Microcredit, training and rural food security in Burkina Faso: an analysis of complementarity

Abstract In rural Sahelian communities, access to finance alone may not protect food consumption when economic activities and markets are exposed to multiple shocks. This study examines how microcredit, financial education and environmental training are associated with food security in Burkina Faso. We analyze data from the 2022 GLO-NET Burkina Faso endline survey, conducted by the Representation of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) in Burkina Faso, for 1 732 households in 166 villages. The Food Consumption Score (FCS) is the primary outcome, and the Dietary Diversity Score (DDS7) is the secondary outcome. We estimate ordinary least squares (OLS) models with province fixed effects to control unobserved differences across locations and use municipality fixed effects in robustness checks. Standard errors are clustered by village to account for within-village correlation. The microcredit coefficient is not statistically significant. The interaction between financial education and environmental training, however, is positive and significant for the FCS, including in models with municipality fixed effects. These findings suggest examining the mix of services offered alongside rural finance rather than prioritizing credit alone.