Ouagadougou: The 3rd cohort of Volunteers for the fight for food sovereignty in Burkina Faso, comprising 2,610 agricultural entrepreneurs including 376 women, affirmed on Tuesday during its official launch its ability to make food self-sufficiency a reality. "The mission is clear: to strengthen food sovereignty in the face of security and climate challenges, and we will be sentinels of the land, builders of food autonomy for our beloved homeland," said the class delegate, Ousmane Dianda.
According to Burkina Information Agency, the young agricultural entrepreneurs have vowed to put all their skills at the service of the land in the next formative stage of the training. "Only work liberates" and our labor in the fields is an act of resistance and hope for the Burkina Faso of tomorrow, he asserted. After a month spent at the Badnogo training center, these agricultural VDPs aged 18 to 40 benefited from training combining civic and patriotic education, military discipline such as weapons handling and protection techniques.
The training was complemented by panels on agricultural sectors such as wheat production, livestock farming, and fish farming, added the advocate for food self-sufficiency. This theoretical phase paves the way for practical training in the field, particularly in production centers. To demonstrate their commitment to patriotic values, the volunteers presented a contribution of 124,000 FCFA to the Patriotic Support Fund.
The Minister of State for Agriculture, represented by the Director General of Training and Rural Development, Blaise Yoda, commended the new VDP for their dedication. He indicated that this initiative is in line with the vision of the President of Faso to strengthen the resilience of the rural world and to secure production areas. "You represent a new generation of actors committed to the defense of the territory and agricultural production," he said, before urging the volunteers to demonstrate discipline, responsibility, and professionalism in carrying out their mission.
He also conveyed the Minister of State's encouragement to the trainers, supervisors, and partners for their contribution to the success of this cohort. To reduce Burkina Faso's dependence on food imports, the Head of State, Captain Ibrahim Traore, launched the Presidential Initiative for Agricultural Production and Food Self-Sufficiency (IP-P3A) in 2024, placed under the supervision of the National Office for Major Projects.
The technical coordinator of IP-P3A, Inoussa Ouedraogo, stressed that self-sufficiency is a reality in Burkina Faso while warning that Burkinabe people should not rest on their laurels. He stressed that with this new reinforcement, the objective of mobilizing 8,000 volunteers for agricultural production has been achieved. The technical coordinator reminded them of the expectations placed on them by the President of Faso, inviting them to demonstrate diligence, respect, and discipline in the centers, in order to assimilate good agricultural practices.