Green Mango for Better Livelihoods
Burkina Faso,
ongoing
Scaling sustainable mango production and market access in Burkina Faso
The Green Mango for Better Livelihoods (GMBL) project promotes sustainable, inclusive, and climate-resilient production and processing. It is implemented by a consortium composed of SNV (lead partner), Rose Éclat (a Burkinabè company specialising in mango drying), and ADELANTE Foods BV (a European distributor of dried fruit).
The project is supported by €1.5 million in funding from the Danish Ministry of Foreign Affairs through the Green Business Partnerships Fund (DGBP), supplemented by a 25% contribution from the consortium’s commercial partners.
It covers four regions of Burkina Faso—Kadiogo (Centre), Nando (Centre-West), Guiriko (Hauts-Bassins), and Tannounyan (Cascades)—and will run from 2025 to 2028.
Context
The mango sector occupies a strategic place in the Burkinabè economy, contributing to food security, income generation, and the preservation of plant cover. It represents a significant share of national fruit production and creates both local and export economic opportunities.
Between 2014 and 2020, dried mango production increased from 700 tonnes to 3,800 tonnes, leading to a 50% rise in export revenues. However, the sector remains constrained by low productivity, significant post-harvest losses, limited market access, and increased vulnerability to the effects of climate change.
Producers are struggling to meet international standards, while local processing units face high costs and a lack of certifications needed to access European premium markets.
In this context, the Green Mango for Better Livelihoods (GMBL) project, led by SNV and its partners, serves as a key lever to unlock the sector’s potential by:
Improving productivity through climate-smart agricultural practices.
Reducing costs through green technologies such as solar dryers and biodigesters.
Facilitating access to premium markets by obtaining and securing international certifications (BRC A-grade, organic, fair trade).
Creating employment and training opportunities for women and young people.
By valuing local production, reducing losses, and facilitating access to high value-added markets, GMBL helps to build a sustainable, inclusive, and climate-resilient mango value chain, while placing women and young people at the heart of its impact.
Objectives
The overall objective of the GMBL project is to establish a sustainable, inclusive, and climate-resilient mango value chain in Burkina Faso. It aims to improve the livelihoods of smallholder farmers by enhancing production, securing market access, and creating employment. The project delivers economic, social, and environmental benefits, with a strong focus on women and young people.
Target groups
Smallholder producers: 900 trained in climate-smart agricultural practices.
Women and youth: 1,200 jobs and entrepreneurship opportunities created.
Local processing unit in Burkina Faso: Rose Éclat benefits from green technologies and international certifications.
European consumers: access to high-quality dried mangoes from Burkina Faso, produced according to sustainable and ethical standards.
Value proposition
The project catalyses systemic change in the mango value chain in Burkina Faso by:
Integrating scalable green technologies and international certifications.
Strengthening collaboration between producers, processing units, and other value chain actors.
Encouraging the replication and widespread adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices.
Promoting the financial inclusion of small-scale producers and processors.
Using an industrial biodigester at the local processing unit as a sustainable solution to convert waste into biogas for electricity.
The project also integrates several cross-cutting approaches into its implementation, including:
Adaptation to climate change; Conflict-Sensitive Management (CSMM); Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI); Community-based development.
Expected outcomes and impact
SDG 8: Job Creation and Inclusive Economic Growth
1,200 full-time equivalent (FTE) job opportunities created.
900 producers gain access to a regular market for the supply of fresh mangoes.
Several tonnes of dried mangoes produced per year and marketed in Europe.
SDG 12: Sustainable Production and Certifications
Small producers and Rose Éclat obtain and maintain BRC A-grade, organic, fair trade, and SMETA certifications.
400 hectares of orchards managed under sustainable and climate-smart agricultural practices.
SDG 13: Climate Resilience through Green Technologies
5,700 people have increased resilience to climate change.
2,800 tonnes of CO₂ equivalent emissions reduced through renewable energy and agroecological practices.
