2008 food price riots in Burkina Faso © Brahima Ouedraogo / IRIN News

Whilst the incidence of child malnutrition does not correlate precisely with the availability of food, the haphazard track record of Burkina Faso’s food security is nevertheless a major factor. With 80% of the population engaged in subsistence rain-fed agriculture, the country is greatly dependent on predictable and steady rainfall. As in most of West Africa, reality rarely meets this need as the Burkinabes suffer a succession of floods and drought which create serious food shortages.

In 2007 the country experienced 8 major floods in the rainy season with inevitable results for the harvest. Forced to spend around three-quarters of their incomes on food, households were in no position to cope with the increase in prices that occurred during the first half of 2008. Urban poverty increased and food riots broke out in Ouagadougou and other cities. A coalition of trade unions and community groups organised a national strike. The government responded by reducing import and sales taxes, an approach criticised by the IMF which favours more direct support such as school feeding and reduced fees for health and education.

In 2008 nature has been much kinder and the government itself reversed its policy of non-intervention in agriculture. Harvests yielded a substantial surplus over domestic needs. Rice production was three times that of the previous year. Prices in markets have fallen considerably but remain well above the levels prior to the 2008 crisis. It is too early to assess the impact on poverty but the government promises to continue its support for farmers in the shape of subsidised seed and fertilizer.

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