November 28, 2024

Claude Arsène Sawadogo: A passionate champion for organic farming

Fresh Produce

Burkina Faso

You must dare to start with what little you have and gain the trust of your partners. Entrepreneurship is not a long, quiet river; the life of an entrepreneur is made up of daily challenges,

Claude Arsène Sawadogo, founder of BioProtect.

The incredible journey of an agro-ecology champion

Claude Arsène Sawadogo, agro-economist and promoter of BioProtect, embodies the entrepreneurial spirit in Burkina Faso. BioProtect is an economic interest grouping (EIG) company in Burkina Faso, set up in partnership with the Association for Research and Training in Agroecology (ARFA) and the French company BIOPHYTECH, a Herault-based company specialising in plant protection research and development. It is dedicated to promoting agroecology and organic farming. The company specialises in the production, promotion and distribution of 100% organic biostimulants, biopesticides and biofertilisers (Limosain, Solsain, Plantsain, PiOL, ...).

Since childhood, Claude Arsène has always been fascinated by entrepreneurship. Alongside his sister, he sold boiled peanuts to earn pocket money, and, in secondary school, he sold water. These early experiences prepared him for a career as an entrepreneur. Although he studied economics at university, his interest in agriculture grew, influenced by his father's advice on natural pesticides.

After obtaining a degree in agro economics in his home country, he continued his studies in Montpellier, France, where between April and June 2011 he took up a position as project manager at Biophytech, a French research and development company based in Montpellier and specialising in the formulation of biopesticides. During his time in France, Claude Arsène saw an opportunity to provide solutions to the problems of soil degradation in Burkina Faso, due in part to the use of chemical pesticides and the difficulties in supplying farmers with agricultural inputs capable of improving yields without destroying the environment or harming human health. This gave rise to the idea of creating Bioprotect. On his return home, the entrepreneur set to work. He received support from his former employer, who provided him with laboratory equipment and technical assistance. He also received a great deal of support from his father.

At the time, my father had been promoting agroecology and organic farming for over a decade through the NGO he set up, the Association for Research and Training in Agroecology. He provided me with a small office and premises as a starting point for the laboratory,

Arsène recalls.

This is what enabled him to start the business with no start-up capital. BioProtect's aim is to encourage the adoption of agro-ecological practices and enable producers to move towards production methods that are more respectful of the environment and the health of producers and consumers. The company not only focuses on bio-inputs but is also committed to developing markets for healthy fruit and vegetables.

At Bioprotect, we chose the business option rather than the NGO or association option because we are convinced that the promotion of good agricultural practices, whether agroecology or organic farming, necessarily involves the market and the creation of income. If these producers manage to find more attractive incomes, all the others are bound to come along,

shares Arsène.

Bioprotect has a twofold objective: to promote organic and agro-ecological farming by offering products and services designed to improve the performance of farms without damaging the environment or people; and to facilitate people's access to healthy food and promote food sovereignty through the production and marketing of organic agricultural products.

Thanks to its partnership with 2SCALE, BioProtect has been able to achieve these objectives. Today, the company successfully meets marketing challenges by developing innovative business models that ensure a sustainable and secure supply chain for producers.

2SCALE: A Strategically Important Partnership

While entrepreneurship offers many advantages, including independence and personal fulfilment, it can also involve risks, such as financial instability, long working hours and the possibility of failure.

One of the biggest difficulties encountered by Claude in 2011, when he started his business, was to unite a community of researchers around an initiative that had no financial backing. It turned out to be the most difficult journey of his career, due to widespread scepticism about the effectiveness of organic approaches.

When I started out, very few people believed in organic solutions. Worse still, someone like me, an economic analyst and not from the research system, were proposing organic solutions to protect crops and fertilise soils. Many people didn't take this seriously, seeing organic production as the ‘luxury of people who have enough to eat, when they want to feed themselves first’. Consumers think that organic products are made for ‘white people’ or the well-to-do. What's more, public authorities show little interest in organic farming. Finally, the difficulty of accessing finance is a real challenge,

shares Arsène.

It was therefore with great satisfaction that Claude Arsène, through BioProtect, seized the opportunity offered by 2SCALE to enhance his marketing activities. By adopting a business model based on coaching and networking, BioProtect has strengthened its market position and expanded its network, enabling collaboration with a wider range of producers.

Since its creation, BIOPROTECT has continued to grow. Its network of producers, initially composed of 300 SPG organic certified members, now includes more than 1,200 farmers spread across different regions of the country. At the same time, the company has diversified its organic product offering and strengthened its production and distribution capacities. This growth is the result of a strong commitment to sustainable agriculture and active support for producers.

Despite a slow start due to coordination difficulties and an unsuitable choice of Business Service Support (BSS), the partnership with 2SCALE has enabled BioProtect to experience remarkable growth. The company has increased its workforce fivefold and developed new activities, transforming its business model.

Arsène narrates,

Before this partnership, BioProtect was a small SME with only 10 permanent employees. Our relationships with producers were mainly supplier-customer interactions, with some capacity building activities. But today, thanks to this collaboration with the 2SCALE program, we have 47 employees, including 16 women and 38 young people who each play a very important role in the development of this company.

Thanks to organic inputs and rigorous agroecological specifications, agricultural practices have improved sustainably. The Agribusiness Clusters (ABC) have strengthened the position of producers on the market, but a need for financing remains crucial, to cope with water constraints.

Lessons Learned and Perspectives

The Bioprotect-2SCALE partnership has improved communication, trust and flexibility between stakeholders. Producers, better informed, have become key partners, co-designers of the value chain. Production has increased in quantity and quality, thanks to agroecology and certification. Producers have easier access to credit and consumers benefit from certified products. Bioprotect, a family business, combines tradition and innovation to promote organic farming in Burkina Faso.BioProtect has distinguished itself in the Burkinabe agricultural landscape by combining tradition and innovation. Thanks to rigorous methods, recognized certifications (Ecocert, CNABIO) and a strong family commitment, the company has positioned itself as a key player in the organic sector. According to Arsène, founder of BioProtect, success is based on three pillars: hard work, transparent labeling and impeccable quality of the products and services offered. The unwavering support of the family has also been essential to achieve these objectives.For the future, BioProtect plans to continue consolidating its achievements and expanding its distribution network. The company is exploring insurance and financing solutions for producers and is considering expanding internationally, including to Côte d'Ivoire and Ghana.

The business champion also wants to embark on an in-depth transformation process to optimise the market value of Burkina Faso's fruit and vegetables, by improving product quality, developing new outlets (on local and export markets), strengthening producer organisations and investing in storage and processing infrastructure.

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