When Ms. Diabaté’s son came home from school early one day, she knew something was wrong.  He confessed that he was sent home because his school fees hadn’t been paid.

Ms. Diabaté, one of 3000 small sesame growers participating in EWW’s Sesame Promotion Program in Burkina Faso, was able to remedy the situation: “I took the money I earned from my sesame sales, paid my son’s school fees, and immediately sent him back to school.”

The program works to assist growers and educate them about the benefits of this draught-resistant plant for the hot and dry conditions of Burkina Faso. While many in the developed world might think of sesame as just part of their morning bagel, it’s a valuable cash crop in this West African nation where the average income is just $210 a year. In fact, sesame seed yields nearly four times the price of peanuts or sorghum per kilo.

One of the pillars of the EWW program is connecting buyers and sellers, and earlier this year in the northeast town of Dori, sesame producers and buyers met at an EWW-facilitated trade fair. The result: 217 tons of sesame sold, and buyer demand for ten times that amount.

The third conference of its kind since the initial meeting in Sebba in 2002, this exchange brought together professional buyers and representatives of sesame producers from the provinces of Séno, Yagha and Boulou.

The event was a success. In particular, participants noted the value of being able to directly interact with one another and to negotiate pricing and production in person.

Initially, producers asked for 300,000 CFA per ton of seeds, while purchasers offered 250,000 CFA. A compromise was reached in the end, with the two sides negotiating a price of 275,000 CFA (around $520).

Due to the extraordinary demand, producers were able to deliver 137 more tons of sesame for a total of 404 tons.  This demand shows the additional potential in the market for small producers such as Ms. Diabaté.

The sesame program is part of EWW’s oilseeds project in Burkina Faso, started in 2001 and funded by DANIDA, the Danish bilateral development agency.  The project has shown that sesame sales can allow small producers to improve their lives by generating cash for the purchase of medicines, health services, and access to education – as shown by Ms. Diabaté.  It’s EWW’s business-based development approach at work.