INSTITUT DE L'ENVIRONNEMENT ET DE RECHERCHES AGRICOLES

Their core work

INERA is Burkina Faso's national agricultural research institute, focused on improving food security and rural livelihoods across the Sahel region. They specialize in dryland farming systems, integrating crops, shrubs, and livestock to restore degraded land and build climate resilience. Their work emphasizes participatory research with smallholder farmers, bridging traditional knowledge with modern agronomic practices to boost productivity in harsh semi-arid environments.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

INERA's early H2020 involvement (2015) was strategic and policy-oriented, contributing to PROIntensAfrica — a coordination action to shape the Africa-EU agricultural research agenda. By 2020, their focus shifted decisively toward hands-on, field-level research: integrated farming systems, land restoration, and farmer-led approaches in the Sahel. This evolution reflects a move from policy framing to applied agricultural solutions with direct impact on rural communities.

INERA is deepening its focus on climate-resilient, integrated farming for the Sahel — expect continued work on land restoration, agroecology, and farmer-centered research linking West and East African experience.

How they like to work

INERA operates exclusively as a consortium partner, never as coordinator — consistent with its role as a regional research provider contributing local field expertise to large international projects. With 56 unique partners across 30 countries, they are embedded in broad, geographically diverse consortia. This wide network suggests they are a trusted in-country research partner that European coordinators seek out for West African field operations and data.

INERA has collaborated with 56 different partners across 30 countries, reflecting a remarkably wide network for an organization with only 3 projects. Their connections span Europe and Africa, making them a well-connected entry point for Sahelian agricultural research.

What sets them apart

INERA is one of very few Sahelian research institutes active in H2020, giving them a rare position as a credible, experienced local partner for any EU project requiring fieldwork in Burkina Faso or the wider West African drylands. Their combination of land restoration expertise, traditional crop knowledge, and established relationships with farming communities is difficult to replicate. For any consortium targeting the Sahel, INERA brings both scientific capacity and on-the-ground legitimacy.

Highlights from their portfolio

• SustainSAHEL
  Largest funding (EUR 280K) and most comprehensive scope — covers crop-shrub-livestock integration, hydraulic uplift, and herder-farmer cooperation across the Sahel.
• EWA-BELT
  Bridges East and West African farming experience, connecting traditional crops, pest management, and value chains across the continent.