Evolution of small reservoirs in Burkina Faso

Small reservoirs (SRs) are important infrastructures for providing water for a wide range of activities in Burkina Faso and other semiarid environments. In recent years, SRs have become even more important, considering the effects of climate change and variability such as erratic rainfall patterns, recurrent droughts and floods, delays in the onset of the rains (Laux et al. 2008), increased incidence of in-season dry spells (Lacombe et al. 2012), and high evapotranspiration rates. SRs provide vulnerable rural communities with water for multiple purposes, including domestic and agricultural uses (McCartney et al. 2012; Venot et al. 2012). However, a number of external factors are negatively influencing the sustainable uses of SRs. Rapid population growth (Zuberi and Thomas 2012) and its attendant human-induced activities are a threat to the quality of water in SRs, as are agricultural extensification and intensification around SRs, including the increased use of inorganic fertilizers

Characterization of small reservoirs in Burkina Faso

Small reservoirs (SRs) are used for multiple purposes in Burkina Faso and West African agroecological landscapes (Venot et al. 2012). These SRs are used for domestic (drinking, bathing and washing) and agricultural (crop, livestock and fishery) purposes, among others (McCartney et al. 2012). However, natural processes and human-induced activities in the surrounding landscapes can be a threat to the water quality and sustainable use of SRs. In order to reduce negative effects, several projects have been designed to study different aspects of how SRs are used and impacted by natural and human-induced activities. But the number of SRs in Burkina Faso (about 1,450) (Cecchi et al. 2009) makes it practically impossible to study every single one of them. A possible solution to this is to categorize the SRs into groups in terms of their responses to the aforementioned natural and anthropogenic influences. Such categorization can provide the basis for site selection in subsequent research programs and further permit generalization (upscaling) of results obtained for selected SRs (at local scale) to many other SRs (at national scale)

Informal irrigation in urban West Africa: An overview

Irrigated farming / Urban agriculture / Suburban agriculture / Farm size / Farming systems / Health hazards / Water pollution / Farm income

On-farm testing of wetting front detector as an irrigation scheduling tool in two communities in the upper east region of Ghana

United States Agency for International Developmen

Mean water balance dynamics and smallholder management options for improved agro-ecosystem productivity

United States Agency for International Developmen

Lessons from a pilot co-composting plant in Kumasi, Ghana

Lessons from a pilot co-composting plant in Kumasi, Ghan

Watershed management practices and hydrological modelling under changing climatic conditions in the semi-arid regions of Mali and Ghana

United States Agency for International Developmen