On the Impact of the Ukraine War on the Development of Burkina Faso

The war in Ukraine is a tragedy that the world has not seen for many years. Millions of people have lost their homes, their futures, and sadly, many have also lost their lives. As often happens, it is the most vulnerable populations in the world who are the first to suffer the consequences of disasters, just like the rural population in Burkina Faso.

Burkina Faso is one of the least developed countries in the world, with a large part of its population relying on subsistence farming. Therefore, the goal of NGO cooperation is to eradicate poverty and improve food security. To be able to eat three times a day throughout the year is still not a given for everyone in Burkina Faso. Through the 2018-2021 project in collaboration with FEPAB, the NGO was able to improve food security for 80,000 people in the target population, but it remains a very fragile balance that depends on climatic, geographical, and political factors.

Due to climate change, the zone where agriculture can be practiced is shifting continuously southward. Harvests are getting smaller and smaller until families can no longer produce enough. Then, they have to buy what is missing from the market if they can afford it. The health crisis also has a direct impact on the rural population in Burkina. We cannot estimate exactly how many families were affected by the disease, but the numbers of sick and dead are likely to be much higher than reported. An impact that we can estimate, however, is the price of agricultural products. It increased by 129% in 2020 and 2021 due to the health crisis. Now, war is also breaking out between the countries that are responsible for a large part of the global agricultural production. Although Burkina Faso has a subsistence economy, it is still dependent on global supply chains. 60% of the fertilizers used are imported directly from Russia and Ukraine. Due to COVID and the war, the prices of agricultural products have increased by 157% in the past two years. If 50 kg of corn cost 8,500 FCFA in 2020, it now costs 22,000 FCFA. This is just an example with agricultural products, but it also applies to the price of fertilizer and gasoline. In a developed economy, these price increases are noticeable and put pressure on purchasing power, but in Burkina Faso, it means that a large part of the population is falling back into poverty, and thus food security is no longer guaranteed. The least developed countries are also the ones that suffer the most from these three crises. Therefore, the work of NGOs is all the more relevant in the current situation.