Pouytenga is the capital and largest city in the Pouytenga Department of

Kouritenga Province Kouritenga (sometimes spelt Kourittenga) is one of the 45 provinces of Burkina Faso, located in its Centre-Est Region. In 2019, the province had a population of 479,930.

Burkina Faso Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa, bordered by Mali to the northwest, Niger to the northeast, Benin to the southeast, Togo and Ghana to the south, and Ivory Coast to the southwest. It covers an area of 274,223 km2 (105,87 ...

. It has a population of 96,469 (2019 census).

History

Pouytenga was founded by the Mossi chief Naaba Pouya, from whom it received its name. The name means "land of sharing" or "land of hospitality" in the Mòoré language.

Geography

The city is located in the northern part of the province at the intersection of international roads RN16

Koupéla Koupéla is a city in Burkina Faso, lying east of Ouagadougou () and west of Fada-Ngourma () in an area settled by the Mossi people. It is known for its pottery and sculptures; these were made from natural clays found in the area. In 1900 Koupél ...

- border of Togo at 149 km from the border and RN4

Ouagadougou Ouagadougou or Wagadugu (, , , ) is the capital city of Burkina Faso, and the administrative, communications, cultural and economic centre of the nation. It is also the List of cities in Burkina Faso#Largest cities, country's largest city, wi ...

- Niger border at 154 km from

. It is made up of a strong Yarcé community.

Neighbourhoods of the city

* Yars-sin * Poes-sin * Karob-guin * Kows-ramb-bin * Djo-N'guin * Kombouw-bo * Pissaal-gho * Gar-kin

Economy

Craft A craft or trade is a pastime or an occupation that requires particular skills and knowledge of skilled work. In a historical sense, particularly the Middle Ages and earlier, the term is usually applied to people occupied in small scale pr ...

s in the commune of Pouytenga are characterised by the diversity of the activities carried out and the low level of qualification of the majority of the players. Crafts are the second most important urban employment sector (which itself includes so-called

artisan An artisan (from , ) is a skilled craft worker who makes or creates material objects partly or entirely by hand. These objects may be functional or strictly decorative, for example furniture, decorative art, sculpture, clothing, food ite ...

activities). This includes the craft of production, the craft of services and the craft of art. The production craft is the most represented type. It is found in the textile sector, wood and metal

joinery Joinery is a part of woodworking that involves joining pieces of wood, engineered lumber, or synthetic substitutes (such as laminate), to produce more complex items. Some woodworking joints employ mechanical fasteners, bindings, or adhesives ...

, metal processing, construction, maintenance and repair of buildings (

masonry Masonry is the craft of building a structure with brick, stone, or similar material, including mortar plastering which are often laid in, bound, and pasted together by mortar (masonry), mortar. The term ''masonry'' can also refer to the buildin ...

, painting,

plumbing Plumbing is any system that conveys fluids for a wide range of applications. Plumbing uses piping, pipes, valves, piping and plumbing fitting, plumbing fixtures, Storage tank, tanks, and other apparatuses to convey fluids. HVAC, Heating and co ...

, etc.), preparation or manufacture of products including fresh bakery, pastry, butchery and fishmongery, as well as the preparation or manufacture of crafted ice-cream, alcoholic beverages (dolo) and catering. The service craft, which is poorly represented because of its diversity, includes hairdressing,

butcher A butcher is a person who may Animal slaughter, slaughter animals, dress their flesh, sell their meat, or participate within any combination of these three tasks. They may prepare standard cuts of meat and poultry for sale in retail or wholesale ...

driving Driving is the controlled operation and movement of a land vehicle, including cars, motorcycles, trucks, and buses. A driver's permission to drive on public highways is granted based on a set of conditions being met, and drivers are required to ...

, maintenance and repair of vehicles and machinery, small-scale sales of handicrafts, and photography. The craftsmanship of art is varied in all the localities of the municipality; it is mainly represented by professionals in

leather Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning (leather), tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffal ...

woodworking Woodworking is the skill of making items from wood, and includes cabinetry, furniture making, wood carving, joinery, carpentry, and woodturning. History Along with stone, clay and animal parts, wood was one of the first materials worked b ...

, natural resource processing and recovery, decoration. The contribution of this sector to the local economy is quite significant even though it is not recognised.

Agriculture

Agriculture is the second most prevalent occupation of the population after trade. It is practised in villages and remains heavily dependent on

climatic Climate is the long-term weather pattern in a region, typically averaged over 30 years. More rigorously, it is the mean and variability of meteorological variables over a time spanning from months to millions of years. Some of the meteorolog ...

hazards. It is an agriculture characterised by the use of equipment which is still inefficient even if it is noted that the use of the

plough A plough or ( US) plow (both pronounced ) is a farm tool for loosening or turning the soil before sowing seed or planting. Ploughs were traditionally drawn by oxen and horses but modern ploughs are drawn by tractors. A plough may have a wooden ...

, especially

mule The mule is a domestic equine hybrid between a donkey, and a horse. It is the offspring of a male donkey (a jack) and a female horse (a mare). The horse and the donkey are different species, with different numbers of chromosomes; of the two ...

-pulled, cattle and

tractor A tractor is an engineering vehicle specifically designed to deliver a high tractive effort (or torque) at slow speeds, for the purposes of hauling a Trailer (vehicle), trailer or machinery such as that used in agriculture, mining or constructio ...

s, is becoming increasingly in the habits of producers and is threatened by the strong pressure on land. Agriculture produced in the commune is highly diversified and focuses on three types of crops, namely

cereal crops A cereal is a grass cultivated for its edible grain. Cereals are the world's largest crops, and are therefore staple foods. They include rice, wheat, rye, oats, barley, millet, and maize ( Corn). Edible grains from other plant families, su ...

cash crop A cash crop, also called profit crop, is an Agriculture, agricultural crop which is grown to sell for profit. It is typically purchased by parties separate from a farm. The term is used to differentiate a marketed crop from a staple crop ("subsi ...

s and other food crops. Vegetable crops are also grown.

Cereal crops

The cereal crops produced are red

sorghum ''Sorghum bicolor'', commonly called sorghum () and also known as great millet, broomcorn, guinea corn, durra, imphee, jowar, or milo, is a species in the Poaceae, grass genus ''Sorghum (genus), Sorghum'' cultivated for its grain. The grain i ...

, white sorghum,

millet Millets () are a highly varied group of small-seeded grasses, widely grown around the world as cereal crops or grains for fodder and human food. Most millets belong to the tribe Paniceae. Millets are important crops in the Semi-arid climate, ...

maize Maize (; ''Zea mays''), also known as corn in North American English, is a tall stout grass that produces cereal grain. It was domesticated by indigenous peoples in southern Mexico about 9,000 years ago from wild teosinte. Native American ...

and

rice Rice is a cereal grain and in its Domestication, domesticated form is the staple food of over half of the world's population, particularly in Asia and Africa. Rice is the seed of the grass species ''Oryza sativa'' (Asian rice)—or, much l ...

. These crops are produced mainly for self-consumption, but some are sold on the market, notably the Pouytenga market, or to collectors, semi-wholesalers and wholesalers.

Cash crops

Cash crops include groundnuts,

sesame Sesame (; ''Sesamum indicum'') is a plant in the genus '' Sesamum'', also called benne. Numerous wild relatives occur in Africa and a smaller number in India. It is widely naturalized in tropical regions around the world and is cultivated for ...

and

soybean The soybean, soy bean, or soya bean (''Glycine max'') is a species of legume native to East Asia, widely grown for its edible bean. Soy is a staple crop, the world's most grown legume, and an important animal feed. Soy is a key source o ...

Peanut The peanut (''Arachis hypogaea''), also known as the groundnut, goober (US), goober pea, pindar (US) or monkey nut (UK), is a legume crop grown mainly for its edible seeds. It is widely grown in the tropics and subtropics by small and large ...

is the most commonly grown crop.

Market gardening

Market garden A market garden is the relatively small-scale production of fruits, vegetables and flowers as cash crops, frequently sold directly to consumers and restaurants. The diversity of crops grown on a small area of land, typically from under to s ...

ing is an activity that is practised in the commune of Pouytenga, especially in villages such as Kourit-Yaoghin, Zaongo, Gorkassinghin, Zoré and Leamtenga. On the whole, the main vegetable crops grown in the commune are experiencing a general upward trend in the areas sown. The same applies to the productions and yields obtained. Despite these improvements, the municipality covers only about 35% of its needs.

Breeding

Two livestock systems coexist in the commune. These are sedentary extensive systems (little practised) and semi-intensive systems (more dominant). The main species raised are

cattle Cattle (''Bos taurus'') are large, domesticated, bovid ungulates widely kept as livestock. They are prominent modern members of the subfamily Bovinae and the most widespread species of the genus '' Bos''. Mature female cattle are calle ...

sheep Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus '' Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to d ...

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a species of Caprinae, goat-antelope that is mostly kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the ...

poultry Poultry () are domesticated birds kept by humans for the purpose of harvesting animal products such as meat, Eggs as food, eggs or feathers. The practice of animal husbandry, raising poultry is known as poultry farming. These birds are most typ ...

donkey The donkey or ass is a domesticated equine. It derives from the African wild ass, ''Equus africanus'', and may be classified either as a subspecies thereof, ''Equus africanus asinus'', or as a separate species, ''Equus asinus''. It was domes ...

equines ''Equus'' () is a genus of mammals in the perissodactyl family (biology), family Equidae, which includes wild horse, horses, Asinus, asses, and zebras. Within the Equidae, ''Equus'' is the only recognized Extant taxon, extant genus, comprising s ...

and

pig The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities cons ...

s. The extensive system is rarely practised due to lack of space, grazing, water points.

Transhumance Transhumance is a type of pastoralism or Nomad, nomadism, a seasonal movement of livestock between fixed summer and winter pastures. In montane regions (''vertical transhumance''), it implies movement between higher pastures in summer and low ...

is virtually non-existent given the predominance of fattening. However, breeders from other countries such as

Mali Mali, officially the Republic of Mali, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is the List of African countries by area, eighth-largest country in Africa, with an area of over . The country is bordered to the north by Algeria, to the east b ...

and

Niger Niger, officially the Republic of the Niger, is a landlocked country in West Africa. It is a unitary state Geography of Niger#Political geography, bordered by Libya to the Libya–Niger border, north-east, Chad to the Chad–Niger border, east ...

cross the commune. These crossings are carried out at any time of the year, however, with peak periods and heavy numbers (1,000 to 1,500 head of cattle), particularly in the case of tabaski (Eid al-Adha) for sheep and until April–June for cattle. Semi-intensive farming corresponds to fattening of

ovine Sheep (: sheep) or domestic sheep (''Ovis aries'') are a domesticated, ruminant mammal typically kept as livestock. Although the term ''sheep'' can apply to other species in the genus ''Ovis'', in everyday usage it almost always refers to dom ...

bovine Bovines (subfamily Bovinae) comprise a diverse group of 10 genera of medium to large-sized ungulates, including Bos, cattle, bison, African buffalo, Bubalus, water buffalos, and the four-horned and spiral-horned antelopes. The members of this gro ...

, caprine,

porcine The pig (''Sus domesticus''), also called swine (: swine) or hog, is an omnivorous, domesticated, even-toed, hoofed mammal. It is named the domestic pig when distinguishing it from other members of the genus '' Sus''. Some authorities consid ...

. It is the most dominant, due mainly to the lack of space and the predominance of the fattening of livestock farrow. There is the beginning of an intensive rearing of poultry which has demonstrated effective following the diversification of animal production in the municipality.

Trade

Trade is practised by the majority of the population of the commune (about 80%) and the town itself is renowned for this commercial city function at the national level. However, it is a sector which remains dominated by the

informal sector An informal economy (informal sector or grey economy) is the part of any economy that is neither taxed nor monitored by any form of government. Although the informal sector makes up a significant portion of the economies in developing countri ...

, although there is a specialisation in the organisation of the various traders by their membership of a central

trade union A trade union (British English) or labor union (American English), often simply referred to as a union, is an organization of workers whose purpose is to maintain or improve the conditions of their employment, such as attaining better wages ...

as well as the different trading areas: the central market (including the bicycle market, the poultry market), the

cola Cola is a Carbonation, carbonated soft drink flavored with vanilla, cinnamon, citrus essential oil, oils, and other flavorings. Cola became popular worldwide after the American pharmacist John Stith Pemberton invented Coca-Cola, a trademarked br ...

market, the cereal market, the livestock market and the "Seko" market. Traders, like the configuration of the population are of various origins (national and foreign countries such as

Ghana Ghana, officially the Republic of Ghana, is a country in West Africa. It is situated along the Gulf of Guinea and the Atlantic Ocean to the south, and shares borders with Côte d’Ivoire to the west, Burkina Faso to the north, and Togo to t ...

Togo Togo, officially the Togolese Republic, is a country in West Africa. It is bordered by Ghana to Ghana–Togo border, the west, Benin to Benin–Togo border, the east and Burkina Faso to Burkina Faso–Togo border, the north. It is one of the le ...

Nigeria Nigeria, officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean to the south. It covers an area of . With Demographics of Nigeria, ...

, etc.). The periodicity of the various markets is synchronous.

Market

The central market is located at sector 5 on a site with an area of about 4.60 ha. There is a fairly diversified trade, which involves the exchange of products of all kinds, where manufactured goods occupy an important place. These products come from different backgrounds (

, Ghana, Togo, Nigeria, Mali,

Cote d'Ivoire Ivory Coast, also known as Côte d'Ivoire and officially the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire, is a country on the southern coast of West Africa. Its capital city of Yamoussoukro is located in the centre of the country, while its largest city and ...

Asia Asia ( , ) is the largest continent in the world by both land area and population. It covers an area of more than 44 million square kilometres, about 30% of Earth's total land area and 8% of Earth's total surface area. The continent, which ...

, etc.) and are sold either in shops or makeshift stalls. Decades old and having given the city a national reputation, this market is still undeveloped. There have been several attempts at development and organisation of the market, but all have failed for various reasons: reluctance of traders, especially those who benefit from the lack of organisation, etc., hence the need for construction of a market that meets all safety standards. Traders in the central market, like those in other major markets, are organised into associations and trade unions, and the informal nature of commercial activities is dominant.

References

{{Reflist Populated places in the Centre-Est Region