Burkina Faso
Strengthening resilience is challenging in Burkina Faso’s complex environment, and successful resilience activities can help reduce both poverty and instability.
Overview
Rising insecurity and climate shocks have caused an unprecedented escalation in humanitarian needs, putting more families at risk of food insecurity. Attacks by armed groups and community conflicts are leading to population movement, making rural populations who are dependent on subsistence agriculture increasingly vulnerable.
Risk Environment
The country’s most food-insecure regions (in the north and east) have seen a dramatic rise in violent conflict and subsequent population displacement. This instability can impede access to health services, disrupt social cohesion among communities and complicate the activities of humanitarian and development actors.
Such insecurity compounds disruptions from climate change. Climate change is likely to significantly impact the frequency and intensity of droughts, rainfall and crop pest outbreaks in Burkina Faso. Increases in average temperatures, rapid population growth and a youth bulge challenge the capacity of communities to bounce back from natural disasters. Further, climate change increases the risk of life-threatening acute malnutrition.
Resilience Approaches
Resilience programming in Burkina Faso addresses the underlying causes of vulnerability and risk, which lead to a cycle of humanitarian crisis and response whenever a shock occurs. This programming seeks to improve health and nutrition. It also aims to strengthen institutions and governance critical to resilience in order to improve natural resource management and mitigate resource-related conflict.
Multiyear, multisectoral resilience projects increase sustainable economic well-being through:
- Increased agricultural productivity.
- Income diversification.
- Increased access to markets and financial services.
Resilience investments respond to common grievances, such as lack of government services and poor economic opportunities. In addition, resilience investments address common drivers of instability, such as local conflicts and shock-related population displacements.
Opportunities for Strengthening Resilience
There are many opportunities to strengthen resilience from the local to national levels, including:
- Improving access to and management of water and other natural resources.
- Promoting business development and opportunities to engage in growing markets.
- Improving health outcomes.
- Strengthening community and national health systems.
- Strengthening effective governance at all levels.
- Empowering women and youth to be a force for positive change.
Sahel Collaboration and Communication Activity
Related Resources
Rapid Learning Note on ViMPlus Strategic Adaptations to Insecurity (French)
27 Jul 2023 - Sahel Collaboration and Communication , ACDI/VOCA , ViMPlus
Explore successes, challenges and lessons learned in adaptive management from Burkina Faso's complex security context.
Resilience in the Sahel-Enhanced (RISE) Initiative Phase II
20 Apr 2023 - USAID , Resilience Evaluation, Analysis and Learning (REAL)
Review the baseline report of the second phase of the Resilience in the Sahel-Enhanced (RISE) Initiative in targeted zones of Burkina Faso and Niger.
Burkina Faso Resilience Factsheet
17 Jun 2022 - USAID
The Sahel region in general is marked by food insecurity, persistent poverty, corrupt governance, high population growth rates, resource mismanagement, disease and recurrent weather shocks such as drought and...
Effect of Households' Psychosocial Capacities on their Resilience to Shocks and Shock Coping Strategies
18 May 2022 - Tim Frankenberger, TANGO International
This presentation was shared by Tim Frankenberger (TANGO International) at the Resilience Evidence Forum in October of 2017.