The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) in collaboration with the umbrella of village cooperatives ''koudjigui-Tina'' is organizing, from June 15 to 17, 2023, in Tiébélé in the province of Nahouri ( Centre-Sud region), the first edition of the Tiébélé Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFP) knowledge fair, to encourage people to participate in the preservation and restoration of forest biodiversity.
Exhibitions and sales of NTFPs, public conferences on the theme of the fair, namely "Reconciling the neutrality of land degradation and the value chains of non-timber forest products at the scale of landscapes in the Sahelian zone" and gala matches between joking parents Gurunsi and Bissa are, among other things, the activities on the program of the first edition of the knowledge fair on NTFPs in Tiébélé, in the province of Nahouri (Centre-Sud region).
The Governor of the Center-South, Yvette Nacoulma and her team visited several exhibition stands.
The NWFPs exposed are mainly composed of butter, almonds, soap and ointments for shea products and soumbala, honey, monkey bread powder, ground baobab leaves, jams, biscuits, juice…for other products.
The organization of the fair benefits from the support of the ''Land of opportunities in the Sahel'' project, also known by the acronym LOGMe (Land Opportunities Global Mechanism), financed by the Italian Ministry of Ecological Transition and implemented by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
By joining the communal umbrella of village cooperatives of Tiébélé ''Koudjigui-Tina'' to hold the activity, IUCN mainly intends to promote NTFP value chains in order to encourage producers to restore landscapes, says the regional coordinator of the “Lands of opportunities in the Sahel” project, Félicité Vodounhessi.
It is also a question, listening to it, of strengthening the technical and organizational capacities and ensuring a sustainable connection of the actors intervening in the NTFP value chain, facilitating the marketing in quantity and quality of NTFPs and contributing to food security. people in ways that enable them to be resilient and adapt to climate change.
The regional director in charge of the Environment of the Centre-south, Aboudou Ouédraogo, is delighted with the holding of the fair.
The Regional Director of Environment, Water and Sanitation of the Center-South, Aboudou Ouédraogo, at the end of the opening ceremony, said he welcomed the initiative. He explained that it is above all in line with the call of the President of Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traoré, for local consumption. "These are forest resources that are processed locally and we welcome that," he said.
The governor of the Center-South, Yvette Nacoulma, also welcomed the effective holding of the communal fair. She said she was amazed by the know-how of women in the processing of NWFPs, calling on the organizers to perpetuate the activity as well as other structures and NGOs to support the promotion of the sector and the actors of the chain.
As part of the support for the organization of the fair, the IUCN also intends to reward women producers and processors. These awards will be given to participants who have distinguished themselves by the quality of their products, presentation, knowledge and know-how, confided the regional coordinator of "Terres d'Opportunites au Sahel".
Several local women's cooperatives participate in the fair.
On the first day of the event, Félicité Vodounhessi said she had reasons for satisfaction and expected success in the end. "We already feel a will and a passion of women around the question and also a strong mobilization of several producers", she underlined.
The Koudjigui-Tina cooperative society, co-organizer of the fair, is made up of a group of 64 village cooperatives in the municipality of Tiébélé, which currently has more than 2,039 members, mostly women.
Source: Burkina Information Agency