Burkina Faso Flying Labs Addresses Local Climate Change, Security Challenges

In Burkina Faso, a team of local experts from the environmental resource management group Bases Intégrées de Gestion des Ressources Environnementales (BIGREEN), one of CORADE's departments, is now hosting Burkina Faso Flying Labs. The team will support social good projects addressing the challenges of climate change and security in communities across the country. 

Burkina Faso's people have suffered large-scale displacement due to terrorist activity in recent years, leading to a significant decline in life-sustaining agricultural production. Burkina Faso Flying Labs will help restore food production by promoting precision agriculture and better water management using their expert knowledge of drones and robotics. The team also plans to use their skills to implement other environmental management projects—especially those that address climate change.

Burkina Faso Flying Labs' first focus is mapping, cartography, and drone piloting training, especially for professionals and government agencies. They have already worked with government agencies and other stakeholders to develop a legal framework that regulates the use of drones in Burkina Faso within the Association of Drone Specialists' framework. These knowledge-sharing events aim to increase local capacity and expertise to strengthen the drone and data ecosystem in Burkina Faso. 

The team's second focus will be research, such as a previous project on an invasive aquatic plant called Typha on Soum Lake. The knowledge gained from their research is shared with interested and affected communities through conferences and workshops. For example, Burkina Faso Flying Labs will deliver training to the Mouhoun Water Agency based on the results of the Typha study to build their capacity to contain the plant's invasion and stem the negative environmental impact.

As new projects take shape, Burkina Faso Flying Labs will share details on their Facebook page, YouTube Channel, and the Flying Labs blog. Stay tuned for more!