Macfrut, Aics presents the resilient crops of the Sahel

"The populations of the Sahel are today the most affected by the effects of climate change", comments the owner of the Aics office in Ouagadougou, Laura Bonaiuti

ROME – Rediscover the typical crops of the Sahel to achieve food and nutritional security in Burkina Faso and Niger and support local agro-ecosystems.

The headquarters of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (Aics) in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, returns to the Macfrut International Fair in Rimini 2024 to present the delegated cooperation project “Sustlives” and the plant species typical of the Sahelian area.

A presentation which, this morning, Aics reports, will take the form of a real tasting in the pavilions of the fair set up by Aics, with visitors who will be able to taste these products, imported for the occasion from producers in Burkina Faso and Niger, during the event ‘Local crops resilient to climate change: the Sustlives experience’.

Hibiscus, moringa, amaranth and sweet potato. But also Cassava, Vouandzou, Gombo and Fabirama. Capable of growing and adapting to the climatic stresses of the Sahel and with important nutritional contents, these species are defined as ‘neglected’ and ‘underutilized’ because their production, over the years, has been set aside in favor of alien and imported crops that require a disproportionate use of resources in a context increasingly exposed to climate shocks.

Reviving the agri-food supply chains of these products is therefore crucial to meeting the nutritional needs of communities in the short term and improving local economies in the long term. These plants, in fact, are cultivated with traditional knowledge (mainly held by women), are easily adaptable to poor soils and with limited availability of water and pesticides.

Supporting this process is the objective of the delegated cooperation project ‘Sustlives’, financed by the European Union as part of the global Desira program and coordinated by the Aics headquarters in Ouagadougou, in collaboration with the Ciheam of Bari. The project, active in Burkina Faso and Niger, also involves the Universities of Ouagadougou and Niamey, Alliance Bioversity International – Ciat, the CNR, Roma Tre University and Luke University.

On Friday, crops that are resilient to climate change will be presented to the public with an initiative in which it will be possible to taste some of the processes of these products, such as biscuits and sweet potato chips, juices and nutritious snacks.

The Aics headquarters in Ouagadougou will be present at Macfrut for all the days of the fair and, in the stand, in addition to finding out about the ‘Nus’, it will be possible to download the 2023 annual report, with all the Italian cooperation projects in Burkina Faso and Ghana , another country that falls under the jurisdiction of the headquarters.

“The populations of the Sahel are today the most affected by the effects of climate change: Aics Ouagadougou supports them by enhancing food traditions in an innovative way, looking at the environment, employment and gender inclusion”, comments the owner of the Aics office in Ouagadougou, Laura Bonaiuti.