BACKGROUND

Burkina Faso is a land-locked country in West Africa. It is a low-income country in the Sahel with limited natural resources. 32 percent of the domestic income is generated by the agricultural sector, which also employs 80 percent of the population.

It is known to have a primarily dry tropical climate with two distinct seasons; a short rainy season and a long dry season. It is ranked as one of the most climate-vulnerable countries in the world. Extreme weather events, low rainfall, desertification, and deforestation have been identified as key threats to the climate in Burkina Faso. Extreme weather in the country includes chronic drought, flash floods, high winds, and extreme variation between the dry and wet seasons. The country is also highly vulnerable to insect infestations, heatwaves, and dust storms. The reliance on agriculture makes livelihoods and the domestic economy highly vulnerable to changes in the natural environment.

Since 2016, Burkina Faso has experienced intercommunal conflict and armed group attacks. Between 2016 and the present day, the country has faced civilian deaths, internal displacement, and an increasingly tense security situation along the borders of Niger and Mali. The combined dependence on climate-sensitive economic activities, chronic poverty, and conflict decreases the coping capacity of people in the face of extreme weather hazards.

INFORM RISK INDEX (2022)    

Hazard and exposure: 5.5  |  Vulnerability: 7.4  |  Lack of coping capacity: 6.5  (high) |  Total: 6.4  |  Rank: 15

HAZARDS COVERED BY ANTICIPATION    

Population movement | Conflict | Insect infestation (Desert locust) | Drought

EXPERIENCE ON ANTICIPATION 

• The anticipatory action in Burkina Faso is being piloted by OCHA, FAO, and WFP.
• The OCHA-led anticipatory pilot program and country framework to mitigate the impacts of drought was endorsed in 2022 and will be valid for two years.
• In 2020, FAO launched a regional appeal for funds for anticipatory action to mitigate the impacts of the desert locust invasion on food security and livelihoods across six participating counties in the Sahel and West Africa. The actions targeted Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, and Senegal.
• Start Network and Start Fund have allocated funding to partners in Burkina Faso in response to alerts of displacement, conflict, flooding, and disease outbreaks. Burkina Faso was one of the first five countries to have projects funded by the COVID-19-specific Start Fund in 2020.

Read more about projects, resources, activations and working groups below.