**1. Introduction**

In Burkina Faso, agriculture is the main source of income for the poorest people and the pillar of the country's food security. It employs more than 80% of the active population and contributes to 30.3% of GDP [1]. Agriculture is dominated by small family farms, and production consists mainly of cereal crops, cash crops, legumes/ tubers, and market garden crops. The market gardening crops concerns fruits and vegetables and is practiced especially in dry season. It accounts for 16.5% of agricultural production and generates about 400,000 jobs, 25% of which are held by

women [2]. Market garden crop production is practiced in all regions of the country over an area estimated at 27,661 ha, with nearly 21 crops produced. Most of the vegetable production is for sale, with an overall marketing rate of over 90% [3].

The bulbous onion is the main market gardening culture both in terms of the area planted and the quantity produced. The total production of bulbous onion accounts for 32.4% of total vegetable production, and 41.4% of market garden areas are grown on bulbous onions [3]. The northern region is the main production area for onions. In this area, the potato also occupies an important place. Potato production in the northern region accounts for more than half of the national production [2].

However, market gardening production like most agricultural products in Burkina Faso is affected by the effects of climate change. The effects of climate change are mainly manifested by a decrease in rainfall, a deregulation of the rainy season, a greater irregularity of rainfall, and a frequency of drought [4]. Extreme phenomena such as floods and droughts are increasingly recurrent and affect farms. In fact, flooding affected 6.2% of the plots in operation during the 2016–2017 campaign, and 23.9% of the plots were affected by drought at the national level [5]. This rainfall variability affects the availability of water that is required for agricultural production.

In addition to these production risks, market garden production faces conservation constraints. Crop conservation is affected by insect rodent and mold attacks [6]. Crop storage infrastructures are insufficient and remain inadequate. These conservation difficulties are a major constraint for market gardening. Indeed, most market garden products are perishable, and poor conservation deteriorates their quality [7]. The lack of adequate conservation technology does not allow producers to store products in anticipation of periods when prices are more remunerative. Thus, the products are sold at harvest, and this does not ensure a balance between supply and demand throughout the year.

In order to ensure a good management of the market gardening product supply and to assure a good income for the actors of the sector, technologies allowing a better conservation of the products have been developed. However, these technologies are less known and poorly adopted. The objective of this chapter is to identify constraints to the valorization of these technologies and analyze factors influencing farmers' perception of innovations. Knowledge of the constraints to the valorization of new technologies and understanding factors affecting farmers' perception of these technologies are key in informing policies that aimed at spreading these technologies. The literature on adoption of innovation reveals that farmers' perception of the modern technology has significant influence on adoption decisions ([8] and [9]). Adoption of technologies by farmers may reflect rational decision-making based on farmers' perceptions of the appropriateness of the characteristics and the value of technology. However, the literature on socioeconomic factors determining such perception of technology is scarce.

The rest of the chapter is divided into six sections. Section 2 presents the configuration of the onion and potato market in Burkina Faso. Section 3 reviews methods and technologies for preserving agricultural products. Section 4 examines the technology valorization process in Burkina Faso. Section 5 analyzes the perception of farmers toward Tilgr-Baore technology. Section 6 concludes the chapter.

### **2. The configuration of the bulbous onion and potato market**

The onion contains two products depending on the stage of the harvest. When it is produced for the purpose of harvesting only the leaves, we speak of leaf onion; on the other hand, if we wait for the maturity to have bulbs, we speak of bulbous

**51**

**Figure 1.**

*Local Techniques for Crop Conservation in Burkina Faso: Analysis of the Valorization Status…*

Production (tons) 54,959 242,258 1376 6954 Area (hectare) 3681 11,449 73 262 Yield (tons/hectare) 15 21 18.85 26.54

**Onion Potato 2005 2008 2004 2008**

onion. Bulb onion is grown in all 13 regions of Burkina Faso. Its production is seasonal and has increased considerably in recent years. Burkina's bulbous onion is marketed locally and in the subregion, especially in neighboring countries such as Cote d'Ivoire, Togo, Ghana, and Benin. In the rest of the chapter, we will use the

Like the onion, the potato production is realized mainly during the dry and cold seasons. The cultivation is necessarily irrigated, and the availability of a source of water is a sine qua non condition to its implantation. The production of potatoes is carried out by farmers grouped or not within producer organizations and is essentially intended to satisfy the national demand. **Table 1** shows the evolution of bulb

The data in **Table 1** show that onion production increased by 341% between 2005 and 2008. This reflects the growing interest in the sector. It is an important source of income for rural people as more than 70% of production is devoted to marketing. The current situation of the local onion market is characterized by a single production cycle that runs from November to January with harvest periods that stop between March and April. This seasonality in onion production, combined with the weakness of onion conservation infrastructure, limits the availability of the product throughout the year. Fluctuations in the supply of onions during the year cause large price variations. **Figure 1** shows the evolution of the price of the kilogram of onion in CFA francs, during a year. Prices are highest from October to December declining thereafter and reaching their floor at the harvest period (in April). Thereafter they resume their cycle up until the end of the year.

Potato kilogram prices also fluctuate seasonally due to the low availability of the product throughout the year. Since the possibilities of conservation are very limited,

*Evolution of the price of the onion in CFA francs, during the year 2015. Source: [12].*

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85179*

*Source: [10, 11]*

**Table 1.**

term onion to describe the bulbous onion.

*Evolution of onion bulb and potato production.*

onion and potato production in Burkina Faso.

*Local Techniques for Crop Conservation in Burkina Faso: Analysis of the Valorization Status… DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.85179*


#### **Table 1.**

*Agricultural Economics - Current Issues*

supply and demand throughout the year.

of technology is scarce.

women [2]. Market garden crop production is practiced in all regions of the country over an area estimated at 27,661 ha, with nearly 21 crops produced. Most of the vegetable production is for sale, with an overall marketing rate of over 90% [3].

The bulbous onion is the main market gardening culture both in terms of the area planted and the quantity produced. The total production of bulbous onion accounts for 32.4% of total vegetable production, and 41.4% of market garden areas are grown on bulbous onions [3]. The northern region is the main production area for onions. In this area, the potato also occupies an important place. Potato production in the northern region accounts for more than half of the national production [2].

However, market gardening production like most agricultural products in Burkina

In addition to these production risks, market garden production faces conservation constraints. Crop conservation is affected by insect rodent and mold attacks [6]. Crop storage infrastructures are insufficient and remain inadequate. These conservation difficulties are a major constraint for market gardening. Indeed, most market garden products are perishable, and poor conservation deteriorates their quality [7]. The lack of adequate conservation technology does not allow producers to store products in anticipation of periods when prices are more remunerative. Thus, the products are sold at harvest, and this does not ensure a balance between

In order to ensure a good management of the market gardening product supply and to assure a good income for the actors of the sector, technologies allowing a better conservation of the products have been developed. However, these technologies are less known and poorly adopted. The objective of this chapter is to identify constraints to the valorization of these technologies and analyze factors influencing farmers' perception of innovations. Knowledge of the constraints to the valorization of new technologies and understanding factors affecting farmers' perception of these technologies are key in informing policies that aimed at spreading these technologies. The literature on adoption of innovation reveals that farmers' perception of the modern technology has significant influence on adoption decisions ([8] and [9]). Adoption of technologies by farmers may reflect rational decision-making based on farmers' perceptions of the appropriateness of the characteristics and the value of technology. However, the literature on socioeconomic factors determining such perception

The rest of the chapter is divided into six sections. Section 2 presents the configuration of the onion and potato market in Burkina Faso. Section 3 reviews methods and technologies for preserving agricultural products. Section 4 examines the technology valorization process in Burkina Faso. Section 5 analyzes the perception of farmers toward Tilgr-Baore technology. Section 6 concludes the chapter.

The onion contains two products depending on the stage of the harvest. When it is produced for the purpose of harvesting only the leaves, we speak of leaf onion; on the other hand, if we wait for the maturity to have bulbs, we speak of bulbous

**2. The configuration of the bulbous onion and potato market**

Faso is affected by the effects of climate change. The effects of climate change are mainly manifested by a decrease in rainfall, a deregulation of the rainy season, a greater irregularity of rainfall, and a frequency of drought [4]. Extreme phenomena such as floods and droughts are increasingly recurrent and affect farms. In fact, flooding affected 6.2% of the plots in operation during the 2016–2017 campaign, and 23.9% of the plots were affected by drought at the national level [5]. This rainfall variability

affects the availability of water that is required for agricultural production.

**50**

*Evolution of onion bulb and potato production.*

onion. Bulb onion is grown in all 13 regions of Burkina Faso. Its production is seasonal and has increased considerably in recent years. Burkina's bulbous onion is marketed locally and in the subregion, especially in neighboring countries such as Cote d'Ivoire, Togo, Ghana, and Benin. In the rest of the chapter, we will use the term onion to describe the bulbous onion.

Like the onion, the potato production is realized mainly during the dry and cold seasons. The cultivation is necessarily irrigated, and the availability of a source of water is a sine qua non condition to its implantation. The production of potatoes is carried out by farmers grouped or not within producer organizations and is essentially intended to satisfy the national demand. **Table 1** shows the evolution of bulb onion and potato production in Burkina Faso.

The data in **Table 1** show that onion production increased by 341% between 2005 and 2008. This reflects the growing interest in the sector. It is an important source of income for rural people as more than 70% of production is devoted to marketing. The current situation of the local onion market is characterized by a single production cycle that runs from November to January with harvest periods that stop between March and April. This seasonality in onion production, combined with the weakness of onion conservation infrastructure, limits the availability of the product throughout the year. Fluctuations in the supply of onions during the year cause large price variations. **Figure 1** shows the evolution of the price of the kilogram of onion in CFA francs, during a year. Prices are highest from October to December declining thereafter and reaching their floor at the harvest period (in April). Thereafter they resume their cycle up until the end of the year.

Potato kilogram prices also fluctuate seasonally due to the low availability of the product throughout the year. Since the possibilities of conservation are very limited,

the market is supplied irregularly, which has a significant impact on prices. The price of the kilogram of the potato drops sharply in times of plenty (150–200 FCFA/ kg in February–March). A few months later, there is a rapid rise in price when the product becomes rare (between 500 and 700 FCFA/kg). At this point, it is the importation (from Mali and Europe) that intervenes to compensate for the insufficiency of local production [13].

The analysis of the onion and potato market pattern indicates that these two vegetable crops have identical production cycles. Almost all production is put on the market at harvest to avoid the losses that could result from poor conservation of products. Postharvest losses are highly dependent on the technologies used for storage and conservation. The example of the onion indicates that losses can reach up to 50% when production is not stored in any infrastructure [14]. The proportion of losses due to storage greatly reduces the profit margin of agricultural producers. The need to improve conservation techniques and the choice of appropriate structures is essential for the actors in the sector. However, what are the methods and technologies for the conservation of agricultural products in Burkina Faso?
