Assessment Of The Role Of Microfinance Institutions In Improving Smallholder Farmers’ Perception And Their Adaptation Capacities To Climate Change In Loumbila In Burkina Faso

Abstract

Burkina Faso, a low income and landlocked country located in West Africa in the Sahel with limited natural resources,will face challenging changes in temperature, rainfall,storms and extreme weather events which will certainly affect the low agricultural productivity and food security that keeps constraining the country’s economic growth.In this vein, Microfinance could be of great help to foster farmers adaption capacities to Climate change. Therefore, this Master thesis aimed at assessing the role of Microfinance in improving smallholder farmers’ adaptation strategies to Climate Change in Loumbila in Burkina Faso. The specific objectives which were pursued were (i) to assess the awareness of farmers about Climate Change , (ii) to study the challenges encountered by farmers to adapt to CC and (iii) to find out the possible services Microfinance could provide to farmers in order to improve their adaptive capacities. A sample of 52 smallholder farmers aged between 25 and 55 years participated in the study.A questionnaire translated into both French and Mooré (local language) included matters relating to farmers perception or awareness about Climate change, Farmers’ challenges about adaptation to CC and Microfinance role in improving farmers adapation capacities were used in the interviews. The nature, objective of the research and the contents of the questionnaire were explained to farmers.Face to face and meeting interviews with farmers were used to fill the questionnaire.The collected data were analysed with Excel.Analysis of the results showed there is still a need to raise awareness of farmers about CC in order to adapt to it, need to be provided by Microfinance green funds, agricultural inputs, flexibility in loan contracts and climate insurance.