20 Oct 2012

BURKINA FASO / FARMING

Eking out any kind of life in the Sahel is tough, but a group of women in north western Burkina Faso are turning their corner of this harsh, arid region into a lush and productive garden. UNICEF

Posted at: October 20, 2012 12:35 am

Duration: 04:10

Available in: SD, HD

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Full script

STORY: BURKINA FASO / FARMING
TRT: 4.10
SOURCE: UNICEF
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: MOSSI / NATS

DATE: 1-6 JULY 2012, OUAHIGOUYA, TILLI, NOUSSOU – BURKINA FASO

SHOTLIST:

1. Various shots, woman farming
2. Close up, seed planting 
3. Wide shot, woman standing up
4. Tracking shot, following women
5. Wide shot, plants and woman farming
6. Pan right, from woman to man farming
7. Tilt up, woman digging
8. Med shot, woman farming
9. SOUNDBITE (Mossi) Kientego Sierotta, mother:
"The nutritional situation of children before the setting up of the project was severe. The children were falling sick regularly. But since we started to work here and the garden started producing vegetables, the children have been less sick and we have changed our diets."
10. Med shot, woman and baby
11. Wide shot, woman farming with baby on back
12. Close up, baby on mother's back
13. SOUNDBITE (Mossi) Kientego Sierotta, mother:
"We couldn't afford vegetables before. Now we can eat them and sell the surplus and generally the situation has improved significantly."
14. Med shot, picking vegetables
15. Med shot, little girl eating vegetable
16. Close up, picking vegetable
17. Close up, woman eating vegetable
18. SOUNDBITE (Mossi) Kientego Sierotta, mother:
"The benefits are huge for us and the community in general, it allows us to feed our families better. It also allows us to be a breadwinner for the family, we can help with our children's school fees, their health and also assist friends and family."
19. Tilt down, woman's feet
20. Wide shot, flip flops and woman farming
21. Med shot, woman washing face
22. Close up, carrying vegetables
23. Wide shot, carrying vegetables
24. Pan right, market
25. Wide shot, vegetable vendors
26. Close up, sprinkling water on herbs
27. Close up, sprinkling water on herbs
28. Close up, buying tomatoes
29. Wide shot, woman buying yams
30. Close up, handing over yams
31. SOUNDBITE (Mossi) Sawadogo Detu, fruit and vegetable vendor:
"My name's Sawadogo Detu and this is my stall. I sell yams, potatoes, vegetables and mangoes."
32. Med shot, vendor with yam
33. Close up, putting yam in bag
34. Wide shot, putting mangoes in bag
35. SOUNDBITE (Mossi) Sawadogo Detu, fruit and vegetable vendor:
"I received training about the causes of under nutrition and how to prevent it, so when customers come to buy from me I explain the benefits of each item to their diet and how they should prepare them."
36. Wide shot, mother with kids and bicycle
37. Close up, little girl carrying bananas
38. Wide shot, market
39. SOUNDBITE (Mossi) Sawadogo Detu, fruit and vegetable vendor:
"I think my role is very important. I volunteered because I am a mother and I need to make sure that my family is fed properly. Now that I'm trained, I teach others as well so that every family is well fed."
40. Wide shot, mother returning to village
41. Wide shot, boys on bench
42. Close up, boy
43. Close up, woman carrying sticks
44. Wide shot, woman carrying sticks

STORYLINE:

Bordering on the vast Sahara Desert, the Sahel stretches across the African continent.

Eking out any kind of life here is tough, but a group of women in north western Burkina Faso are turning their corner of this harsh, arid region into a lush and productive garden.

In a place where people survive mainly on the staple, but nutritionally poor grain, millet, the vegetables these women produce are changing their and their families' diets and lives.

SOUNDBITE (Mossi) Kientego Sierotta, mother:
"The nutritional situation of children before the setting up of the project was severe. The children were falling sick regularly. But since we started to work here and the garden started producing vegetables, the children have been less sick and we have changed our diets."

Poor nutrition is widespread. Families rely on staple grains, while vitamin rich fruit and vegetables are expensive and mothers unaware of their importance to their family's diet.

SOUNDBITE (Mossi) Kientego Sierotta, mother:
"We couldn't afford vegetables before. Now we can eat them and sell the surplus and generally the situation has improved significantly."

The women receive training on farming techniques and funding towards the construction of wells. Through crop selection and rotation, the garden is productive year round and is giving the women a more active role in their community.

SOUNDBITE (Mossi) Kientego Sierotta, mother:
"The benefits are huge for us and the community in general, it allows us to feed our families better. It also allows us to be a breadwinner for the family, we can help with our children's school fees, their health and also assist friends and family."

This is a project that's part of a 1.7 million Euro joint action between UNICEF and the European Union aimed at improving nutrition security. The four year project will aim to reach almost one and half thousand villages across the country. It's not an emergency response, but rather an effort to improve nutrition security across the country so that when nutrition crises do happen, families, especially children are better able to handle the impact.

Some of the excess fruit and vegetables end up here, the food market in Ouahigouye where fruit and vegetable vendors have been taught the nutritional value of their wares and share it with their customers.

SOUNDBITE (Mossi) Sawadogo Detu, fruit and vegetable vendor:
 "My name's Sawadogo Detu and this is my stall. I sell yams, potatoes, vegetables and mangoes.

SOUNDBITE (Mossi) Sawadogo Detu, fruit and vegetable vendor:
"I received training about the causes of under nutrition and how to prevent it, so when customers come to buy from me I explain the benefits of each item to their diet and how they should prepare them."

Sawadogo is just one of many vendors throughout the market who have been trained and now share their knowledge. Each one is a volunteer and each one feels it their duty to help their community improve its nutritional status.

SOUNDBITE (Mossi) Sawadogo Detu, fruit and vegetable vendor:
"I think my role is very important. I volunteered because I am a mother and I need to make sure that my family is fed properly. Now that I'm trained, I teach others as well so that every family is well fed."

It's still too early to gauge the impact interventions like these will have in the long term, but according to mothers, children are already healthier and more energetic, they're doing better in school and fall sick less often.

While the direct aim of the project is improved nutrition, indirectly it is also helping communities become more educated and more financially secure, so that they're looking forward to a time when they are no longer at the mercy of the Sahel.