Building trust in the sesame value chain in Burkina Faso

Building trust in the sesame value chain in Burkina Faso December is harvest time in central-eastern Burkina Faso. The sesame and soya fields cultivated between June and October are full of people harvesting. This landscape provides the right setting for sesame farmers' organisations and exporting companies to cultivate sustainable and inclusive trade agreements. Read how we did it in a two-day business-to-business (B2B) meeting in Koupéla. The central-eastern region of Burkina is one of the poorest in the country. The producers - not surprisingly - receive low profits from the sale of sesame, soya and non-timber forest products (NTFP) such as shea fruits for shea butter, neem fruits and balanites. Although sesame has a high market price, the limited entrepreneurial capacity and professionalisation conditions in which the farmers’ organisations operate limit their access to fair prices and formal business opportunities. For example, in 2015, although sesame prices were ...