Having already provided cover for maize, millet, sorghum, cowpeas, groundnuts, soya, cotton, sesame, fonio, yams, potatoes and rice, Burkina Faso is set to extend agricultural insurance to the livestock sector from the 2026–2027 growing season.
From now on, livestock farmers can take out insurance policies against risks associated with poultry mortality, small ruminant plague, rinderpest, swine fever and bovine tuberculosis, as well as fodder shortages. With insurance premiums subsidised by 30% by the Burkinabe government, this extension of agricultural insurance to livestock aims to strengthen livestock farmers’ resilience in the face of the uncertainties affecting the sector’s productivity.
As an agricultural country with over 80% of the working population employed in agriculture, Burkina Faso seeks to end its dependence on food imports to feed its people. The current government’s ambition is therefore to ensure the country’s food sovereignty by relying on domestic crop and livestock production.
To achieve this ambitious goal, building the resilience of farmers and livestock breeders is a key priority. The introduction of agricultural insurance in 2019, under the auspices of the Ministry of Agriculture, Water, Animal and Fisheries Resources, in partnership with insurance companies grouped within the Professional Association of Insurance Companies of Burkina (APSAB), is part of this political commitment to safeguard the productive capital and investments of farmers and herders.
Having started with three crops in a few pilot regions, this agricultural risk cover has now been extended to a dozen crops, namely maize, millet, sorghum, cowpeas, groundnuts, soya, cotton, sesame, fonio, cassava, potatoes and rice, and covers all farmers throughout the country. It protects them against yield losses linked to drought, flooding, bushfires, locust infestations, and plant diseases, and includes coverage for the death of the policyholder.
This public intervention, through the state’s subsidy of agricultural insurance premiums – initially set at 50% and now at 30% – has made it possible to gradually increase uptake of the insurance scheme, bolster stakeholders’ confidence and demonstrate in practical terms the added value of agricultural insurance in safeguarding production activities.
To illustrate, during the 2025–2026 agricultural season, 41,838 hectares of agricultural land across 165 municipalities were insured. A total of 1,072 producers affected by losses were compensated with over 59 million CFA francs, excluding policies relating to cotton insurance products.
A key priority
For the 2026–2027 campaign, Burkina Faso has resolved to strengthen protection against production risks in a sector that is essential to national development: livestock farming. With a livestock population comprising 6.19 million cattle, 9.7 million sheep, 12.8 million goats and 33 million native chickens, livestock farming is the country’s second-largest activity in the primary sector after agriculture. It employs around 80% of the working population and contributes more than 181% to national value added.
It also plays a significant role in the balance of trade. Indeed, after gold and cotton, livestock products are the third largest export of the ‘Land of Honest Men’. Ensuring the resilience of such a sector, through insurance, is therefore a strategic priority both for the sector’s stakeholders and for the national economy as a whole, given its interconnection with other areas of activity.
Livestock farmers can now breathe a sigh of relief, as they are no longer left to face the risks associated with certain animal diseases – risks that used to plunge them into financial hardship – on their own. They now benefit from insurance cover against fodder shortages, bovine tuberculosis, African swine fever, small ruminant plague, and poultry mortality linked to highly pathogenic avian influenza (bird flu).
With a 30% subsidy from the State, the total premium amounts to 14% of the animal’s value for bovine tuberculosis, 1.7% for small ruminant peste, 3.5% for African swine fever, and 7.7% for fodder shortages. The total premium is 50 CFA francs (US$0.09) per head for laying hens, broiler chickens, local breeds and ducks; 300 CFA francs (US$0.53) per head for turkeys; 120 CFA francs (US$0.21) for breeding stock; and 4 CFA francs (US$0.007) per egg.
As for compensation, this amounts to 100% of the insured sum. By way of illustration, this amounts to 2,500 CFA francs per head for chickens and guinea fowl, 4,500 CFA francs per duck, 25,000 CFA francs per turkey, and 90 CFA francs per egg. In the event of the insured person’s death, 100% of the sum insured is paid to the beneficiaries.
Meeting the challenge of getting farmers on board
For the Director-General for the Promotion of the Rural Economy, Ollé Arnaud Kam, the introduction of agro-pastoral insurance reflects the government’s commitment to providing the livestock sector with a tool for resilience – a safety net that protects producers’ investments and enables them to resume their activities following a disaster, without falling into precarious circumstances.
“This insurance scheme dedicated to livestock therefore marks a major turning point. For the first time, Burkinabe livestock farmers – the men and women who form the backbone of our pastoral sub-sector – will have insurance cover to deal with the major risks they face. This is a major achievement by the Government, the result of firm political will and rigorous technical planning,” he emphasised.
The initiative has been well received by livestock farmers. According to Amadou Tamboura, Secretary-General of the Federation of Livestock Farmers of Burkina Faso, this insurance cover has been eagerly awaited by stakeholders in the sector for years. “We have been waiting a very long time for livestock products to be included in the agricultural insurance package in Burkina. The authorities had made a firm promise to this effect. Today, we are delighted that it has become a reality. We are waiting for it to be implemented on the ground so that we can address any shortcomings as and when they arise,” he said.
Pending the first assessments, therefore, the extension of agricultural insurance to cover risks associated with the main segments of the livestock sector – namely the rearing of small ruminants (sheep, goats), poultry (chickens, guinea fowl, turkeys, ducks), cattle and pigs, represents a major step towards strengthening the resilience of livestock farmers who have long been deprived of such a financial protection mechanism.
However, given the novelty of these agro-pastoral insurance products and the low level of insurance awareness amongst the farming community, a major challenge remains: that of raising awareness amongst stakeholders to ensure greater uptake and widespread participation by pastoralists in both urban and rural areas.
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