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For 20 years we have been fighting for a fairer and greener world by closing the hunger and poverty trap in Burkina Faso. Our concrete goal: To give hope again to the suffering peasant families in the Shael Zone by helping them to help themselves. To achieve this we are directly on site and support 450 farmers’ organisations.
In Burkina Faso the potential of suitable arable land has been exhausted. The rapidly growing population can only be fed in the future if the yields of existing arable land are increased. The rural population will double to 40 million people by 2050. If we do not make an effort now to continuously intensify agriculture, the estimated need for 4 million hectares of new arable land will be at the expense of the forest stand.
When it rains during the four-month rainy season in West African Burkina Faso, it is short and very heavy. In many cases, the rains do more harm than good, because after the long dry season the bare arable soils are crusted and the rainwater cannot penetrate the soil fast enough.
Even small slopes form torrential streams, which erode the fertile soil – if still present. We were able to find a way to use both the rainwater and the sediments for the recultivation of depleted wasteland. The result: arable land that has been cultivated by small farmers for 25 years.
The Sahel in West Africa has been considered a negative example of desertification since the drought disaster of 1984; this is the name given to the progressive spread of deserts and desert-like areas due to overpopulation and the resulting exploitation of the land by livestock and people.
After the assassination of Sankara, his fight against the deserts survived with the help of the first German aid project PATECORE.
With the death of Sankara, the orientation of politics towards the common good also died in favour of profit taking and corruption. The breakthrough came when small farmers were given the opportunity to act more independently.
Personal responsibility becomes a building block of success under Melchior Landolt as team leader of the German GTZ
effects in 2003:
In 2004, the German government abruptly discontinued the successful PATECORE project.
Terra Verde e.V. and IDD Burkina are founded in Germany and Burkina Faso:
Our track record
The effect of half a million tons of laid stone
Agriculture, ecology and politics form a unity
A new area of responsibility has been created: POLITICAL ECOLOGY
Picture: DBU
“The project “Stones against the desert” I have noted with great interest and much sympathy. Above all, however, I am very concerned that soils have remained something like the forgotten component of environmental policy. This is all the more incomprehensible when one considers that soil once eroded by erosion can never be returned.
So I wish you the greatest possible success for this project. I would be grateful if we could stay in touch.”
© Mark Dodd / The Right Livelihood Award
“My friends from the IDD and Terra Verde are companions for the future of Burkina Faso. Stopping the desert is the path that the whole Sahel zone has before it”.
Picture: Biovision
“My vision is a world with enough and healthy food for all, produced by healthy people in a healthy environment. In this sense Terra-Verde e.V. and its Burkinabe partner association successfully support small farmers in Burkina Faso. They improve the nutritional basis of present and future generations and thus contribute to reducing the number of poverty and environmental refugees. The example of Terra-Verde e.V. shows that a lot can be achieved with high commitment”.
Picture: DBU
“Already on the drive to Kongoussi (120 km north of Ouagadougou) we noticed the innumerable contour stone walls on the farmland, the effects of which were immediately visible to us: the areas built with stone walls have a deeper topsoil and the growth of woody plants is much greater than on uncultivated areas.
Mr. Landolt and his colleagues have proven that a lot can be achieved with commitment and professional knowledge. The track record to date is remarkable. Terra-Verde e.V. is a trustworthy and good address for committed people, organisations and foundations who want to participate in the field of global poverty reduction and global environmental policy”.
Picture: ©WorldResources Inst.
“… a very important locomotive of an impressive success story was the German-Burkinabe project PATECORE, which is being continued by former project staff. Together with the staff of the University of Ouagadougou we have documented the positive effects of soil and water conservation. Our recommendation to the political decision-makers is to give farmers much more support to preserve the natural environment and increase soil fertility. I know the employees of Terra-Verde e.V. and its Burkinabe partner association very well and wish them every success in their work”.
The office in Germany is responsible for the organisational and logistical framework for the activities of members, cooperation with partner associations and public bodies such as the BMZ and KfW.
Learn more about our structure and how our funds reach the rural population in need.
Africa needs African solutions. The outdated donor-recipient mentality is being replaced by a partnership-based cooperation with initiative and ownership.
In our Eco Center we document the destruction of the natural environment and train farmers for sustainable cultivation.
Highest transparency, planning reliability and cost control. Our partner organisation IDD Burkina serves over 450 farmers’ organisations in Burkina Faso.
We are looking for strong partners and committed people to work for a fairer and greener future.
Join in now!
Would you like to do voluntary work?
Then you can find more information about the cooperation here
Do you want to do something good as a company?
We advise you on the possibilities and support you in the implementation.
Terra Verde creates participation opportunities for foundations so that many good deeds can be turned into something great.
