Proceedings of the 1st African

Forum on Synecoculture
Editor s: A ndré TINDA NO, Mas atoshi FUNABASHIISSN 2432-3950
Citation Form: André Tindano and Masatoshi Funabashi, editor « Proceedings of the 1st African Forum on
Synecoculture » (English Version). Research and Education material of UniTwin UNESCO Complex Systems Digital
Campus, e-laboratory: Open Systems Exploration for Ecosystems Leveraging, No.5.
Editors: André Tindano, Masatoshi Funabashi
Original French version:
André Tindano et Masatoshi Funabashi « Actes du 1er Forum African sur la Synécoculture » Matériel éducatif et derecherche du Complex Systems Digital Campus, programme UniTwin de l’UNESCO, laboratoire en ligne : Exploration ensystèmes ouverts pour l'effet de levier écosystémique, No. 4.

Table of contents
INTRODUCTION: ................................................................................................................................... 4
CHAPTER I: Proceedings of the Symposium .................................................................................... 5
Conduct of the ceremony
DAY I: 19 October 2016 ......................................................................................................... 5
		First presentation
		Second presentation
		Third presentation
		Fourth Presentation
		Fifth Presentation
DAY II: 20 October 2016 ........................................................................................................ 7
		First presentation
		Second presentation
		Third presentation
		Fourth Presentation
DAY III: 21 October 2016 ...................................................................................................... 9
		First presentation
		Second presentation
CHAPTER II: REPORTS....................................................................................................................... 11II.1 ACTIVITY REPORT OF THE PILOT FARM OF SYNECOCULTURE
IN TAPOA, BURKINA FASO:		Description of the experiment 3/2015-11/2016

		Results		Implication of the results of synecoculture		

Observation and photos of the field		Conclusion
II.2 REPORT OF THE WORKING GROUPS ON THE PLANNING
OF A NEW SYNECOCULTURE PILOT FARM IN FADA N'GOURMA: ............................. 37
II.3 REPORT IN RELATION TO THE NEW CONSTITUTION OF BURKINA FASO: ........ 38
CHAPTER III: DECLARATIONS AND NOTICE OF SUPPORTIII.1: FADA N'GOURMA DECLARATION: ............................................................................ 40
III.2: SUBSCRIPTION LIST TO THE FADA N'GOURMA DECLARATION: ....................... 42
III.3: NOTICE OF SUPPORT: ............................................................................................... 43		Governor of the East Region (Inauguration speech)		Minister of Agriculture and Hydraulic Planning		Ambassador of Japan in Burkina Faso

		

President of the UniTwin UNESCO CS-DC program

APPENDICES: ...................................................................................................................................... 48
QUIZ and answers
Pictures of the forum
List of participants
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS : …………………………………………………......................………………. 56
REFERENCES : ……………………………………………………………………......................…………. 57

INTRODUCTION
Synecoculture is an alternative for agriculture that respects thepreservation of the environment and the reconstruction of biodiversity. It is asynthesis between humans and nature, which also converges to the ultimate
challenge of organic farming and conservation agriculture. Synecoculture
suppresses tillage and does not use fertilizers or pesticides. In a context of
reduced arable land, desert growth, climate change and growing populationpressure, this method of production in the Sahel countries is a strong expectation
as a panacea for sustainable development.
AFIDRA with the support of the Japanese researcher Masatoshi
Funabashi, the financial support of Sony CSL and the online technical andsoftware support of UniTwin UNESCO CS-DC, held the first African forum on
synecoculture in the city of Fada N' Gourma, Burkina Faso, for the disseminationof this new cropping method for experimentation at the African scale. The
meeting was held under the theme: "Synecoculture for sustainable, economicand ecological agriculture". This meeting brought together participants from
Cameroon, Benin, Togo, Sierra Leone, Niger, Mali, Tunisia, Belgium, France,
Japan, the United States and several regions of Burkina Faso, which allowedinteractive exchanges of their experiences, and to propose the right strategy topopularize this technology.
The objective of the organization of this first African forum was toraise awareness and responsibility for our way of production, aiming to create aframework of exchanges around the synecoculture. That is why AFIDRA devoted
three days of reflection and exchange around this new technology as an NGO
with particular focus on self-managed rural development. The motivation was
to sensitize public and private actors of civil society, and strengthen institutional
coordinations between local and regional authorities at the African level on theimportance of the practice of agriculture that reconstructs ecosystems, whileat the same time giving a critical analysis on the current cultural practices in
the countries of the Sahel. This meeting of Fada N'Gourma made it possible toidentify the major challenges and the prospects for the integration of syecoculturein the situations of African agriculture. The presentations made by the Japaneseexpert and the field trip on the site of the new farm of synecoculture near
Fada N’Gourma called for the foundation of the African Center of Research
and Training in Synecoculture (CARFS), which will elaborate the bases of
the theoretical concepts and practices necessary for the development ofsynecoculture in Africa. For the part of the presentations on current agricultural
practices (the limitations, constraints, perspectives and recommendations for the
integration and practice of synecoculture), the work took place in plenary andthe lectures have been ensured by agricultural experts in Burkina Faso with highlevel of practice and research.
The meeting resulted in a declaration with a commitment to defend theright of biodiversity, which was widely accepted by the participants.

4

Chapter I: Lecture note of the symposium

Lecture note of the Forum on Synecoculture held from 19 to 21
October 2016
Conduct of the ceremony
In the year 2016 from October 19 to 21 took place in Burkina Faso at the Hotel Panache of Fada N'Gourma the first African
Forum on Synecoculture around the subject: "Synecoculture for a sustainable and ecological agriculture: Challenges andProspects for Africa ".
The forum was attended and remotely participated by 64 agricultural researchers, students and practitioners from 13
countries in Africa, Asia, Europe and the United States of America.
The opening ceremony was presided over by Colonel Ousmane TRAORE, governor of the East region. It was marked
by two speeches: André TINDANO, General Secretary of AFIDRA, and the opening speech of the Governor of the East
region. Both welcomed the participants and indicated that this forum is set timely in view of tackling environmental
problems in sub-Saharan countries, as it will allow participants to better understand the concept of synecoculture, its
benefits and how it can be adopted in Africa in face of the climate change.
Before the opening remarks, Mr. André TINDANO made a brief presentation of AFIDRA:
Created in 2009, AFIDRA is a technical division of the “Organisation Pan-Africaine de Développement et d’Appui aux
Initiatives des Cadres (OPADAIC)”, and aims to improve the living conditions of populations through research, action andtraining to develop their intrinsic autonomy and self-sufficiency in a quality environment.

DAY I: 19 October 2016
The first day was marked by five presentations:First presentation: "Lecture on the Green Economy", led by Mr Becquet Polycarpe BATIONO, Director of
Promotion in Entrepreneurship and Green Investments (DPEIV), Directorate General for Green Economy andClimate Change (DGEVCC), Ministry of Environment, the Green Economy and Climate Change (MEEVCC).
The Green Economy and Green Jobs are concepts in vogue today in all spheres where sustainable development issues
are discussed. Burkina Faso has adopted its ten-year plan of action on sustainable consumption and production, with the
precautions against the following problematics that the green economy can avoid:- Accelerating change;- Stagnation of yields;- Depletion of fishery resources;- The increase in deforestation;- Compromise of biodiversity;- Toxic products increasingly disseminated.
In this type of economy, income and employment growth must come from public and private investment that reducescarbon emissions and pollution, enhancing resource efficiency and energy efficiency, and preventing loss of biodiversity
and environmental services.
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The green economy recognizes the value of natural capital, the value of investing in it and plays an essential role in thefight against poverty, creating jobs and strengthening social equity.
In terms of environmental issues, it:- Limits the depletion of natural resources, environmental degradation and reduces the impacts of climate change.
- Fight against degradation of natural resources (soil, water resources, biomass and biodiversity).
(This degradation has the following consequences: A decrease in biomass and land cover, pollution, misuse and loss ofwater resources.)
In terms of good practice, there is a promotion of:
❖
❖
❖
❖
❖

Energies (Hydroelectricity, Solar photovoltaic energy, Biodiesel, ...)
Forestry and landscape (Valorization of forest products and landscaping activities)
Agriculture and Livestock (Sustainable Agriculture, Organic Farming, Arboriculture)
Sanitation (waste management)
Construction and buildings (Valorization of local materials).

The presenter concluded that the green economy was an opportunity for clean development that preserved biodiversity,
natural resources and enriched their valorization, the creation of decent green jobs and guaranteed social cohesion for along-term commitment to effective actions.

The second presentation is entitled "Look to the land: agriculture and forestry for a green economy; Going
beyond production in the 21st century "presented by Mr Becquet Polycarpe BATIONO, Director of the Promotionof Entrepreneurship and Green Investments (DPEIV), Directorate General of the Green Economy and Climate
Change (DGEVCC), Ministry of Environment, the Green Economy and Climate Change (MEEVCC).
The presenter began his presentation by pointing out that forests occupy 30% of all land, and 40% for agriculture, which
produces more than 20% of greenhouse gas emissions into the atmosphere.
In the light of this situation, global commitments and political solutions at the national/local level have made it possible todevelop concepts of sustainable ecosystems, agro-ecological practices and integrated landscape management.

The third presentation was presented by Mr Alain GOUBA of the Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization(ECHO) under the theme: "What is the future for family farming?".
The communicator wished to recall that in 2014 was declared the International Year of Family Farming by the United
Nations, which made it possible to shed more light on this concept that many people were ignoring. The UN insisted that
agriculture, especially small and medium-sized farms, must become a central issue on the international agenda.
In the case of family farming, the definition used is that of the Research Institute for Development (IRD),
which states that: "Family farming comprises farming activities under the management of a family, essentiallydepending on family labor. "He states that family farming has crucial multifunctional roles; as it contributes to social cohesion in rural areas and rural /urban dynamics and has the capacity to curb migration through job creation and contribution to food security.
In terms of problematics and challenges, family agriculture must integrate a smart management of natural resources
into production and ensure income and employment for the rural population to reduce migration to cities. In terms of thecritical challenge, more needs to be done to respond to demographic pressure.
He poses the question: Faced with so many challenges and stakes, is there still a future in family farming ?
His answer: We think so, because family farming is the first "restorer" of humanity. It would be a shame if it were to lose
this function because the consequences would be incalculable and burdensome for all.
Since family farming is the "mother" of all present forms of agriculture, should we leave it because it is too old? Since noone has an interest in seeing family farming disappear, at least not in the short term, everyone (international institutions,6

governments, NGOs and farmers) should be aware of its role and responsibility and play fully its partition.
Mr GOUBA ended his presentation by saying: If it is true that family farming "is not going to save the world by itself", it isequally true that its absence would be a major disaster for food security and stability of the world. It is why we believe that
it is undoubtedly one of the possible solutions, because it has genuine practical knowledges and is already a unignorable
source of employment that is feeding nearly 70% of the world's population.
Mr Souleymane OUEDRAOGO of the Institute of the Environment and Agricultural Research (INERA), National
Center for Scientific and Technological Research (CNRST) animated the 4th presentation: "Organic farming in
Africa: state of play and perspectives. "Organic farming is an agricultural production method based on the respect for life and life cycles.
We can say that organic farming is a sustainable production option for small producers.
Fifth presentation: Mr Masatoshi FUNABASHI"Introduction to syecoculture: a global context"
We can retain from the definition of synecoculture, that it is a synecological agriculture, based on the ecology of plantcommunities. It is a high density polyculture system with diverse edible plants (about 200+ species / 1000㎡ ), without theapplication of fertilizers, plowing and pesticides.
The observation made in Japan shows twice as much productivity and five times more profitability on 1000㎡ .
To finish, the synecology allows a good conservation of natural resources, especially water.

DAY II: 20th October 2016
The second day was divided into four presentations:- Three presentations made by Mr Masatoshi FUNABASHI, Japanese expert in synecoculture- A presentation by Mr André TINDANO, Secretary General of AFIDRAFirst presentation: "The general condition of synecoculture and the result in Japan"
Presenter: Mr Masatoshi FUNABASHI
Part 1: the general condition of synecoculture
He began his presentation by defining the synecoculture as coming from the synecology; from a general division of
ecology that includes autecology and synecology.
Autecology is the study of individuals taken separately in their environments (biotope) in contrast to population ecology.
In autecology, elements are in focus.
While the synecology or ecology of communities is an ecological discipline that studies the relationships between
populations of different types of biocenosis, that is, all organisms of any type in an ecosystem. These are the relationships
between components and the environment of ecosystems.
At the level of conventional agriculture which corresponds to the autecology, there is a correspondence one by one
between the elements and the functions. While in synecoculture, which treats production at the level of synecology, there
is a many-to-many correspondence between elements and functions.
In synecoculture, food production can be used for the construction of anthropogenic ecosystems through practices
without plowing, fertilizer and chemical treatment. Harvests are maximized by ecological optimization as opposed tothe physiological one. He explained how to optimize total synergy: adaptive diversification; How to choose between
physiological and ecological optima: Integrated Model of Physiological and Ecological Optima (IMPEO). He explained themodality of harvest, management and comparison of crops between synecoculture and conventional agriculture using
the space-time coordinates. The diversity and density of plants are particularly increased in synecoculture.

7

Part Two: Results of Experiments in Japan
In terms of experience in Japan, a pilot farm in the Mie prefecture started synecoculture by introducing more than
200 species on an area of 1000​​
㎡ to 2010. According to the sales between June 2010 and May 2014, there are twice
productivity with five times more profitability over 1000 ㎡ . Comparing synecoculture with conventional agriculture in
Japan, the following observation emerges:
Synecoculture shows high fluctuations in productivity but with reduced production costs. More product diversity gives
more profit with the constant maintenance cost. A self-organization of the ecosystem that enriches the soil without
plowing or fertilizing is observed. While conventional agriculture has a stable productivity with rising costs in face ofclimate change.
Targets for future action:❖ 1000 species of useful plants on 1000㎡ (thousand thousandth project);❖ The challenge of creating the most intensive biodiversity hotspot in the history of life as an anthropogenic
ecosystem;❖ Implementation status: +/- 400 species, 1000+ varieties / 120㎡ at the experimental farm in Tokyo.
He showed images of synecoculture farms distributed in Japan in collaboration with Sony CSL. He also showed images
showing that the Nansei islands in the southwest of Japan are home to rich biodiversity with the coexistence of temperate
and tropical species.
He concluded that one of the fundamental challenges of synecoculture is to restore marine ecosystems by recovering thehealthy material cycles between the land and sea.

Second presentation: “Report of the pilot farm on the one-year practice of synecoculture at Tapoa”, by Mr André
TINDANO, General Secretary of AFIDRA in Burkina Faso.
The presentation gave an interpretation of the synecoculture in the African context and its introduction in Burkina Faso.
Details are reported in Chapter Ⅱ: 1. Activity report of the pilot farm of the syecoculture in Tapoa, Burkina Faso, 6/201511/2016. "Third presentation: "The concrete explanation of the strategies that constitute the synecoculture. 1- General
remarks. "Presenter: Mr Masatoshi FUNABASHI
The presenter defined synecoculture as a field cultivation method that allows under the restrictive conditions: without
tillage, fertilizer (fertilizer and soil amendment), pesticides, and without introducing other than seeds or seedlings, toproduce useful plants in a state of ecological optimum using best the characteristics of each species and building andcontrolling the ecosystem.
The three main areas of synecoculture are:
- Method of production;- Method of application;- Method of sales.

Fourth presentation: "The concrete explanation of the strategies that constitute the synecoculture. 2- Detailed
expositions. "Presenter: Mr Masatoshi FUNABASHI
For the initial installation of farming ecosystem, trees serve in priority order to:- Create a mid-shade area for vegetables;- Attract insects and birds to help pollination, and their excrements and dead bodies provide micro-elements;8

- To obtain the formation of humus thanks to the dead leaves;- Harvest the fruit.
The presenter pointed out that in synecoculture the term "invasive grasses" is used instead of "weeds". In order to control
them, it is necessary to do mowing in three stages:- General mowing;- Mowing to the height of vegetables;- Removing large grasses on a case-by-case basis.
Another use is to let the invasive grasses grow as a part of the strategy to improve the soil.
As for the harvest, it must be done in three simultaneous actions:- Harvesting;- Transplantation of seedlings;- Reseeding.
At the end of these presentations, participants asked pertinent questions about the subject and found satisfactory
answers by the presenter. The day ended around 6 p.m. with a visit to the site of the future synecoculture farm near Fada
N'Gourma for research and training.

DAY III: 21st October 2016
It was marked by the two presentations animated by Mr. Masatoshi Funabashi.
First presentation: "Valorization of the products with several aspects in synecoculture. "It is important to reconsider that biodiversity is a source of nutrition because:- Various bioactive compounds are derived from ecological interactions;- Importance of secondary metabolites on the long-term health protective effect.
As a goal :• Re-introduction of products grown in natural state into human foods;• Integration of environmental and health measures at the scale of evolution of our metabolism.
It should be noted that synecoculture takes into account the synergies of three dimensions: Environment, health andfood.

Second presentation: "The use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in synecoculture. "It should be noted from this communication that:- Conventional agriculture is based on the science of "closed system";- Synecoculture is an open system;- In syecoculture, sharing information is important for the development of collective knowledge with the principle of open
source;- Biodiversity being very complex, it would be necessary to manage the cost of information, hence the necessity and theeffectiveness of the ICT.

9The day ended with a Quiz where the first two winners each gained the prize of a mobile phone. We took the group photoof participants and handed in the completion certificates.
The presentations were filmed and broadcast as the 1st e-event of UniTwin UNESCO Complex Systems Digital Campus.
The videos are available on the website of CARFS.

Written at Fada N'Gourma on 11/11/2016

The reporters

DAWEGA E. Bastalé

ONADJA Honoré

Accountant LNSPEngineer MAAH

Tel: (+226) 70347657

Tel: (+226) 70458838

E-mail: bdawega@yahoo.fr

E-mail: onahonore@yahoo.fr

Control

André TINDANO
AFIDRA

Approval

Masatoshi FUNABASHI
Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc.

10

Chapter II: Reports
II.1 Activity report of the pilot farm of syecoculture in Tapoa,
Burkina Faso, 6/2015-11/2016, by l’Agence de Formation etd’Ingénierie du Développement Rural Autogéré (AFIDRA).
-Description of the experiment 3/2015-11/2016
History
It all began in January 2015 at the ECHO West Africa Networking Forum in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, where the
AFIDRA Secretary General (Mr André TINDANO) made his first encounter with this technology, which was presented by
the Japanese Masatoshi FUNABASHI.
Mr TINDANO was immediately attracted by the idea and made contact with the presenter. Upon his return to Fada andconvinced that this technology could be a prominent tool for the future of small-scale producers in Burkina Faso andall Africa, he started making efforts to effectively launch the testing activities of this technology (at Mahadaga village,
situated in Tapoa province).
We started with a hard, arid soil that did not recover vegetation naturally. The ecosystem has undergone a regime shift
towards desertification by the previous agricultural practice. Obtaining this land was very easy given that no one in thevillage needed it because of its advanced state of degradation. But after a few months of recovery through installationof our synecoculture farm, the difference is clearly visible (Figure 1).
Demonstration Area

Control Area

Figure 1. Demonstration area of synecoculture after 18 months of installation (left, 7 Sep 2016, angle B). We have also preserved acontrol area in the neighboring land (right, 17 Nov 2016, angle D).
11We started with an area of ​​500m² where 150 edible species were introduced (Table 1). The cultivation followed thedefinition and rules of the synecoculture, the high density mixed polyculture without tillage, fertilizer, and pesticides(Funabashi, 2016a, Funabashi, 2016b). We produced some of the seedlings such as Moringa oleifera in the nursery
before transplanting them after 8 weeks. As a timeline, we started the installation work in March 2015, harvesting started
in June 2015 and continued to this day (November 2016).
In addition to synecoculture, other methods such as the system of rice intensification (SRI), conservation agriculture,permaculture, traditional and bio-intensive market gardening have been tested in the same location for a comparative
study.
The definition of SRI can be found in the reference (Zotoglo and Kouyaté, 2011). In our experiment, we additionallyintroduced Moringa oleifera and other trees (intolerant in the shade) in order to recover the ecosystem. Conservation
agriculture conforms to (BASE, 2016) and permaculture to (Mollison and Holmgren, 2006; Mollison, 2011). Traditionaland bio-intensive market gardening has been based on (Verheij and Waaijenberg, 2008), with commonly adapted local
practices in the region for the traditional market gardening, and the intensification with tipping irrigation and water
conservation equipments used in organic farming for the bio-intensive market gardening, respectively. The bio-intensive
method was developed by AFIDRA to compare the traditional practice and improvements that can be made.
Conservation agriculture and permaculture fields were set up in February 2014. Synecoculture, traditional and biointensive market gardening in May 2015, SRI in June 2015. We have also left the control area across the sites as thenegative control of all experiments. The control area was left without recovery work and all the land (3ha) was fenced
with wire netting to avoid the trampling effect by humans and animals.
The sponsor of the project (AFIDRA) received no financial support from Sony CSL for the experimentation ofsynecoculture. Synecoculture has been independently tested by AFIDRA with information supports on the modalityof practice by Sony CSL. The result of the synecoculture does not therefore contain the bias from the interest ofinvestment.
Table 1. List of 150 cultivated species (131 introduced species + 19 spontaneous species) in the pilot farm of synecoculture at Tapoa,
Burkina Faso.
a

12

13

14

-Results
Productivity and recovery of the environment
Table 2 summarizes the methods tested in relation to the area of experience,​​
annual productivity, and recovery level byplacing grades between 1-6 according to the following criteria (primary succession from desert):
Level 1: Bare rock, sandLevel 2: Lichens
Level 3: Small annual plants and lichens
Level 4: Grasses and perennials
Level 5: Grasses, shrubs and shade-intolerant trees
Level 6: Shade-tolerant Trees
Among the species introduced into the synecoculture, trees such as Saba senegalensis, Afzelia africana, Aloe vera show
tolerance to shade, which have not succeeded in settling in the other methods.
Productivity at each area is normalized compared to the annual scale of June 2015-May 2016, except for thesynecoculture the sum of 18 months between June 2015-November 2016 is multiplied by 2/3. Detailed monthly results ofsynecoculture production are shown in Tables 3-8.

Table 2. Level of ecosystem recovery with respect to primary succession, area surface and annual productivity of tested methods.

15

Table 3. Synecoculture productivity (price in CFAF / month / 500m²) in June - November 201516

Table 4. Synecoculture productivity (price in CFAF / month / 500m²) in December 2015 - May 201617

Table 5. Synecoculture productivity (price in CFAF / month / 500m²) in June 2016 - November 201618

Table 6. Number of harvest days / months of synecoculture in June - November 201519

Table 7. Number of harvest days / months of synecoculture in December 2015 - May 201620

Table 8. Number of harvest days / months of syecoculture in June - November 2016

21

Cost of works and materials
For the synecoculture, the seed costed 195 750 CFAF (to be noted that we received some seeds of ECHO for free and we
also harvested certain seeds of natural vegetation on site, which is counted in the working cost).
The worker costed 500 CFAF / h. One person worked 20 hours a week in the field of synecoculture from May 2015. The
work consists essentially of directing the creeping plants to avoid, for example, that they strangle the upright crops,
harvesting a variety of different crops and selling these products (Figure 2).
Conservation agriculture, permaculture and SRI were practiced only in the rainy season, and traditional and bio-intensive
market gardening only in the dry season.
Inputs (pesticides, fertilizers and inoculants) costed 326 700 CFAF and were shared between conservation agriculture,
SRI, traditional and bio-intensive market gardening. Permaculture used inputs of 235 000 CFAF separately.
The synecoculture used a sprinkler irrigation bought on an installment plan of 3000 CFAF / month (until May 2017). The
use of water in synecoculture reached 887 400 CFAF / year, which is not yet optimized with respect to the minimum
requirement.
It should also be noted that the costof animal protection fence, which
is 375 000 FCFA, is amortized over
7 years. The working tools 245 000
FCFA amortized over 3 years, thestorage warehouse 750 000 CFAF
amortized over 5 years. This is shared
between different methods according
to the use as the costs of the tools.
For synecoculture, the cost ofwatering machine is converged in tool
costs.

Figure 2. Left: Leaf harvest of Moringa oleifera. Right: Sale of our products on site.

Tables 9 and 10 show the annual
costs of the experiments.

Table 9. Costs of seeds and works.

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Table 10. Costs of materials normalized with 500m2.

Productivity, cost effectiveness and annual profitability of synecoculture and other methods on 500m² in Burkina
Faso.
The products are sold on site or delivered in box, with prices of 1.5 to 2 times the market prices for its quality and theorganic aspect of the production. With the synecoculture, we were able to obtain on average 631 000 CFAF (962 Euros) /month / 500㎡ .
Table 11 summarizes the productivity, cost effectiveness, and profitability calculated by the difference between
productivity and costs. Only synecoculture was profitable in the sense of achieving positive profitability. Moreover, inthe other methods, the increase in productivity was associated with higher costs, which was negatively reflected to
profitability. The poor performance of other methods coincides with the general reality that the installation of agricultural
production in Burkina Faso are dependent on subsidies. The total cost effectiveness of the synecoculture has reached
the value 10 times higher than the average of the other methods. These results clearly show that synecoculture is
exceptionally situated in the synergy between the productivity, production efficiency and the construction of ecosystem,
which is summed up in total profitability and the highest recovery effect of the land and vegetation.
Table 11. Productivity, cost-effectiveness, and profitability of the methods. The definitions of the cost-effectiveness parameters
are: Water efficiency = Productivity / Water cost; Work efficiency = Productivity / Working cost; Materials efficiency =Productivity / Cost of tools and total inputs; Total efficiency = Productivity / Total cost; Profitability = Productivity - Total cost.

23

Implication of the results of synecoculture
Comparison with conventional vegetable production
According to (EASYPol, 2007: I-4. Données sur les principales spéculations maraîchères), vegetable production in
Burkina Faso has an average yield of 117755 ± 68060 FCFA / year / 500㎡ on 10 representative crops. Compared to thisconventional level of production, the results of synecoculture achieved 40-150 times more productivity, while recoveringsoil degradation and rebuilding the ecosystem:
Synecoculture is exceptionally situated outside the trade-off between productivity and environmental preservation that
other modes of agriculture confront. It achieves a highly induced synergy between productivity and ecosystem construction
through the megadiversity introduced into the field.
Comparison to Gross National Income (GNI) per capita
The annual output of 500㎡ managed by a person in synecoculture corresponds 20 times more than the per capita GNIof Burkina Faso in 2015 (World Bank, 2016).
Comparison with the absolute monetary poverty threshold
The absolute monetary poverty threshold for life in Ouagadougou is estimated at 153,530 CFAF in 2014 (INSD, 2015).
The annual yield of synecoculture is 50 times more than this threshold. This means on average 10㎡ of the field ofsynecoculture is sufficient to sustain the minimum economical life of a person in the capital.
Compared to the absolute monetary poverty threshold in 1994 and 1998, the yield of synecoculture in 2015-2016
corresponds to 104 and 184 times, respectively.
At what scale do we have to expand the practice of synecoculture in order to eradicate poverty, at least in terms of theabsolute monetary threshold? The population of Burkina Faso is estimated at 17,589,198 in 2014 (Word Bank, 2016), and40.1% (the 95% confidence interval between 37.8% and 42.5%) lives below the poverty line (INSD, 2015).
The linear extrapolation of our result shows that 7,151 hectares of the synecoculture fields (the 95% confidence interval
between 6740-7579 hectares) are sufficient to lift the entire population of Burkina Faso above the poverty threshold.
With the unit of practice of synecoculture in 500㎡ by one person, this implies the creation of jobs for 143,012 (134,809 151,572) people throughout the year in agricultural production.
This target is realizable by a systematic propagation of the practice: The instruction of synecoculture to 10 main leaders ofagricultural sector in each of 13 regions of Burkina Faso, followed by the transmission in each location to 10 farmers per
year. If each trained farm transmitted the knowledge of synecoculture to 10 other farms per year, this would cumulate in 4
years to the total number of practitioners as follows:

Where Pi is the initial training of 130 people from 13 regions, P is the transmission rate, such as 10 people per year by aperson already trained in synecoculture.
If appropriate technical and institutional supports were gathered in a timely and effective manner, this goal could be fairly
achieved by 2020.

Achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets by 2020
The promotion of synecoculture at the national level in Burkina Faso and other African countries in the Sahel could be used
to establish an intensive and effective way to realize the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020 and the Aichi Biodiversity
Targets (CBD , 2010).
Among the Aichi Targets, the followings goals are expected to directly link to the effective installation of synecoculture in24

large scale:
Strategic Goal A: Address the underlying causes of biodiversity loss by mainstreaming biodiversity across government andsociety
1. By 2020, at the latest, people are aware of the values of biodiversity and the steps they can take to conserve and use it
sustainably.
2. By 2020, at the latest, biodiversity values have been integrated into national and local development and poverty
reduction strategies and planning processes and are being incorporated into national accounting, as appropriate, andreporting systems.
Strategic Goal B: Reduce the direct pressures on biodiversity and promote sustainable use
5. By 2020, the rate of loss of all natural habitats, including forests, is at least halved and where feasible brought close tozero, and degradation and fragmentation is significantly reduced.
7. By 2020 areas under agriculture, aquaculture and forestry are managed sustainably, ensuring conservation of biodiversity.
8. By 2020, pollution, including from excess nutrients, has been brought to levels that are not detrimental to ecosystem
function and biodiversity.
Strategic Goal C: Improve the status of biodiversity by safeguarding ecosystems, species and genetic diversity
13. By 2020, the genetic diversity of cultivated plants and farmed and domesticated animals and of wild relatives, including
other socio-economically as well as culturally valuable species, is maintained, and strategies have been developed andimplemented forminimizing genetic erosion and safeguarding their genetic diversity.
Strategic Goal D: Enhance the benefits to all from biodiversity and ecosystem services
14. By 2020, ecosystems that provide essential services, including services related to water, and contribute to health,
livelihoods and wellbeing, are restored and safeguarded, taking into account the needs of women, indigenous and local
communities, and the poor and vulnerable.
15. By 2020, ecosystem resilience and the contribution of biodiversity to carbon stocks has been enhanced, throughconservation and restoration, including restoration of at least 15 per cent of degraded ecosystems, thereby contributing toclimate change mitigation
and adaptation and to combating desertification.
Strategic Goal E: Enhance implementation through participatory planning, knowledge management and capacity building
18. By 2020, the traditional knowledge, innovations and practices of indigenous and local communities relevant for theconservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and their customary use of biological resources, are respected, subject
to national legislation and relevant international obligations, and fully integrated and reflected in the implementation of theConvention with the full and effective participation of indigenous and local communities, at all relevant levels.
19. By 2020, knowledge, the science base and technologies relating to biodiversity, its values functioning, status and25trends, and the consequences of its loss, are improved, widely shared and transferred, and applied.

Observation and photos of the field
Observations
When observing the synecoculture field, there is a change in soil color (darker brown) that indicates better health, life in thesoil has increased, and the structure of soil is improved.
A particular point that attracted the attention of all visitors to our experimental site was the aspect of the plants. They areof a more vivid color and showing strong growth (despite some few holes on the leaves). In addition, there is the frequencyof harvests, especially in leafy vegetables. Harvests are more often possible for the same species compared to traditionalfarming. One of the many visitors called this method "magical agriculture"!

Schematic map of the ground
The field composition and the angles of photos in this report are shown in Figure 3.

Figure 3. Schematic map of the experimental fields of synecoculture and control area. The angles of the photos are defined according to
the shooting positions A, B, C, D, and Z.
26

Field Photos: Before the installation of synecoculture, at the end of the dry season
Dates are displayed by the order of year / month / day. The shooting angles are defined in Figure. 3.

Date: 2014/04/14, Angle: A

Date: 2014/04/14, Angle: A

Date: 2014/04/14, Angle: A

Date: 2014/04/14, Angle: A

Date: 2014/04/14, Angle: B

Date: 2014/04/14, Angle: B
27

Field Photos: Control area

Beginning of the rainy season. Date:
2015/05/29, Angle: D

End of the rainy season (beginning of thedry season). Date: 2016/11/17, Angle: D

Beginning of the dry season. Date:
2016/12/13, Angle: D

Beginning of the dry season.Date:
2016/12/13, Angle: D

Photos of the syecoculture field: The comparison between the dry (November - April) and rainy (May - October) seasons

The state of vegetation during the dry season. Date: 2016/12/13,
Angle: C

Same angle in the rainy season. Date: 2016/9/21, Angle: C
28

Photos of the syecoculture field: The rainy season between May – OctoberDate: 2015/05/10, Angle: A

Date: 2015/05/10, Angle: A

Date: 2015/05/10, Angle: C

Date: 2015/05/10, Angle: B

Date: 2015/05/10, Angle: C

Date: 2015/06/10, Angle: A

Date: 2015/06/10, Angle: A29

Date: 2015/06/10, Angle: A

Date: 2015/06/10, Angle: A

Date: 2015/06/10, Angle: A

Date: 2015/06/10, Angle: A

Date: 2015/08/10, Angle: A

Date: 2015/08/10, Angle:B

Date: 2015/08/25, Angle: A

Date: 2015/08/25, Angle: A30

Date: 2015/08/25, Angle: B

Date: 2015/08/25, Angle: B

Date: 2015/08/25, Angle: C

Date: 2015/08/25, Angle: C

Date: 2015/09/30, Angle: A

Date: 2015/09/30, Angle: A

Date: 2015/09/30, Angle: A

Date: 2015/09/30, Angle: B

31

Date: 2015/09/30, Angle: C

Date: 2015/10/17, Angle: A

Date: 2015/10/17, Angle: A

Date: 2016/07/19, Angle: A

Date: 2016/07/19, Angle: A

Date: 2016/07/19, Angle: A

Date: 2016/07/19, Angle: B
32

Date: 2016/07/19, Angle: B

Date: 2016/07/19, Angle: C

Date: 2016/09/07, Angle: A
Date: 2016/09/07, Angle: A

Date: 2016/09/07, Angle: B
Date: 2016/09/07, Angle: B

Date: 2016/09/07, Angle: C

Date: 2016/09/07, Angle: C
33

Date: 2016/09/28, Angle: A

Date: 2016/09/28, Angle: B

Date: 2016/09/28, Angle: B

Date: 2016/09/28, Angle: C

Date: 2016/10/20, Angle: A

Date: 2016/10/20, Angle: B

Date: 2016/11/23, Angle: A

34

Global photos of the field from the cliff

Beginning of the installation, at the beginning of rainy season.
The high-right uncultivated area corresponds to the field ofsynecoculture. Date: 2015/05/29, Angle: Z

Rainy season. The control area aligned across the f ields
remained uncultivated. Date: 2015/09/24, Angle: Z

The System of Rice Intensification (SRI) area during the rainyseason. Date: 2015/09/24, Angle: Z

20 months after the installation of the synecoculture (left), at
the beginning of the dry season. Other cultivation methods fadecompletely (right). Date: 2016/12/13, Angle: Z

20 months after the installation of synecoculture (back in thecenter), at the beginning of dry season. The synecoculture area
remained green throughout the year with constant harvests.
Date: 2016/12/13, Angle: Z
35

Conclusion
We have tried a new method of market gardening, the synecoculture, based on the high-density mixed polyculture ofvegetables and useful trees and the harvesting modality suitable for the ecological optimization of the crops.
This system could be a solution, a salvation for small producers, a powerful lever for family farming, while ensuring the
productivity and preservation/construction of the environment.
It should be noted that we are only at the embryonic stage of the adaptation of the synecoculture to the African context.
For this year 2016-2017, we also plan to introduce medicinal and forage species. It is important to involve more equipped
structures such as INERA and institutional supports to the project.
Reporters: André TINDANO
Secretary General of AFIDRA,
Zina Karifo Hervé
Agricultural Technician
Analysis and approval: Masatoshi FUNABASHI
Sony CSL

36

Ⅱ.2 Report of the working groups on the planning of a newsynecoculture pilot farm in Fada N'Gourma
This work is carried out during the round tables of the forum by the participants grouped in 4 teams around 4 subjects forthe implementation of synecoculture in a new pilot farm in Fada N'Gourma.
1. Group One
Subject: Maximum Diversity
We propose three strategic axes for maximum diversity in the new farm of Fada N'Gourma:❖ The conservation of all the vegetation found on site with the FMNR (Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration)❖ The introduction of plants according to their use (forage, traditional medicine, human food, cosmetics, etc.)❖ Introduction of stockbreeding

2. Group two
Subject: Maximum Productivity
We propose strategies for maximizing productivity such as:❖ Setting up a reliable water source❖ Introduction of high productivity plants❖ A strong diversification and integration between plant and animal production
3. Group Three
Subject: Minimum cost
We propose as actions to reduce the cost:❖ Long-term investment: put a wire fence and stabilize it with a hedge❖ Use local species❖ Harvest and produce the seeds ourselves and valorize local edible species that are not considered as such

4. Group Four
Subject: Minimum risk
Contextual analysis: Local risks arise from the lack of community participation or access to land. Though as the designof our model requires only a small amount of land (1ha of the model farm and 1ha of the production area is sufficient), thisallows us to work even in the place where the conditions would be unfavorable for large farms.
Propositions: There may still be challenges with ongoing operations and motivation. Again, we rely on our pastexperiences (those of the pilot farm in Tapoa) and this allows us to use a franchise type of propagation model. Insteadof having extension agents for training who receive full-time salaries after implementation, they will essentially "lease"
AFIDRA assets and earn their living from their training, extension services and product sales as well as the benefits of thefarm. This helps maintain motivation not only for production, but also for the maintenance of equipment. AFIDRA has hadgreat success with this model.
The main risk management tool that we have been offering has a reputation for being flexible and adapting quickly. Since
we live and work in the midst of our area of ​​interest rather than being far away in a big city, we can quickly understand thereality and change if necessary. We can also respond promptly to problems and provide continuous support. We are alsoable to learn from each other and allow the network to grow in capacity rather than just being managed from the main
office of AFIDRA.
Reporters: DAWEGA E. Bastalé, ONADJA Honoré37

Ⅱ.3 Report in relation to the new constitution of Burkina Faso
Participation in the Constitutional Commission of Burkina Faso
The fruits of the symposium, the results of the experiments and the scientific analysis were brought to the Constitutional
Commission by Mr. Yumanli LOMPO, President of AFIDRA, and included in the discussion for the establishment of the
new Constitution of Burkina Faso.
The Constitutional Commission adopted the following articles in relation to the sustainable practice of agriculture and theequitable access to natural resources to be put to the referendum:
Extracts from the new constitution of Burkina Faso (Original French texts)
Article 26
L’Etat assure la promotion et la protection du secteur agro-sylvo-pastoral en vue d’assurer la souveraineté alimentaire etle développement durable.
Article 23
Les ressources naturelles appartiennent au peuple. L’Etat veille à lui en assurer le bénéfice de l’exploitation pourl’amélioration de ses conditions de vie.
L’exploitation des ressources naturelles s’opère dans le respect des principes de transparence, de participation despopulations locales et de l’environnement, de manière à assurer le développement durable et le bien-être des générations
actuelles et futures.
Article 39
Toute personne a droit à un environnement sain. L’Etat veille à la protection et à la préservation de l’environnement et duclimat dans l’intérêt des générations présentes et futures.
L’Etat veille à l’évaluation et au contrôle des impacts environnementaux et sociaux de tout projet et programme dedéveloppement.
La protection, la défense et la promotion de l’environnement sont un devoir pour tous.
Article 40
La production, l’acquisition, le stockage, la manipulation et l’évacuation de produits chimiques dangereux sur le territoire
national sont réglementés par la loi.
L’importation, le transit, le stockage, le déversement et le traitement dur le territoire national de produits chimiques
dangereux étrangers ainsi que tout accord y relatif, constituent un crime environnemental.
Tout dommage causé à l’environnement doit faire l’objet d’une juste réparation.

Relationship between Fada N'Gourma declaration and the new Constitution of Burkina Faso
At the level of human rights, these articles of the new constitution refer to the right to environment, that is to guarantee
people’s access to healthy environments by the state, in order to realize sustainable agriculture.
On the other hand, the environmental preservation movements in the world have given fruition to the rights of nature,
which is to admit the natural ecosystems have rights just as human beings have rights. The pioneer examples are theRights of Nature defined in the Constitution of Ecuador (Article 71), and the Law of the Rights of Mother Earth in Bolivia.
Fada N'Gourma declaration established at the first African symposium on synecoculture (chapter Ⅲ) emphasizes the"right to subsistence of ecosystems" in the context of increasing biodiversity through the intensive use of synecoculture.
This is the integration of environmental and nature rights in the face of dynamic changes in the Anthropocene: We
must guarantee access to and use of natural resources efficiently and intensively with respect to the productivity and38

biodiversity. At the same time, it introduces drastic changes of environment as an anthropogenic augmentation of
ecosystems (Funabashi, 2016b). As a result, ecosystems that can adapt to climate change and population pressure
could not remain the same in terms of species composition, but will become more enhanced at the level of ecosystem
functioning and services, in order to achieve sufficient socio-ecological subsistence. Here, importance is placed on
the subsistence by transitioning to a new regime of ecosystem and society, rather than remaining in the old conflict
between development and preservation. As the results of productivity and recovery of the ecosystem indicate (chapterⅡ.1), this is proved to be possible exclusively by the synecoculture among the 7 tested methods. With this evidence, ourchallenge by the current practice of synecoculture finds the possibility and justification beyond the trade-offs between
the actions exercised by the environmental rights for men and the rights of intact nature. By means of the augmentationof ecosystems, we aim to realize a new form of symbiotic Earth between humans and nature, which implies coexistence,
diversification and mutual use, through the restructuring of agricultural sector without precedent.

Reporters: Yumanli LOMPO, André TINDANO, and Masatoshi FUNABASHI

39

CHAPTER III:DECLARATIONS AND NOTICE OF SUPPORTIII.1: Fada N’Gourma declaration
Synecoculture Africa
Fada N’Gourma declaration, 2016
We declare at the 1st African Forum on Synecoculture, based on the initiative of the executive committee as a consensus
of the participants' opinions, a series of agreements that will guide the collaborations on the practice of synecoculture in
future development.
According to the definition and rules of synecoculture, we will pursue the possibilities of using, applying and developing
the synecoculture in African countries.
Without being constrained by past ideas, we will overcome the difficulty by ourselves and commit ourselves to realize
what could be possible with the use of open complex systems science that constitutes the synecoculture.
We will carry through this activity with consistent intellectual efforts, even in case of 1% possibility, we will continue toseek the new means that open the way to the coexistence of human and nature.
With this perspective, we are ready to renew traditions, even when competing with conventional methods, we willreconcile and judge in the long term what would benefit most for the sustainability of social-ecological system as a whole.
We will each act with autonomous actions and management, in order to guarantee the sustainability of each locality andestablish a true solidarity granted by the foundation of self-sufficiency.
We defend the right to subsistence of ecosystems as an underlying and fundamental support for the right to life of men.
Through the practice of synecoculture, we augment ecosystems with respect to the biodiversity and associatedecosystem functions, from which we obtain the necessary ecosystem services for our lives in a sustainable way and build
the ecosystem beyond a natural state. This principle is universal throughout our practices even under the contexts of
population growth and climate change.
We will fight the desertification with synecoculture as our arms, and provide peace against violence, producing healthy
foods as a universal language.
We introduce women as well as men, and work together with gender equality in the practice of synecoculture.
We respect the principle of open source in the development, sharing, dissemination and popularization of synecoculture
as a citizen science open to all participants of good will.
Thus, we set the year 2016 as the first year of synecoculture in Africa, with a view to initiating the coordination andproliferation of projects on several scales of the practice, organization, research, and institutional efforts, as a first step of
Men of integrity to live together on this beautiful land.
40

Executive committee

André TINDANO

Masatoshi FUNABASHI

Agence de Formation et d’Ingénierie

Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc.

du Développement Rural Autogéré (AFIDRA)Tokyo, Japan

Fada N’Gourma, Burkina Faso

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -41

III. 2: S U B SC R I P T I O N L I ST TO T H E FA DA N'G O U R M A
DECLARATION
Table 12. Subscription list to the Fada N'Gourma Declaration (Subscription before 31 December 2016).

42

III.3: NOTICE OF SUPPORT
Governor of the East Region (Inauguration speech)
OPENING ADDRESS BY THE GOVERNOR OF THE EAST REGION ON THE OCCASION OF THE FIRST AFRICAN FORUMON SYNECOCULTURE
FADA N'GOURMA, 19/10/2016
Precedence▪ Mr Governor of the East Region;▪ Mr High Commissioner of Gourma Province;▪ Mr Regional Directors;▪ Mr/Ms Directors and Heads of Services;▪ Mr representatives of cooperatives;▪ Mr/Ms participants;▪ Honoured guests;▪ Ladies and gentlemen.
Before starting my speech, I would like to convey the congratulations and encouragement from the Minister of Agricultureand Hydraulic Planning for the individual and collective efforts made to contribute to the sustainable intensification ofagricultural production.
In particular, I would like to congratulate the initiators and organizers of this forum and thank all the participants of thevarious participating structures for this reflection.
It is a pleasure for me to chair this day, October 19, 2016, the work of this symposium to share experiences and formulatea strategy to expand the technology of synecoculture in our country and in Africa.
I would like to congratulate the promoter of this innovative cropping technique and its accompanying technology, I would
like to mention Mr. Masatoshi Funabashi.
May the actors and animators of the experiments carried out also receive my congratulations and encouragement.
Ladies and gentlemen;
The effects of the multifaceted crisis (financial, energy and food) of recent years have brought the issue of agricultural
growth back to the heart of the debate and agenda of development policies in sub-Saharan Africa and particularly in
Burkina Faso.
Against this backdrop, and in view of the perverse effects of climate change on agricultural production, ecologicalagriculture is now an important option for the Government to secure and sustainably increase food production in ourcountry.
It is in this context that the intensification of production through the practice of synecoculture, materialized in theestablishment of a pilot farm for the African region, is considered as a measure to preserve the national sovereignty of ourcountries.
Ladies and gentlemen;
Honoured guests;
The most important open systems in the next century are primary industries such as agriculture, forestry, fishing andlivestock, where humans are in direct contact with nature. Throughout human history, agriculture has been destructive
to the environment. Even today, modern agriculture, based on the reductionist principle, creates a devastating effect onnatural environments, degrading the quality of food, and threatening our health. With the use of open systems science,
43this new system of agriculture, called "synecoculture", which is based on symbiotic associations of edible species, thepractice is strongly balanced and reconstitutes natural environment in all arable climate conditions. Beyond conventional
reductionism, the synecoculture seeks to achieve a "symbiotic Earth" where every living species can manifest its function
to its full potential through primary industries under human control.
In this sense, the technology of synecoculture has proved its effectiveness in Japan and the experimentation which iscarried out in Burkina Faso is satisfactory.
Indeed, its introduction in Burkina Faso, in Tapoa, has resulted in promising results, as you will see in the presentations.
These results therefore give high hopes that this technology will contribute significantly to the drastic reduction of poverty
by reducing the import bill of fertilizers and increasing the income of rural households.
These prospects bode well for better self-sufficiency and African food sovereignty.
Dear participants;
Ladies and gentlemen;
It is with these prospects that I welcome the holding of this forum organized to reflect on a strategy to popularize these
formidable techniques and technologies.
This forum will enable the actors concerned to:- absorb and appropriate the results of the demonstration tests, and to work on their expansion on pilot sites installed forthis purpose;- develop a strategy with a roadmap for extension on a large scale, in this case in all African countries.
- make a joint declaration and commit to respect it
In order to do this, I hope that the exchanges will be fruitful to enable us to achieve the objectives of the meeting and tohave concrete, objective and feasible proposals to submit to the Authorities.
There is in this room, all the people with skills gathered to come to this end.
Ladies and gentlemen,
No development policy and strategy is meaningful unless we find the right channels for its operationalization. Today,
particular emphasis must be placed on consolidating actions such as synecoculture, increasing ecosystems withrespect to biodiversity and associated functions, from which we obtain the ecosystem services needed for our lives, in asustainable manner that builds the ecosystem beyond the natural state. This principle is universal through our practices
even under the contexts of population growth and climate change.
Based on the successes witnessed on the ground, I invite the heads of Institutions, technical and financial partners,
project and program managers, technicians and producers to support this AFIDRA initiative by consolidating thepromising results on the ground. It is only with such commitment that we will be able to win the challenge of boosting thesustainable productivity of agricultural sectors, as a promising measure to definitively eradicate poverty in our countries.
Honored Guests;
Ladies and gentlemen
I can not end my remarks without reiterating on behalf of the Minister of Agriculture and Hydraulic Planning, my thanks to
AFIDRA for its multifaceted actions to promote sustainable soil management, a guarantee of a lasting improvement in the
productivity.
I renew my sincere gratitude for having responded positively to this invitation and, while wishing to participate effectively
and successfully in our work, declare the opening of the First African Forum on Synecoculture.
Thank you.

Ousmane TRAORÉ
44

Governor of the East Region, Burkina Faso

Minister of Agriculture and Hydraulic Planning
Ministry of Agriculture and Hydraulic Planning in Burkina Faso
General Secretariat
Ouagadougou, 31 March 2017
Notice of Support
I, the undersigned, Mr OUEDRAOGO Jacob, in my capacity as Minister of Agriculture and Hydraulic Planning, express
my support for the African Center for Research and Training in Synecoculture (CARFS), a structure created by the joint
initiative between l’Agence de Formation et d’Ingénierie de Développement Rural Autogéré (AFIDRA) and Sony Computer
Science Laboratories, Inc.
I note that this organization develops the substantial and important channels for the operationalization of the new
agricultural technology called "synecoculture". Given the vulnerability of the countries in the Sahelian zone, emphasisshould be placed on consolidating actions such as synecoculture, which could contribute to the challenge for theaugmentation of ecosystems.
The use of this new technology will contribute to the development of the agricultural sector and to the resolution of theenvironmental issues facing the Sahelian countries, including Burkina Faso. The importance of this synecoculture projectis undeniable in increasing the production and productivity of the agricultural sector, all of which will make it possible tocombat food and nutrition insecurity, especially in the contexts of population growth and climate change.
According to the successful results in the field, I invite the heads of institutions, the technical and financial partners,
the project and program managers, the technicians and the producers, to support this AFIDRA-CARFS initiative by
consolidating the promising results already obtained. It is only this commitment that will make it possible to win the bet on
the reliable and sustainable productivity of the agricultural sector, which would lead to a definitive eradication of poverty
in the Sahelian countries.
I would therefore like to reiterate my support for CARFS with regards to the efforts and the certain impacts of this newtechnology for the well-being of poor rural populations, and to affirm my subscription to the Fada N'Gourma declaration. I
quote “Thus, we set the year 2016 as the first year of synecoculture in Africa, with a view to initiating the coordination andproliferation of projects on several scales of the practice, organization, research, and institutional efforts, as a first step of
Men of integrity to live together on this beautiful land.”

Jacob OUEDRAOGO
Officer of the National Order

45

Ambassador of Japan in Burkina Faso

Embassy of Japan in Burkina Faso
Ouagadougou, 22 November 2016

Notice of Support

I, the undersigned, Masato FUTAISHI, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Japan in Burkina Faso, express
the support of the Embassy to the African Center for Research and Training in Synecoculture (CARFS), a structure createdby the joint initiative between AFIDRA and Sony Computer Science Laboratories, Inc.
Given the situation of the countries in the Sahelian zone, it is essential to place particular emphasis on the consolidationof actions such as synecoculture, which takes up the challenge of augmentation of ecosystems.
This synecoculture project, developed by the private sector of Japan and Burkina Faso, is the result of academic
research by Sony Computer Sciences Laboratories, Inc. Its academic objectivity is very high in that it has been verified
independently in Japan and Burkina Faso. It is a project that will contribute to the development of the agricultural sector
and to the resolution of the environmental issues that Burkina Faso and the African countries are facing.
Moreover, the promotion of the employment base for economic agriculture will contribute to the social stability of Burkina
Faso and neighboring countries. Moreover, the Government of Japan considers this project to be particularly beneficial toboth countries.
Given the commitment of the participants to the first African forum on synecoculture to combat desertification withsynecoculture and to provide peace and produce healthy foods, I reiterate the support of the Japanese Embassy, who
subscribes to the Fada N’Gourma declaration 2016.

Masato FUTAISHI
Ambassador Extraordinary andPlenipotentiary of Japan in Burkina Faso

46

President of the UniTwin UNESCO CS-DC program

Paris , 5 /11/2016

Notice of Support
I undersigned, Paul Bourgine, President of UniTwin UNESCO CS-DC (Complex Systems Digital Campus), express the
support of the CS-DC to the 1st African Forum on Synecoculture which took place on 19-21 October at Fada N'Gourma
in Burkina Faso.
The synecoculture project started as soon as the CS-DC was founded and it contributed substantially to the challenges ofour program to achieve a fair and sustainable world at all levels of organization, from farm to planet. The project provides
open-source information and tools to which the CS-DC gives its best support: it proposes efficient and innovative waysof leading the world's farms towards sustainable agriculture and inventing the transition towards a new form of territorial
governance by the autonomous and decentralized organization of the various societal actors (DAOs; Decentralized
Autonomous Organisation of producers, consumers and scientific e-teams) and Governments.
I confirm that this activity is one of the great achievements of "smart farms" with the powerful support of complex
systems science, which meets the criteria of the Sustainable Development Goals 2015-2030 of the United Nations.
This forum was broadcast free of charge on-line as one of the first e-events of the CS-DC, which will ensure its
dissemination for scientific and societal purposes in line with the preamble of the CS-DC.
Thus, the CS-DC subscribes to the membership list of the Fada N'Gourma declaration 2016, which demonstrates theprimary objectives for the development of future collaborations while strengthening our alliance for the contribution tohumanity and life on the Earth.

Paul Bourgine
President
UniTwin UNESCO CS-DC

47

APPENDICES-QUIZ and answers
Q1. This year of 10 species tested, a lot of carrots was harvested but not for others. So next year we will all invest in
carrots only and eliminate the others.
A: No. It is always necessary to guarantee more than a dozen species in mixed polyculture.

Q2. 10 species were planted in one place but only 2-3 species were grown. So we continue the cultivation with these 2-3
species for this season, in order to transition to others thereafter.
A: Yes. It is not necessary to grow more than 10 species at the same time in the same place, but you must always keep
the aspect of the temporal transition that involves more than 10 species on an annual scale.

Q3. Small manual ground disturbance is allowed if this causes in total the richer environmental biodiversity.
A: Yes. It is a positive disturbance to biodiversity.

Q4. Fully clearing the vegetation in large areas is allowed if the green band around the plot has been kept.
A: No. Keep the vegetation covered as much as possible inside the plot.

Q5. My land is too poor to accept any spontaneous vegetation. I dug holes and laid the organic material (manure) at the
beginning on the surface.
A: Yes. This is acceptable as the phase of transition to the synecoculture.
However, it should not be continued during production with the denomination of synecoculture.

Q6. Productivity declined after a few years of practice. The land has become inevitably poor, so I put the fertilizer back inorder for it to recover.
A: No. The decline in production is the result of mismanagement. To cover it, it is necessary to pass rather by an increaseof biodiversity, without using the fertilizers.

Q7. I use the natural pesticide to reassure that my field will not be invaded by insects.
A: No. Avoid using pesticides, regardless of the source. In this case, it is not the use of the natural pesticide but rather its
blind mode of use which is against the principle. If one does not have criteria to evaluate the effectiveness, it is a blind usethat does not serve to improve management.
48

Q8. I made a barrier to block the large animals that are doing damage to the farm. This is permissible because it does notinterfere with other faunal species that serve to construct and regulate the ecosystem in the field of synecoculture.
A: Yes.

Q9. By using ICT, one can eventually arrive at an ultimate algorithm that could have all the autonomous decision of thesynecoculture.
A: No. Always renew the decision-making system and explore new possibilities because the environment is constantly
changing by its nature.

Q10. I found a possibility of plant association which is against the traditional experience. Is this a correct practice?
A: Yes, and congratulations! Knowledge must be renewed by experience.

Q11. I need to share all the data on my farm if I participate in the synecoculture.
A: No. Data sharing follows the open source principle and it is your will that the data is shared. Sharing helps to improvethe experiences of others as well as yours.

Q12. In general, the greater the biodiversity in the fields, the more it contributes to enriching the components beneficial tothe health in the product.
A: Yes.

Q13. In general, the more we have the biodiversity in the field, the more we have the quality of harvest from even poorland.
A: Yes.

Q14. In order to start synecoculture, it is always better to solicit grant/subsidy from outside.
A: No. The attitude of autonomy must be maintained. The practice of synecoculture is better and sustainable if it is selfmanaged. The scale should not be increased immediately by depending on external budget. We must seek means not tolose, not to hasten to win.

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Q15. What are the names of these plants? What are the utilities (at least 3)?

A: Conducteur du soleil (left), Langue du boeuf (right)

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-Photos of the forum

The national gendarmerie ensuring the security of the forum.

Reception of the Governor of the East Region.
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From left to right: André TINDANO (Secretary General of AFIDRA), Colonel Ousmane TRAORE (Governor of the East Region) and
Masatoshi FUNABASHI (Researcher at Sony CSL, international expert on synecoculture).

Mr. Masatoshi FUNABASHI, international expert of the synecoculture in full presentation at the First African Forum on
Synecoculture.

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View of participants in the conference room.

Field investigation for the discovery of plants on the site of new synecoculture farm near Fada N'Gourma

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Field investigation for the discovery of plants on the site of new synecoculture farm near Fada N'Gourma

Souvenir photo around the baobab of the new farm of synecoculture in Fada N'Gourma

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-List of participants
Table 13. List of participants on site.

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We sincerely thank all the members and associate members of the organizing committee and the secretariat of AFIDRA
for the preparation and the conduct of this forum. Sony CSL offered funding and administrative support. We would
like to thank Julien Baudry and Paul Bourgine of UniTwin UNESCO CS-DC for the special support for webcast and our
driver Souleymane Kone for the transport. Hotel Panache welcomed us during these 3 days in its pleasant atmosphere.
We thank the gendarmes and the police for the maintenance of order and security during the preparation and runningof this forum. This forum is the result of the combined efforts of all the participants who have contributed greatly to thedevelopment of synecoculture in Africa. Layout of the act of symposium is carried out by Akira Tamaki.

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REFERENCES✓ Synecoculture Manual available here:
https://www.elab-ose4el.net/?p=327✓ Site of CARFS (under construction):
http://yenttdn.wixsite.com/synecoculture-africa✓ Facebook page of CARFS:

https://web.facebook.com/carfs.org/✓ Synécoculture Africa Facebook community:
https://web.facebook.com/groups/1631931377118869/(Funabashi, 2016a) Masatoshi Funabashi “Synecological farming: Theoretical foundation on biodiversity responses ofplant communities”. Plant Biotechnology, Vol. 33 (2016), No. 4, 213-234.
(Funabashi, 2016b) Masatoshi Funabashi “Manuel d’agriculture synécologique, édition 2016” (édition française). Matériel
éducatif et de recherche du Complex Systems Digital Campus, programme UniTwin de l’UNESCO, laboratoire en ligne :Exploration en systèmes ouverts pour l'effet de levier écosystémique, No. 3.
(Zotoglo et Kouyaté, 2011) Kokou Zotoglo, Djiguiba Kouyaté, « Manuel de formation - Système de riziculture Intensive (SRI)», sur USAID, Expanded Agribusiness and Trade Promotion (USAID E-ATP) / Mali - Initiatives intégrées pour la croissanceéconomique au Mali (IICEM),‎ juillet 2011
(BASE, 2016) http://asso-base.fr/-L-Agriculture-de-Conservation-.html(Mollison et Holmgren, 2006) Bill Mollison, David Holmgren, “Perma-culture, tome 1.” Equilibres d'aujourd'hui (1 mars
2006)
(Mollison, 2011) Bill Mollison, “Perma-culture, tome 2.” Equilibres d'aujourd'hui (15 novembre 2011)(Verheij et Waaijenberg, 2008) Ed Verheij et Henk Waaijenberg, “Le jardin potager dans les zones tropicales” Agrodok 9,
Fondation Agromisa et CTA, Wageningen, 2008https://publications.cta.int/media/publications/downloads/1436_PDF.pdf(EASYPol, 2007) FAO EASYPol, “Analyse de la filière maraichage au Burkina Faso.” Ressources complémentaires, Module
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http://www.fao.org/docs/up/easypol/887/analyse-filiere-maraichage_107fr.pdf(World Bank, 2016) http://donnees.banquemondiale.org/pays/burkina-faso(INSD, 2015) Institut national de la statistique et de la démographie (INSD), “Profil de pauvreté et d’inégalités.” Enquête
multisectorielle continue (EMC) 2014, Novembre 2015
(CBD, 2010) Convention sur la diversité biologique, “plan stratégique 2011-2020 pour la diversité biologique et les
objectifs d’Aichi.” https://www.cbd.int/doc/strategic-plan/2011-2020/Aichi-Targets-FR.pdf

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