Marking boundaries and identities: the precolonial expansion of segmentary societies in Southwestern Burkina Faso

Over approximately the last 200 years, north-west Ghana and large areas of neighbouring southern Burkina Faso were the stage for a highly successful expansion of Dagara-speaking peoples. Probably setting out from an area around Wa, small groups of Dagara migrated towards the north, some of them taking a westward route, crossing the Black Volta river into today’s Burkina Faso. They rarely advanced into nomansland but rather displaced peoples such as Sisala-, Dyan-, Phuie- and Bwamu-speaking groups, who then moved further west and north. Today, the Dagara occupy about 3500 km2 in southern Burkina Faso, where they represent the sixth largest language group. In this paper I wish to explore the history of the north-west frontier of Dagara expansion and the interaction between the “land-owning” Phuo and the incoming Dagara

Performance of Microfinance Institutions in Burkina Faso

Microfinance, Performance indicators, Burkina Faso

Early food production in the Sahel of Burkina Faso

This paper is concerned with the transition from hunting and gathering to food production in West Africa, based on evidence from the Sahel Zone of Burkina Faso compiled by field research during the last years. Our study intends to enhance the knowledge about the West African versions of this transition, traditionally seen as one of the most fundamental changes in human prehistory. Embedded in an interregional program the Sahel Zone of Burkina Faso has proved to be one of its most unexpected examples

New species records for the flora of Burkina Faso

Seit der letzten umfassenden Veröffentlichung zur Flora von Burkina Faso wurden weitere Arten in Publikationen und Online-Ressourcen veröffentlicht. Diese dreizehn Arten werden hier mit Anmerkungen zu Ökologie, Verwendung und Verbreitung aufgeführt. Die Anzahl der für Burkina Faso bekannten Gefäßpflanzen hat somit 2080 Arten erreicht.Since the last comprehensive publication on Burkina Faso’s flora, further species have been documented in publications and online resources. These thirteen species are listed here with notes on ecology, use and distribution. The number of vascular plants known for Burkina Faso has therefore reached 2080 species.Depuis la dernière publication complète de la flore du Burkina Faso, d'autres espèces ont été publiées dans des publications et des ressources en ligne. Ces treize espèces sont listées ici avec des notes sur l'écologie, l'utilisation et la répartition. Le nombre de plantes vasculaires connues pour le Burkina Faso a ainsi atteint 2080 espèces

Attitudes towards abortion and contraception in rural and urban Burkina Faso

Using results from the ethnographic literature and two qualitative studies on people’s representations of different means of birth control (abstinence, contraception, abortion) in two populations in Burkina Faso (one rural and one urban), we designed a multi-dimensional quantitative scale to measure individuals’ attitudes towards varied means of birth control. We applied it in two representative surveys in rural and urban Burkina Faso. Relating individuals’ attitudes towards birth control to their socio-demographic characteristics and to their attitudes towards other life dimensions, and applying N. Elias’ theory of the civilization process, we seek to explain why abortion is less tolerated, while more widely practiced, in the city than in the villages.abortion, abstinence, Africa, attitude(s), Burkina Faso, civilization, contraception, culture, meanings, practices, process, representations, rural, sexuality, social change, urban

Border effects on spatial price transmission between fresh tomato markets in Ghana and Burkina-Faso: Any case for promoting trans-border trade in West Africa?

Cross-border trade in food commodities within sub-regional economic blocks in Sub-Sahara Africa (SSA) is believed to be faster, cheaper, more convenient and welfare-enhancing than overseas trade between SSA countries and the USA, EU and the BRIC countries. The difficulty of commodity arbitrage across international borders SSA is however a fundamental constraint to price transmission, market integration and the realisation of the welfare enhancing role of cross-border trade in Africa. This study examines the impact of border and distance on price transmission between tomato markets in Ghana and Burkina-Faso. Theanalysis applies a regime-switching vector error correction model to estimate semi-weekly, wholesale prices of tomato in four tomato markets in Ghana and a production centre in Burkina-Faso. Estimated parameters of price transmission contain evidence of border and distance effects. This is expected since high transfer costs, including cross-border tariffs are incurred by traders in moving tomato across the border. Moreover, the perishable nature of tomato, and the poor quality of roads and transportation facilities may imply additional costs of risks to arbitrageurs. The findings have both theoretical relevance and practical implications for facilitating cross-border trade in West Africa, especially for trade between landlocked countries like Burkina-Faso and coastal ones like Ghana. --Price Transmission,Border,Tomato,Ghana,Burkina-Faso

Espèces communes de la flore spontanée d'un pays Ouest-Africain (Burkina Faso) et d'un pays d'Europe centrale (Allemagne)

Trotz großer klimatischer Unterschiede zwischen Burkina Faso und Deutschland gibt es 20 Arten, die in beiden Ländern spontan vorkommen, das sind immerhin 1 % der Flora von Burkina Faso und 0,15 % der Flora Deutschlands. Mehrheitlich handelt es sich dabei um Arten der Ruderal- und/oder Segetalflora (16 Arten), die restlichen sind Wasser- bzw. Röhrichtpflanzen. Vom heutigen Standpunkt aus betrachtet, sind die meisten der 20 Arten Kosmopoliten. Obwohl das Klima von Burkina Faso semi-arid ist, gehört keine der Arten zur Gruppe der Sklero- oder Xerophyten. Dementsprechend sind in Burkina Faso alle mehr oder weniger an wenigstens temporär überflutete Standorte oder an feuchte Böden gebunden. 15 der 16 Ruderalen werden in Deutschland dagegen als Indikatoren intermediärer bis trockener Standorte bewertet.In spite of enormous climatic differences between Burkina Faso and Germany, 20 species belong to the spontaneous flora of both countries, i.e. 1% of the flora of Burkina Faso and 0.15 % of the German flora. All of them are either ruderal and segetal species (16) or water and reed plants (4). All of the 16 ruderals/segetals are therophytes. From a recent point of view, most of the 20 species can be classified as cosmopolitan, because they cover three and more floristic zones, and/or at least three climatic zones, and/or are represented in at least three continents. Although Burkina Faso has a semi-arid climate, none of the species can be called a sclero- or xerophyte. Therefore, in Burkina Faso, all are more or less bound to habitats at least temporarily flooded or to humid soils. In Germany, however, the concerned ruderals, with one exception, are indicators of medium dry or dry habitats.En dépit des énormes différences climatiques entre le Burkina Faso et l'Allemagne, 20 espèces appartiennent à la flore spontanée des deux pays, ce qui représente 1% de la flore du Burkina Faso et 0,15% de la flore allemande. Toutes ces espèces sont soit rudérales et ségétales (16), soit des plantes aquatiques ou des marais (4). D’un point de vue récent, la plus part des espèces peuvent être classées en tant que cosmopolites. Bien que le Burkina Faso ait un climat semi-aride, aucune de ces espèces ne peut être appelée sclero- ou xérophyte. C'est pourquoi, au Burkina Faso, elles sont toutes plus ou moins liées à des habitats au moins temporairement inondés ou aux sols humides. En Allemagne cependant, en ce qui concerne les espèces rudérales, toutes sauf une sont des indicatrices de milieux semi-arides ou d'habitats secs

Who benefits from the adoption of Bt cotton in Burkina- Faso?

Replaced with revised version of paper 07/24/11.Bt technology, Burkina-Faso, Welfare effect, Crop Production/Industries, Marketing,

Land Use, Production Growth, and the Institutional Environment of Smallholders: Evidence from Burkinabe Cotton Farmers

The cotton boom in Burkina Faso consisted of a growth in cotton land shares together with an overall increase in total cultivated land. This paper examines the impact of institutional changes in the cotton sector on the evolution of smallholders’ land-use decisions. The empirical analysis is supported by a structural model that takes into account the specific institutional features of the Burkinabè cotton sector and builds upon household level data collected in rural Burkina Faso. We attribute most of the change in land use to the newly established institutional arrangements between producers and stakeholders, mechanization, and slackening of the food security constraint.Burkina Faso, Cotton, Land Use, Commodity Reform, Institutional Arrangements, Farm Management, Financial Economics, N57, 013, O33, Q15, Q18,

Surveillance of Transmitted Drug-Resistant HIV Among Young Pregnant Women in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso began rapid antiretroviral therapy (ART) scale-up in 2003 and by December 2009, 26 448 individuals were on treatment. With rapid scale-up of ART, some degree of human immunodeficiency virus transmitted drug resistance (TDR) is inevitable. Following World Health Organization methods, between June 2008 and July 2009, Burkina Faso assessed TDR in primigravid pregnant women aged <25 years attending antenatal care clinics in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. TDR was classified as moderate (5%-15%) for both nucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors and nonnucleoside reverse-transcriptase inhibitors. The observed moderate TDR in Ouagadougou is a cause for concern and calls for closer monitoring of Burkina Faso's ART progra