Farming in the West African Sudan Savanna: Insights in the context of climate change

Abstract

Farming is the main livelihood activity in semi-arid rural West Africa, involving the largest portion of the population, contributing significantly to the regional economy and intimately intertwined with current environmental problems. Key vulnerabilities of the Sudan Savanna include its ecological fragility, institutional weakness, high levels of poverty and food insecurity, and political and economic instability, now aggravated by climate change. The characterization of current farming and cropping systems in the Sudan Savanna is the key for understanding and proposing meaningful adaptation strategies at the field, farm, local and national levels. This review begins by examining the agroecological (biophysical) profile, detailing climatic, edaphological and hydrological qualities. Next, the main socioeconomic features: demography, culture, and organizational and economic institutions are summarized, followed by a characterization of the main farming and cropping systems and associated management. The paper concludes by offering an outlook on targeted activities, interventions and strategies for cropping and farming systems to cope and adapt to climate change and variability, as well as soil fertility challenges within the current socio-ecological context.

Remote Sensing-Based and Participatory Analysis of Forests, Agricultural Land Dynamics, and Potential Land Conservation Measures in Kloto District (Togo, West Africa)

“…It is evident that the land use systems, the adoption of cropping systems, and fertility management are responsive to various factors specific to the location. Ref [32] showed that the major traits of farming and cropping systems in West Africa in a changing climate are mostly a result of their weaknesses vis-à-vis technical, environmental, and sociopolitical constraints.…”

Monitoring Agricultural Expansion in Burkina Faso over 14 Years with 30 m Resolution Time Series: The Role of Population Growth and Implications for the Environment

“…with a sparse tree layer [29]. The southern part of the country is located in the West Sudanian savanna; its natural vegetation is characterized by a more dense deciduous shrubland and woodland and is known for its high agricultural potential [7,30,31].…”

“…Thus, poverty, especially in rural areas, still prevails, and with a rapidly growing population also the number of undernourished people increased in recent years [4]. Despite the fact that the country is said to have a high agricultural potential [6,7] and more than 90% of the country's labor force is working in the agricultural sector, the crop productivity per hectare did not rise considerably during the last 50 years [1]. Thus in order to improve the situation in Burkina Faso, amongst others agricultural systems food security must be further developed.…”

West African Farmers’ Climate Change Adaptation: From Technological Change Towards Transforming Institutions

“…Due to the inherent regional vulnerabilities, i.e., poor soil fertility and water scarcity, weak or absent infrastructure and institutions, and the farmers' limited technical, managerial and financial skills (Sanchez 2002;Challinor et al 2007;Callo-Concha et al 2013), the current scenario is cause for concern.…”