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In Burkina Faso, the vulnerability of farmers to climate risks and variations in the pricing of staple foods is a serious problem for rural areas. Warrantage is used in West Africa to describe the inventory credit system: granting credit to farmers with grain as collateral in secure warehouses, where a third independent party holds the collateral on behalf of both the creditor and the debtor. Warrantage could contribute to increasing the resilience of farming communities to shocks, improving food insecurity. Oxfam in Burkina Faso and the Federation of Agricultural Professionals of Burkina Faso (FEPAB) support warrantage in the south-western zone of Burkina Faso., This report examines the contribution of warrantage to resilience in the light of the Oxfam Framework for Resilient Development: it contributes to the ability to absorb shocks through the reduction of harmful coping strategies, and the ability to adapt through livelihood diversification. However, its contribution is not on the same scale for all socioeconomic groups. Benefits are limited by the intermittent participation of very poor and poor groups; they depend on climatic hazards which determine the quantity of crops; and the fact that poor farmers often do not solicit credit. Unequal power relations between socio-economic groups and between women and men should also be considered in interventions.

Access to credit and effective storage for grain are two issues affecting small-scale farmers in Burkina Faso. Warrantage, a French word commonly used in West Africa, describes the inventory credit system (normally called the warehouse receipt system, or WRS, in English). This means granting credit with grain as collateral in secure warehouses where a third independent party holds the collateral on behalf of both the creditor and the debtor., In Burkina Faso, farmers' organizations have used 'smallholder' warrantage for several years. In this storage system, farmers keep part of their harvest in their own stores secured by two locks. One key is held by the farmers, while the second is held by the microfinance institution, with no third party involved. Warrantage allows both access to credit for income-generating activities and adequate grain storage, thereby contributing to the better preservation of crops, as well as better household management of food and money. Warrantage is more popular in the southern and south-west areas of the country, where there is a surplus production of grain, while in areas further north (where crops are scarce), pilot schemes are only just emerging. This report describes how warrantage operates and provides an analysis of its economic viability in the Centre-Nord region of Burkina Faso., Please note: This report is only available in French.

In the Sahel, social protection policies related to food security play a crucial role in improving the well-being of the population. Organizations working on food security in the region (farmer organizations as well as consumer organizations) can benefit from examining these policies and the concrete measures introduced, which can help to facilitate the design of response strategies and local development measures in crisis situations., This report examines the functioning of the boutiques témoin network in Burkina Faso, a social protection measure which seeks to improve access to food. It notes some of the impacts of this measure on farmers, traders and local food reserves., Boutiques témoin could be seen as complementary to other social protection measures with targeted beneficiaries; however, the lack of legal precision describing them suggests that the programme is also guided by political interests and is not part of a coordinated strategy., The report suggests further investigation of the impact that the measure could have on grain producers and traders, in order to avoid adverse effects on the cereal sector. It invites the Burkina Faso government to review the effectiveness of the boutiques témoin programme and the resources allocated to it; to consider establishing selection criteria for the target population; to strengthen the links between the national reserves and small producers, as well as between the national reserves and local food reserves.

Social protection policies related to food security in Burkina Faso play a crucial role in improving the well-being of the population., This report examines the school feeding programme in Burkina Faso; looking at the way it works and identifying key good practices. The government's stable commitment and the gradually planned handover by WFP and CRS are key factors for the continuation of the programme., Other positive aspects include the links to national reserves, the active participation of communities and appropriate geographic targeting. The specific procedures to promote the enrolment and attendance of girls are also positively assessed., The report’s recommendations include: ensuring a stable budget; paying the school cooks; promoting local purchases; ensuring food availability during the lean season; connecting the school feeding programme with other health and nutrition-related initiatives; improving programme monitoring; and strengthening the capacity of all actors involved.