Community Soil Resources Management for Sub-Saharan West Africa： Case Study of the Gourma Region in Burkina Faso

A study on community soil fertility management concepts and practices was conducted through rapid and participatory method of research in 15 villages of the Gourma region in Eastern part of Burkina Faso. These investigations aimed at determining farmers＇ knowledge on soil resources： local soil taxonomy and indicators of soil degradation, soil fertility management practices, and capacity for adoption of new technologies in soil fertility management. The results of the study showed that the main parameter for soil classification for all the investigated villages was soil texture composition; soil degradation was evaluated according to crops yield decrease and the development Striga sp. in 100% of the investigated villages; the use of organic manure and long term fellow were the main practices for soil fertility management; concerning the villages where modem technologies of soil fertility management were introduced, the lack of tools and capacity building were the main limiting factors of the adoption of these improved practices at small scale farmers＇ level. Even if discordance between scientific and local soil taxonomy were revealed by our investigations; significant similarities between indigenous and scientific indices of soil degradation were noticed. With regard to the actual magnitude of soil degradation; the local techniques of soil fertility management need to be improved and accessible to a big number of farmers.

Soil Carbon Stocks Evolution in Organic Cotton-Based Cropping Systems in Southern and Northern Sudanese Agro-Ecological Zones of Burkina Faso

Variation of soil carbon stock in the cropping systems is an important indicator of their sustainability.The present study was conducted in 2015 and 2018 in seven organic cotton production areas distributed over the Southern and Northern Sudan agro-ecological zones in Burkina Faso.Soil samples were collected in 2015 as baseline and in 2018,after three years of cropping seasons,to determine the variations in carbon stocks in plots under organic farming systems.Surveys were also conducted to understand the fertilization practices implemented by producers during the same period.The results revealed that the recommended fertilization packages were not respected due to low production capacity and under using of organic manure.After three years of cropping in 2018,the deficit of organic restitution has led to a high decline of the soil carbon stocks.This decline was more severe in the 0-10 cm depth in some soils where the decrease in carbon stocks ranged from-4.6 t/ha to-5.5 t/ha.The correlation between soil types and their carbon stocks in the 0-10 cm soil layer was found to be significant(p<0.05)in the Northern Sudan agro-ecological zone with adjusted R2=74%and 54%in 2015 and 2018,respectively,and adjusted R2=56%(2015)and 44%(2018)in the Southern Sudan agro-ecological zone.After three years of organic cotton-based farming,a decrease in the correlation between soil types and their carbon content was observed in the majority of cases.These results show that the process of carbon storage in soil is more influenced by agricultural practices and agro-ecological conditions than by the soil type.