Regional Context
 The
Wouol Association is located in the
Cascades region, South-West of
Burkina Faso. This region has an
area of 18 200 km2 and includes the
provinces of Comoé and Léraba.
Between April and October, it
receives between 800 and 950 mm of
rain. The temperature varies from 17
to 36 C. The most exploited
agricultural productions are the
culture of cereals, predominated by
corn, the fruit arboriculture,
predominated by mangoes, cotton
production, sugar cane, and tuber
predominated by yams and potatoes.
The processing of these products and
crafts are also an important income
source for the region.
 According
to a morpho-pedological research in
the Cascades region carried out by
BUNASOLS in 1999, the most
favourable farming for the region is
arboriculture, irrigated riziculture
and market gardening. This region is
also good for forest development and
cattle, sheep and goat breeding.
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Socio-economic situation
 The
national developmental politics of
Burkina Faso, like the Strategic
Board of Fight Against Poverty (CSLP)
and the Rural Development Strategy (SDR),
favour political decentralization.
In spite of these politics and of
the GDP increase, the population
continues impoverishing. In 2005,
the GDP per habitant was 350 USD and
the rate of people living under the
poverty threshold reached 46%. In
the Casade region, poverty went from
39% in 1998 to 42% in 2003. In front
of these numbers, it is a priority
to increase employment for the most
vulnerable part of the population,
and to actively support the rural
community’s efforts. It is necessary
that development organizations
inform, train, organize and guide
rural people about growth projects
in order to help their emancipation
and to let them play a role the the
economic construction of the
country.
In the
Cascades region, 43% of the
population is active on a total of
448 thousand inhabitants. This group
supports the expenses of the less
than 15 years old, which represents
47%, and of elders, which is 10% of
the total population. The members of
the Wouol Association mainly live
from agriculture of subsistence
which they complete with small
breeding activities, crafts and
fishing. The members belong to
different ethnic groups like the
Bobos, the Turkas and the Goins.
Some of
the Association’s members are
repatriated peasants from the Ivory
Coast conflict of 2003. They were
welcomed in their original community
where work was offered to them. Men
work in the member’s cooperative
growing fields and women work in the
mango processing centers. |
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