S09 - Session P4 - Present conditions and challenges on the fertilizer application by vegetable production farmers in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso

Authors: Masakazu Yamada *, Salomé Ouedraogo Toukoumnogo

Vegetable production in urban and peri-urban area is one of the most important food supply sources for the resident and provides the job opportunity in the value-chain from production to consumption. In urban and peri-urban area, high population growth annual rate causes the increasing demand to not only staple food crop but also vegetable especially in developing countries. For enhancing vegetable production, land productivity improvement is required and the fertilizer application to vegetable cultivation is one of the most effective solutions. This paper presents the results of interview survey focused on the fertilizer application mainly to 69 vegetable production farmers at 3 areas in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. The structured interview is conducted by agricultural extension officers from August to October in 2021 after the preliminary survey. The survey results show that farmers grow 2 to 7 different crops, either by family members only or by family members and employed workers mainly women live in same or neighboring village. The farmers apply fertilizer to 64.7% of cultivars based on their experience and observation on vegetable growth level. Concerning purchasing fertilizer, 78.3% of farmers have challenges such as difficulty to find out reliable quality one or with affordable price especially in the beginning of rainy season. One possible reason for the increasing prices is the impact of Covid-19 pandemic on the distribution system in the country.