MISSION   GAFAS is a non profit organization established in 1998 by a group of foresters, technicians and farmers in response to the forest and land degradation in Africa in general and Burkina Faso particularly. GAFAS mission is to contribute for securing and improving the livelihood of rural people by through increased use of plants. GAFAS believes that sustainable use of plants could significantly reduce the vulnerability of communities in rural Africa's dry lands to climate change (drought and famine) now and in the future.    GOALS   GAFAS encourages communities, governments, donors and international institutions to combine efforts in order to: -          Enhance the level of people perception concerning the roles, the function and the uses of the plants;. -          safeguarding and promotion of plants in the Sahelian rural landscapes and towns; -          reduce rural people poverty by improving their access to plants and plants products;