Indigenous Smallholder Farming Strategies in South-Western Burkina Faso in Climate Variability Context

Authors

  • Thiombiano Boundia Alexandre  Institut du Developpement Rural (IDR), Universite Polytechnique de Bobo-Dioulasso (UPB), 01 BP 1091 Bobo-Dioulasso 01, Burkina Faso.
  • Ouedraogo Denis  Institut du Developpement Rural (IDR), Universite Polytechnique de Bobo-Dioulasso (UPB), 01 BP 1091 Bobo-Dioulasso 01, Burkina Faso.

Keywords:

Climate variability, farming strategies, Smallholder agro-ecosystem, Burkina Faso.

Abstract

Existing production systems in West Africa are unable to maintaining a good enough nutrient cycling at farm level. Climate change is expected to increase food production issues in agro ecosystems. Adaptation of smallholders to climate change requires rethinking and adjusting their existing production systems in order to improve their nutrient balance and to ensure an efficient provision of food demand. To that end, better understanding indigenous strategies is still needed. The present study was conducted in South-western Burkina Faso. Three communities of the province were chosen through a cluster analysis using NDVI index, land use map, soil degradation information, and population density. Using soil map, six villages were randomly selected and 360 farms were surveyed. The findings show that farmers overwhelmingly (99%) perceive rainfall variability in the studied zone. Farmers used in average 22.69 ± 3.11 kg ha -1 of mineral fertilizer. A total of 28.06 % and 23.6% of interviewed farmers were using farm yard manure and compost from crop residues, respectively. Stone bunds were implemented by around 35% of farmers. The study also showed that most farmers rely on non-scientific methods for determining sowing period. The study demonstrates the need for rethinking the policy intervention strategies to ensure a better uptake of proven practices in sustainable nutrient management, and to build capacities of smallholder farmers in agro-meteorology to guide the decision making.

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International Journal of Scientific Research in Science, Engineering and Technology

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Published

2019-01-30

Issue

Volume 6, Issue 1, January-February-2019

Section

Research Articles

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How to Cite

[1]
Thiombiano Boundia Alexandre, Ouedraogo Denis, " Indigenous Smallholder Farming Strategies in South-Western Burkina Faso in Climate Variability Context, International Journal of Scientific Research in Science, Engineering and Technology(IJSRSET), Print ISSN : 2395-1990, Online ISSN : 2394-4099, Volume 6, Issue 1, pp.45-50, January-February-2019.