Agricultural Backstopping: Improving Family Food, Nutrition and Hygiene in Burkina Faso

The project Improving Food, Nutrition and Hygiene in the Home Environment (PAH) in Burkina Faso aims to improve food and nutrition security, particularly for women of reproductive age and children under two. Implemented in the country’s south-western region, the project addresses the challenges of malnutrition, limited access to diverse foods, and poor hygiene practices. Activities focus on gender-transformative approaches such as husband schools, where husbands learn about care work, healthy nutrition and on how they can support in their households. Further activities include improving the seasonal availability of nutritious foods, teaching women how to produce nutrient-dense home-made flour mixtures for child nutrition, aquaculture, strengthening household hygiene, and building local capacity in the project’s topics.

The project is part of the GIZ Global Programme Food and nutrition security and enhanced resilience that is geared to the strategic objectives of the Special Initiative Transformation of Agri-Food Systems by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ). It is executed by the German Agency for International Cooperation (GIZ) in cooperation with HealthFocus, a consulting company based in Potsdam, Germany specializing in public health, nutrition, and health systems strengthening, and IAK Agrar Consulting, based in Leipzig, Germany, an agriculturally oriented consulting company. It is a longer-term project being implemented since April 2015 and ends December 2025.

Our contribution:

Because of our topical and regional experience and working knowledge of French, EarthYield Advisories is commissioned by IAK Agrar Consulting to provide agricultural backstopping for the PAH project. This involves advisory across agricultural aspects, ensuring alignment with food security and nutrition objectives. Therefore, we participate regularly in project meetings and contribute expertise in climate-sensitive agriculture, agrobiodiversity, and rural development.

Assignment duration: 05/2024 – 12/2025