I’m only quoting a few small snippets with numbers below. There’s much, much more in the article worth reading.

Currently, about 80% of the population of the Sahelian nation is involved in agricultural activity, which accounts for a third of the GDP. Even so, the country still imports more than 200,000 tons of rice per year.

In response to this challenge, President Ibrahim Traoré’s government launched the so-called Agricultural Offensive in 2023, which has been revolutionizing the rural environment and serving as a model for the continent. The central objective is to end dependence on imports of widely consumed food products.

The current government’s offensive has been marked by strong direct support for rural producers and unprecedented investments in mechanization. The strategy focuses on substantially increasing production in eight priority areas: rice, corn, potatoes, wheat, fish, livestock, poultry, and mangoes.

Financing for the purchase of machinery in the country, much of it from China, relies on two main sources: the nationalization of gold and the creation of a patriotic fund financed by the population itself.

According to the government’s announcement, the differentiated mechanization includes draft animals for small producers, and, on the other hand, tillers and tractors for large enterprises. Initially, more than 400 tractors were distributed, in addition to subsidized fertilizers. For the 2025-2026 campaign, the package should include the delivery of 608 tractors and 1,102 tillers.

The country’s first tomato processing plant, inaugurated in 2024 in Bobo Dioulasso, has 20% state participation and 80% community capital, organized by APEC, the Agency for the Promotion of Community Entrepreneurship. The organization, founded in 2022, is primarily supported by the small and medium-sized national bourgeoisie.

Also the role of the small national bourgeoisie in decolonial economic development is perfectly exemplified in BF’s ongoing revolution. If you’re looking to understand the way the national bourgeoisie can be a progressive and revolutionary force, BF is the best place to look. At extremely low levels of economic development, the entrepreneurial small capitalists (many of whom are returning diaspora bringing some modest western monetary capital) are key partners in building up industry beyond what a small, underdeveloped state can achieve. This always poses a long term threat to a socialist project (which I think BF aims to build), but still, national bourgeoisie are a key ally against comprador bourgeoisie.