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This research work aims to study the perceptions of pastoralists and agropastoralists on climate change impacts on mobile herding and the effectiveness of herders' adaptive strategies within Kompienga Province, south-eastern region of Burkina Faso. In order to achieve this aim, survey data were retrieved from 271 respondents and analysed. From respondents' perceptions, climate change is real and is negatively affecting forage availability (in quality and quantity); livestock production and reproduction performances; herders' practices, their livelihoods and the cohabitation of herding and crop farming. To overcome the increasing constraints the pastoral herding is facing, sound and urgent actions need to be undertaken by Burkina Faso government. These actions include: 1) providing the grazing reserves with necessary facilities such as perennial reservoirs; 2) conducting research to improve breeds that would adapt to current climatic conditions; 3) encouraging and supporting gradual shift of herders from mobile herding to the sedentary breeding; 4) supporting and organizing forage production by farmers. At short term an effective cross-border framework could be created to seek for sound solutions to secure the mobility of herds within ECOWAS territory.

This research aimed to investigate how the rapid land use and cover changes is affecting pastoral resources and practices within Kompienga province in Sudanian zone of Burkina Faso. To achieve this aim, Landsat images data of years 1989, 2001, 2013 and 2015 were retrieved and analysed. Images were acquired following the path 193 and row 52, from Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper (TM), Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) and . Images processing were done using 350 training sample for both; the purpose of supervised classification and accuracy assessment. Random Forest Algorithm (RFA) procedures in R-Software (version 3.3.2) were used for images classification. Furthermore, survey data were collected through group discussions and individual interviews with a 271 head of household respondents (pastoralists and agro-pastoralists) to investigate respondents' perceptions on land uses and covers changes and its impacts on their pastoral and agro pastoral resources and animal husbandry practices. Results showed that Land use dynamics was characterized by an increase in croplands at an average rate of 46.7 % per year, between 1989 and 2015. On the contrary a decline of pasture lands was observed since 2001 at an average rate of 6.0 % per year. Similar trends in land uses changes were observed by interviewed respondents who depicted an increase in cropping lands (98.5 % of respondents) to the detriment of pasture lands (97.8 % of respondents). To overcome these land use/land cover changes and it subsequent consequences, respondent pastoralists and agro pastoralists have developed local adaptations strategies. ISSN 2166-0379 2018 http://jas.macrothink.org 91 Thus, some measures are still needed at government level to sustain local pastoralist and agro-pastoralist efforts and strengthen their adaptive capacity. Journal of Agricultural Studies

Understanding past climate trends and their impacts in the Sahel region is fundamental for climate change (CC) adaptation and mitigation. This study analyses climate trends from 1961 to 2020 in three climatic zones in Burkina Faso and examines the impacts of CC on the production of five major crops. The National Agency of Meteorology of Burkina Faso compiled a long-time series of daily rainfall and temperature data for this study. Crop production data (1984–2020) were retrieved from the Ministry of Agriculture. Climate temporal variations in each climatic zone were analysed using extreme climate indices and principal component analysis. Linear regression was used to assess climate impacts on crop production. The results showed a high rainfall variability and changes in temperature extremes in the three zones. The climate window, 1991–2020, was hotter than 1961–1990, while the last decade (2011–2020) was the wettest. Most climate indices (67%) showed significant correlations with crop yields. Dry spells, cool days, cold nights, average daily wet days and rainfall intensity showed positive and negative effects on maize, cowpea, millet and sorghum yields. This study highlights the importance of climate-smart policy promoting drought-resistant and short-duration varieties in addressing the adverse effects of CC on crop production.