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sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

Titre : Contribution of decentralized financial systems to increase farmers’ income in Burkina Faso : a case study of FINACOM credit at Zoungou, Province of Ganzourgou

Auteur : Ouedraogo, M. 

Université de soutenance : Wageningen University

Grade : Master of Science (MS) 2012

Résumé
This research is about the impact of micro-credit provided by Decentralized Financial Systems (DFS) on income improvement of farmers in Zoungou in Burkina Faso. In Burkina Faso, several NGOs are engaged in micro-finance activities, among which the Office de Développement des Eglises Evangéliques (ODE). ODE set up a DFS in 2010 called FINACOM which gives small loans to rice farmers to invest in Income Generating Activities (IGAs). These farmers are former ODE beneficiaries and farmers of Zoungou are among them. Among the IGAs are cow fattening, purchasing and reselling of agricultural products (cowpea, groundnut, paddy rice) and horticulture production. The aim is to improve the living conditions of farmers by increasing household income through small credits. After two years, 644 loans of CFA F 110,675,000 were given to male and female rice farmers. The objective of this research was to assess the contribution made by micro-credit on farmers’ income improvement and how sustainable is the micro-credit scheme for farmers and FINACOM.  For this, the following research questions were formulated : 1. What was the income situation of beneficiary farmers at Zoungou before the intervention ? 2. What is the current income situation of beneficiary farmers at Zoungou ? 3. How has the income situation of non-beneficiary farmers evolved at Zoungou for the past two years ? 4. What are the characteristics of FINACOM microcredit scheme ? 5. To what extend is the micro-credit scheme sustainable ? To answers these questions, individual interviews with beneficiaries, ODE staff and one focus group discussion were carried out. The focus group discussion consisted of 2 members of the credit committee, 3 members of the cooperative board and 5 beneficiaries. The 25 respondents interviewed were selected among the beneficiaries and the non-beneficiaries of FINACOM credit. Concerning ODE staff, the programme officer, the director of FINACOM and the field worker selected were. They were selected for their role in the credit programme delivery. The outcomes of the different individual interviews and focus group yielded the following results : first of all while a man borrows between CFA F 200,000 and CFA F 500,000 and invests in cow fattening, a woman borrows between CFA F 25,000 and CFA F 100,000 and invests in purchasing and reselling of agricultural products. The profit generated by a man on average is higher than a woman’s profit. The study found that both men and women borrowers use their profit for non-food expenditures (education, clothing, health) and the purchase of proteins (meat and fish) because cereals produced at Zoungou are sufficient. For farmers involved in horticulture production, the yield of the cereals they cultivate has increased. In fact, cereals cultivated after the harvest of horticulture benefit from remaining nutrients used during horticulture production. Concerning the sustainability of the credit scheme, the research found that it is sustainable for men and FINACOM ; women have to borrow for several times. As for the non-borrowers, their financial situation has not changed. Based on these findings, the study concludes that the credit has improved the income of borrowers. For the credit to reach more farmers and increase women’s income, the study recommends that OD

Mots clés : finance / credit / income / household income / farm income / farmers / rural development / sustainability / burkina faso

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