As part of the “Programme d’actions structurées des acteurs de la Lutte contre la Désertification” (PASS-LCD), CARI and its partners wish to highlight the women and men working daily to promote agroecology in the Sahel. These spokespersons for agroecology carry out advocacy work at various levels (local, national, international) and work with local populations to encourage the emergence of agroecological practices and demonstrate their relevance in the fight against desertification.
Read the interview with Kabré Moussa Oussena, a farmer and young promoter of Protect Nature SARL, who is working to ensure that farmers’ voices are heard and to promote healthy, sustainable and living agriculture in Burkina Faso. In 2025, Kabré Moussa Oussena was elected young Minister of Agriculture for the Burkina Youth Government, an association that aims to build the capacity of young people on issues of governance, leadership and state management.
Interview with Kabré Moussa Oussena
When did you first become interested in agroecology? Was there a key moment that raised your awareness?
My realisation came when I saw soils dying because of chemical fertilisers, and families ruined because of their dependence on hybrid seeds in 2019. I saw farmers working themselves to death to stay poor. I’ve said stop. That’s not farming. I started looking for alternatives, experimenting. And when I saw the results of agroecology, I realised that this was our way forward.
What does agroecology mean to you? What does it represent?
For me, agro-ecology isn’t just a method. It’s a lifestyle choice. It means respecting the earth, producing without poisoning it, feeding people without ruining them, and regaining our independence as farmers. It means understanding that nature is our first partner. It’s also an act of resistance against the system that pushes us to buy everything and use everything up.
How do you promote agroecology? Who do you work with?
I train young people, women and rural groups. I organise practical workshops, I accompany producers season after season, I share on the networks, I create small modules, I document my successes and failures.
I’m not an “office expert”, I’m a hands-on farmer. And I believe that an example is worth a thousand words.
What do you see as the priorities for ensuring an agro-ecological transition?
Massive training. Enhance farmers’ knowledge. Protect land. Invest in local research. Support local markets. And above all… give farmers confidence. Agro-ecology will not be a transition if it does not come from the farmers themselves, with their own voice, their own strength.
What are the obstacles or barriers that need to be removed?
There are many obstacles: lack of political support, difficult access to land for young people, dominance of chemical inputs, wilful ignorance on the part of certain “decision-makers”. We also need to break down the image of farmers as poor welfare recipients. We are the builders of the future.
How do you see the future of agroecology in your country?
I believe that agroecology is the future of Burkina Faso. Not because it’s fashionable, but because it’s viable, sober and humane. It can bring young people back to the land with dignity. It can restore hope to women. It can restore our soil, our water and our villages. It can feed the country sustainably.
Information on the structure
Protect Narure SARL is a Burkinabe company founded in 2023 that produces, processes, adds value to and markets agricultural inputs and equipment, as well as agro-sylvo-pastoral products. It also promotes eco-responsibility.
To find out more
Read the article “Burkina: Agroecology, a solution to soil degradation” on Libre Info
