🇧🇫Burkina FasoWest Africa
Kévin Ouédraogo champions agroecology and neglected medicinal plants in Burkina Faso
via Lefaso.net7 min read
Kévin Ouédraogo, a civil administrator by training and a representative of an international organization promoting traditional medicine, is a passionate advocate for agroecology and the preservation of medicinal plants. For over 30 years, he has dedicated himself to this work, establishing an agroecology training center and a promotion center. His journey has taken him across Burkina Faso to learn from traditional knowledge holders, to Senegal to deepen his understanding of medicinal plants, and to Israel and Europe to study agroecological techniques. These experiences have solidified his belief that Africa's future involves reconnecting with its natural environment. Ouédraogo manages two agroecological sites, one in Komsilga and another in Néboun, where plants are observed, studied, multiplied, and protected. Many of these species are rare or endangered in their natural habitats. He highlights the African peach Sarcocephalus latifolius as a "living pharmacy" and emphasizes the importance of Moringa oleifera and Morinda citrifolia Noni for their medicinal and economic potential. He notes that a liter of Moringa oil produced in Burkina Faso can fetch around 80,000 CFA francs, illustrating the economic opportunities. Ouédraogo laments the increasing pressure on natural resources in Burkina Faso and recalls the environmental campaigns under Captain Thomas Sankara, whose efforts largely faded after 1987, leading to significant species loss. His center actively works to reconstitu
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