Conception participative d’innovations et accompagnement des projets d’élevage familiaux au Burkina Faso : explorer, expérimenter et évaluer

In mixed farming systems in Western Burkina Faso, a large majority of farmers have a family livestock project (FLP) in mind. However, more than half of these projects do not even get started. Among those implemented, major flaws have been observed in livestock feed management, jeopardizing their profitability. This article presents an approach to design and support family livestock projects (DSFLP) conducted in part­nership between the farmers and a consultant. This approach helps to assist farmers in preparing, implementing and assess­ing their projects. It was developed with 10 farmers whose projects concerned draft, fattening, or dairy cattle production. DSFLP involves four steps: i) diagnosis, ii) measurement and research on improvement options, iii) implementation and adjustment, and iv) assessment. In this approach, the farmers had gradually developed FLP, while learning to manage it, by reorganizing their work and means of production. DSFLP has enhanced their learning on i) the control of feeding practices and ii) developing livestock project strategies, to promote suc­cess. For the researcher, it helped to understand the rationality of farmers by participating in the construction and implemen­tation of their projects.