and 2020 (average NRP was 67%) , with the lowest value of 10% in 2009 and the highest value of 190% in 2019.

The MAFAP programme is supporting Burkina Faso in improving the effectiveness and strategic allocation of public spending in the agrifood sector to advance food sovereignty, agricultural productivity, and employment creation. Given limited resources, fragmented financing mechanisms, and numerous potential reform options, prioritizing the most impactful policy actions remains a key challenge. 

To address this, MAFAP is working with the Secrétariat Permanent de la Coordination des Politiques Sectorielles Agricoles et de Développement Durable (SP-CPSADD) and the Ministère de l’Agriculture, de l’Eau et des Ressources Animales et Halieutiques (MAERAH)  to support a structured reform prioritization process using FAO’s Policy Optimization Tool (PolOpT) to align agrifood policy planning with long-term sector trends identified through a national foresight exercise. 

MAFAP has carried out an analysis for the Agence pour la Promotion des Exportations du Burkina (APEX-Burkina) to prioritize a set of agricultural commodities with a competitive edge and to map out sub-regional, regional and international markets where these exports could bring in higher export earnings for the country. 

The results and recommendations were presented in January 2024 during a workshop hosted at APEX-Burkina. Read more on this here and in French here.

The MAFAP programme supported the Government of Burkina Faso, through the Secrétariat Permanent de la Coordination des Politiques Sectorielles Agricoles et de Développement Durable (SP-CPSADD) and the Ministère de l'Agriculture, de l'Eau, et des Ressources Animales et Halieutique (MAERAH), in prioritizing key agrifood sector reforms and investments under the Agro-pastoral and Fisheries Programme (Offensive Agropastorale et Halieutique 2023–2025).

Using FAO’s Policy Optimization Tool (PolOpT), the process screened 51 reform options and identified priority ten actions. The resulting plan focuses on eight strategic value chains (rice, maize, potatoes, wheat, fish, cattle, poultry, and mango) and four cross-cutting reforms related to value chain financing, agricultural insurance, trade measures, and public procurement through contract farming.