Burkina Primeur, sustainable production of onions and shallots for the West African market The existing commercial relationship between applicant v.o.f. Harry Goesten and local partner Faso Fruits et Legumes (FFL) dates back to 2005 with the production of green beans. This project involved 500 outgrowers who produce green beans which are exported to v.o.f. Harry Goesten in the Netherlands. Because the green bean campaign lasts from October to March, with an average of 4 month real occupation of the cultivation process, v.o.f. Harry Goesten and the outgrowers have been investigating opportunities to extend production above the 4 months period and to diversify sources of income.This search resulted in the idea of introducing the production of onions and shallots. Onion and shallots can be grown alternatively but more or less parallel with green beans and there are excellent opportunities for regional export to Cote d'Ivoire, Ghana and Togo. The local market shows opportunities for especially the onions.A joint venture will be established which shall develop locally adapted/improved planting materials and undertake the required activities for the training and supervision of about 6,000 outgrowers (500 of which are outgrowers in the green bean project) to grow over 50 ha of high quality onions and shallots. The production of the outgrowers, roughly 1,200 tonnes of onions and shallots, will be treated, packaged and commercialised through the planned joint venture company in the surrounding countries.The joint venture will create 20 directs jobs and 50 indirect jobs and strengthen the position of the outgrowers through diversification of their sources of incomes.Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR)The joint venture will fully comply with all the regulations and policies in place in Burkina Faso to guarantee that the employees and working conditions are safe and comfortable. The project will in particular adhere to the GlobalGAP (Good Agricultural Practice) rules and regulations and take care that all required legal documentation (e.g. licenses, building permits etc) will be obtained in accordance with local rules and legislation. An independent validation company will be inspecting the location for HACCP certification.Impact•	Employment and working conditionsAt the end of the PSI phase, Burkina Primeur will employ a minimum of 30 permanent staff members of which at least 8 medium- to high-level employers and 22 unskilled labourers. In addition, an estimated 50 part-timers will be employed for 2 to 4 months per year.Wages and benefits paid for a standard working hours or month meet, at a minimum, the national legal wage. For the regular personal, the joint venture will pay at least 10% above the minimum wage in Burkina Faso (as fixed by the Government of Burkina Faso) according to the various qualification.The working hours will comply with national laws and will not be in excess of 40 hours per week. Overtime will be voluntary and not exceed 12 hours per week and will be always compensated at the legal premium rate.Additionally, the Burkina Primeur will promote an employee funds that will be managed by the employees. Burkina Primeur will encourage such creation and donate 1% of the net profit of the company to the funds.About 6,000 outgrowers will be self-employed to earn decent revenues to move them out of the poverty line.•	Innovation/Transfer of knowledgeThe transfer of new knowledge about new cultivars and cultivation methods will be introduced which enhances the abilities of farmers to grow high quality onions and shallots. Training comprises of: nursery methodologies (seeding techniques); soil cultivation techniques; planting techniques; methods of fertilisation; harvesting methods; drying methods; methods for proper storage and sorting methodologies.•	Chain effectsThe main objective of the project is to develop the onions and shallots sector of Burkina Faso by improving varieties, quality and marketability. The following parties will take profit of the project:- The farmer communities. The project backbone are the 6,077 smallholders who will cultivate the onions and shallots. This network of outgrowers will be extended during the follow phase.- Providers of farms inputs and equipments, such as irrigation equipments.- The traders and wholesalers.- The transportation and logistic companies that will be mobilised to deliver the onions and shallots to the customers. Among these, there are several hundred or thousands of retailers across the countries that will be enabled to earn a good living.•	EnvironmentBecause healthier starting material will be used for growing shallot crops, there will be less need for fertilizers and pesticides to produce high harvest yields of good quality. Farmers using this material will be educated to ensure they will indeed refrain from using more fertilizers and pesticides than is absolutely necessary.This switch will allow them to increase their harvest yield (up to 35 to 50%), using the same amount of land and using the same amount or less fertilizers and pesticides.Planting material produced by the joint venture will conform to GlobalGAP (Good Agricultural Practice) requirements. The GlobalGAP standard is primarily designed to reassure consumers about how food is produced on the farm by minimizing detrimental environmental impacts of farming operations, reducing the use of chemical inputs and ensuring a responsible approach to worker health and safety as well as animal welfare.•	Position of womenThe project will specially benefit women in the sense that women are the traditional farm workers in Burkina Faso. Among the 6,077 outgrowers of the planed project, 70% of them are women. In any case, 70% of the project personnel will be women especially in the post-harvest handling centre. The aim of the project is to set up a joint venture in Burkina Faso called Faso Primeur which will produce high quality planting materials for onions and shallots and will also be a for the distribution of onions and shallots, produced by its outgrowers.