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Burkina Faso

Field to Film: A Youth Storytellers Film Festival

Over the last several months we’ve shared stories of rural communities and local food systems throughout Central America and West Africa, as documented by the youths in those communities as part of our Youth Storytellers Program.

A joint effort between Groundswell International, our partner organizations, and these ambitious young people, the Youth Storytellers Program has enabled local change-makers to use communication as a catalyst to drive social change and shape the local and global narrative surrounding agroecology, climate issues, and how to ‘feed the world’, as they have written, filmed, and edited these videos and served as an inspiration to other young members of their communities.

Voices From the Field

So far, we’ve shared stories out of Honduras and Burkina Faso, documenting smallholder farmers, women entrepreneurs, and young innovators, including the strategies and techniques critical to their success and the universal elements they share with other farmers around the world. Through these stories, the Youth Storytellers have highlighted the improved resilience achieved by farming with nature instead of against it. They are shining a light on communities regenerating their local economies, fighting food insecurity, and establishing financial independence. 

We’ve been inspired as we’ve shared these first few stories with you, but there are still many more stories to share! This is why we’re now beyond excited to be able to enable even more Youth Storytellers from around the globe to make their voices heard and bring you new examples of empowerment, transformation, and triumph as we host our first-ever virtual film festival: Field to Film. 

Field to Film: A Youth Storytellers Film Festival 

On December 2, 2022, Youth Storytellers from Burkina Faso, Ecuador, Honduras, and Nepal showcased their work capturing community-led and ecological farming solutions, spreading them locally, and changing the narrative globally on how to tackle hunger, poverty, and climate change.

In case you missed it, you can watch the full film festival recording here:

Youth Storytellers in Burkina Faso: Part 2

Groundswell International collaborated with our partner organizations, Vecinos Honduras and Association Nourrir Sans Détruire (ANSD), to elevate the voices of local youths in Central America and Western Africa, allowing them to drive positive social change and shape the next generation’s global narrative. 

Our newest batch of videos out of West Africa come to us from three more inspired youths from villages throughout Burkina Faso. Through these videos, these youths share how their community members are transforming their lives daily.

Land Transformation Through Agroecology

Training in agroecology has helped members of the Bilanperga village in Burkina Faso to transform their land- and with it their lives- from barren, stony ground to thriving farmland. Farmers like Habibour Lankiande have learned techniques like zai cultivation and RNA to bolster their plants against drought conditions and to help their soil recover between growing cycles. Despite the labor-intensive work, Habibour says agroecology has improved her life, allowing her family to build financial independence, and has helped to foster a deeper partnership with her husband as they cultivate the land together 

Here, Habibour explains the process of zai cultivation and how it has impacted her life.

Watch the video below or on YouTube: 

Organic Farming and Catch Basins

Farmers throughout Burkina Faso continue to see the positive impact of incorporating agroecology techniques into their work. With training and support from ANSD, market farmer Michel Balima has switched from using chemical fertilizers to organic fertilizers, as well as uses a catch basin to collect and store water for his tomato and corn crops. Through these techniques, Michel is able to cultivate healthier crops, even in times of drought, and with enough abundance to sell. 

As a result of his use of agroecology, Michel has transformed his life and that of his family by gaining food security, financial independence, and a new level of pride: “I’m proud of my work. The money I make on tomatoes and corn lets me pay for my children to go to school. I get to take care of my health and deal with family problems.”

Watch the video below or on YouTube: 

Youth Storytellers in Burkina Faso: Part 1

Groundswell International collaborated with our partner organizations, Vecinos Honduras and Association Nourrir Sans Détruire, to elevate the voices of local youths in Central America and Western Africa, allowing them to shape the next generation’s global narrative. We previously shared videos from youths in communities throughout Honduras, and now our first batch of videos out of West Africa come to us from three young storytellers from communities throughout Burkina Faso. Through these videos, our youth storytellers share the triumphs, empowerment, and resilience that they witness daily in their villages with the global community.

A Determined Woman

Association Nourrir Sans Détruire (ANSD) works in Burkina Faso to strengthen the capacity of local communities, especially women farmers, to lead and manage their own agroecology programs by providing training and resources. Burkina Faso native Marceling Sandwidi received training in agroecology and seeds from ANSD, resources she now uses to tend a nursery garden of moringa plants for sale. 

Despite initial challenges, Marceling has been able to generate income to provide for her family while also contributing to her community- the moringa plants she sells have many medicinal uses, including treating high blood pressure. Through Marceling’s nursery, this community is mutually building success.

Watch the video below or on YouTube: 

Farmer Jonas in Burkina Faso

Farmers in Burkina Faso are seeing their fields transformed through the use of agroecological techniques introduced to them by Groundswell International and ANSD. Pokiamo Nadinga and his fellow Burkinabe farmers have trained in water management techniques like utilizing stone contour lines to direct the flow of water to their crops during irrigation. Farmers who have adopted these agroecological techniques have seen a vast improvement in their fields, with Pokiamo saying he sees a notable difference in the success of his crops compared to those of farmers who have neglected to adopt agroecology. 

Through agroecology, Pokiamo has found food security and an increase in quality of life, saying “I have even been able to buy a bull, so honestly I am really doing well.” 

Watch the video below or on YouTube: 

Creating Financial Independence

“I encourage women to get ahead. With ANSD, you will never fall behind.” 

In the Burkinabe village of Silguin, women like Awa Kima are finding empowerment and transforming their lives with the help of ANSD. Describing her life as difficult before ANSD’s intervention, Awa is now building financial independence through selling salt at markets, and has now been able to buy herself a cart and donkey for transporting resources and can afford to pay to send her children to school.

Awa says that she, and other women in her community, are able to live better, more independent lives thanks to continuing support from ANSD.

Watch the video below or on YouTube: 

Youth Storytellers: Empowering the Next Generation

Agroecological farming and resilient local food systems are more effective and beneficial for people and our planet than industrialized agriculture. The need for a just transition from fossil fuel-based agriculture and dependence on food imports is even more evident with the high inflation of food and chemical fertilizers that are impacting millions. Scaling agroecological and local market alternatives are essential for nourishing people and reversing climate change. Yet, the false narrative that continues to dominate globally is that industrialized agriculture must ‘feed the world.’ This is a mindset that we work alongside our partners to change.

A large part of our mission at Groundswell International is to empower the communities we work in because we know wholeheartedly that the people in these communities are the real change-makers at the core of the success of our programs. This is especially true of young people.

The Youth Storytellers Program

With this in mind, in 2021, we piloted a Youth Storytellers program with our network partners Association Nourrir Sans Détruire (ANSD) in Burkina Faso and Vecinos Honduras in Latin America. We supported our partners to identify interested young people in program communities and facilitated them to retain basic communications training and equipment to produce brief videos on local success stories. 

Since then, our Youth Storytellers have documented the lives of smallholder farmers, including the strategies and techniques critical to their success and the universal elements shared with other farmers around the world. They have highlighted the improved resilience achieved by farming with nature instead of against it. 

The Youth Storytellers have shared their videos locally with their communities through social media and gatherings, inspiring others to action. Now we’re taking the opportunity to finalize and translate 15 videos to share with you to allow these youths to shape the narrative internationally in 2022.

youth storytellers

These Youth Storytellers are not only reshaping the global narrative surrounding how to ‘feed the world,’ but also working to inspire and empower other young people where they live. Youth Storytellers like Edras Amado Benegas in Honduras have led by example and gained a sense of agency as they recognize, document, and strengthen the power of community-based organizations to spread real solutions.

Edras explained, “I want to motivate other young people who are going through difficult situations, and who do not feel they count. I invite them to get involved, and find the opportunity to participate and be heard.”

It has been absolutely amazing to watch our Youth Storytellers use communications to drive positive social change, and we’re excited for you to see what they have to offer as we continue to find ways to make local voices heard globally in 2022.

Watch these Youth Storytellers in action here.

Improving the resilience of rural communities in the Sahel through pro-equity agroecology interventions

Systematic transformation is essential to tackle inequity and build resilience

In the Sahel, the vast gap in food security between poor and wealthy households shows that economic growth benefits are not reaching the most vulnerable, particularly women and children, within rural communities. Evidence indicates that to improve resilience, a progressive transformation of the entire Sahelian farming system to address climate change and land degradation is essential. 

The primary way to bring about the transformation of the farming system in the Sahel is through low-cost agroecological practices “working with nature” to sustain biodiversity and restore soils. 

However, for agroecology to reach its full potential impact to strengthen resilience, it must address inequity issues within rural communities. This means that agroecological programs must involve specialized activities tailored to the specific needs of the most vulnerable groups and households. Social and governance “safeguarding” is vital to enable whole communities to improve resilience, but also ensure that the needs of everyone – especially vulnerable groups – are taken into account.

Burkina Faso

Tailored resilience initiatives are vital to meet the complex needs of rural communities

Vulnerability looks different across all rural communities. Agroecological resilience-building initiatives must take these variations and dynamics into account, to identify which households are the most susceptible to food and nutrition insecurity. In turn, the support provided must be tailored to meet the specific livelihood needs of different categories of households, but in particular, those of the most vulnerable. 

Evidence shows that failing to address this inequity issue within agricultural improvement programs can deepen the marginalization of the most vulnerable in rural communities, including women and resource-poor farmers.

Inclusion and participation are crucial to tackling sensitive equity issues

Crises affecting climate, water, soil, and food in the Sahel region have led to a breakdown in community solidarity, further justifying the need to tackle equity issues. Agricultural development programs both affect and are affected by complex community dynamics and individual sensitivities must be taken into account. As external agents operating within the relatively neutral field of agroecology, non-governmental and civil society organizations are generally better placed to promote pro-equity interventions.

Incorporating community participation from the outset is essential. Considering dynamics and raising awareness in a culturally sensitive manner is essential to shifting perspectives surrounding often controversial equity redress activities. Ultimately, this inclusive approach helps community leaders to accept the necessity of tailoring support to benefit the most vulnerable. 

From National Governments to Non-Governmental Partners: Improving Resilience on the Ground 

National governments should use a participatory approach to define a pro-equity-focused national agricultural policy, creating a coordinated strategy to enable municipal councils to lead resilience-strengthening agricultural development plans.

Local governments need to improve their understanding of inequality and inequity within relevant sector programs, incorporating these considerations into local development plans. Local organizations must be empowered to become the driving forces behind equity-focused agroecological development.

Farmer organizations should arrange visits and demonstrations to show how to implement successful pro-equity agroecology programs. Working alongside local governments, local civil society organizations must prioritize the inclusion of more vulnerable households within agricultural programs.

The non-governmental sector must raise awareness of inequality and inequity within its organizations, encouraging participation, positive representation, and decentralization of training programs to achieve the broadest reach possible among marginalized groups.

Strategic partners should engage with relevant national government agency donors, NGOs, and private sector stakeholders, to design a comprehensive strategy for introducing equity-oriented content into national and local development planning.

For more information about improving the resilience of rural communities in the Sahel, read our Case Study.