ABSTRACT
Like many West African cities the population of the informal districts of Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso’s capital (1,500,000 inhabitants estimated in 2006, INSD 2009), are vulnerable to food insecurity. Ongoing population growth and climate change lead to the extension of rural lands and the emergence of informal neighbourhoods. These marginal agricultural areas are home for the capital’s poorest people (nearly 25% of the urban population of Ouagadougou). Access to food is becoming increasingly uncertain for them. In a context where the impact of climate change on food security in urban areas is poorly addressed with little disparate and abundant documentation, the objective of this study is to analyse the determinants of food insecurity in the suburb of Polesgo. Both quantitative and qualitative methods have been used for data collection. The application of FAO techniques allowed to analyse the determinants of food insecurity and to understand household responses. This evidenced that the problem has become a daily reality for the people of Polesgo and that 3/5 of households are regularly experiencing food insecurity. The determinants are both conjunctural and structural. The purchasing power is very low: 77.5% of households in Polesgo have a monthly income of less than FCFA 25,000 (~ € 38). Agricultural production has become very low and market prices for some cereals have fluctuated widely over the past decade. Faced with this food insecurity aggravated by climate change, adaptation strategies are developed by populations, including livestock farming (bovine, ovine, porcine, caprine, poultry), and income-generating activities (carpentry, welding, mechanics, small trade), and the rationalisation of family spending.
