NEWS: Tanager begins next phase of program to improve gender and nutrition outcomes for smallholder women poultry farmers in Burkina Faso

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 7, 2020: To improve economic and social outcomes for women smallholder farmers in Burkina Faso and increase access to nutritious diets in smallholder farming communities, today Tanager – with funding support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation – announced the second phase of the Soutenir l’Exploitation Famaliales pour Lancer l’Elevage des Volailles et Valoriser l’Economie Rurale (SELEVER 2) program.

Despite the high demand for poultry, women have historically been left out of the economic gains associated with increased production. Furthermore, many women in Burkina Faso do not have control over their household finances and often lack access to paying jobs and the resources to ensure a stable supply of nutritious food.

A six-year program estimated to reach 120,000 project participants, SELEVER 2 will holistically leverage the entire poultry sector in Burkina Faso – including government entities and the private sector – to increase incomes for women, support women’s inclusion in the poultry sector, and improve community access to nutritious and diverse foods. Women in the SELEVER 2 program will be engaged as poultry producers, entrepreneurs, and private-sector actors in the input market – specifically as providers of vaccines and feed through small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs). SELEVER 2 will also work to facilitate SME access to financing and business skills needed to grow and sustain businesses.

SELEVER 2 will also work to improve the economic and social status of women by sensitizing rural communities on the importance of women’s economic empowerment and nutritious foods and by facilitating access to new sources of income around poultry farming.

SELEVER 2 is built off the successful phase 1 of the project, which from 2015 through 2020 worked with over 51,000 poultry producers in Burkina Faso to encourage women to adopt poultry farming, sensitize men to the importance of women’s economic empowerment, educate communities on how to prevent common avian illnesses, train vaccinators to mitigate risks from avian illnesses, and support the adoption of diverse and healthy diets through income generation and education. The project helped bring about a 30% increase in the number of women participating in the poultry value chain in SELEVER-participating villages, and a 20% increase in women participating in household financial decisions.

“Through the work of the SELEVER program, we have seen first-hand the transformative power of the poultry sector in Burkina Faso,” says Tanager Team Leader Romain Kenfack. “We look forward to achieving inclusive growth in the sector by expanding our model to more communities and continuing to strengthen our partnerships with the Gates foundation, the government, private sector, and local development partners.”

Tanager, an ACDI/VOCA affiliate, is an international nonprofit that brings people together at the table, on the ground, and across supply chains to co-create economic and social opportunities that change lives. Working closely with our partners, we align interests to expand market access and unlock the full potential of shared market opportunities that result in reliable supply chains, stable incomes, healthy families, and resilient communities. Established in 1993, we work with the ACDI/VOCA family of companies to make agriculture work better for people. We offer a focused and diligent team of locally based experts and international advisors who work with our partners to reach common goals.