Burkina Faso

Burkina Faso is a landlocked country in West Africa covering about 274,000 square kilometers. It is bordered by the Republic of Mali on the north and west; by Cote d’Ivoire on the Southwest; by Ghana, Togo, and Benin on the South; and by Niger on the east. The country has a dry tropical climate with two contrasting seasons. The rainy season generally lasts from May to October, but its duration decreases progressively from the southwest, amounting to only three months in the northern part of the country.PRIFPRI1; CRP7EPTDCGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS

Farmers’ Willingness to Pay for Climate Information Services: Evidence from Cowpea and Sesame Producers in Northern Burkina Faso

Climate information is recognized as a powerful tool to reduce the effect of climate risk and uncertainty on crop production and increase the resilience and the adaptive capacity of farmers in semi-arid zones. This paper estimates farmers’ willingness to pay (WTP) for climate information within cowpea and sesame value chains in Northern Burkina Faso. The study used the contingent valuation method for a monetary valuation of farmers’ preferences for climate information. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire from 170 farmers. The study found that 63% of respondents were willing to pay for climate information services (CIS) such as seasonal climate forecast (SCF), decadal climate information (10-DCI), daily climate information (1-DCI) and agro-advisories. The predicted value for the WTP was XOF 3496 for SCF, XOF 1066 for 10-DCI, XOF 1985 for 1-DCI and XOF 1628 for agro-advisories. The study also showed that several socioeconomic and motivation factors have greater influence on farmers’ WTP for CIS. These included the gender, age, education of the farm head and the awareness of farm head to climate information. The outcomes of this paper should support policy makers to better design an efficient mechanism for the dissemination of climate information to improve the adaptive capacity of farmers to climate risks in Burkina Faso

Stochastic linear programming for improved reservoir operations for multiple objectives in Burkina Faso, West Africa

A network of reservoirs and diversion structures in the Comoe River Basin in southwestern Burkina Faso, West Africa, provides municipal water supply and irrigation water for sugarcane agribusiness and a population of farmers. The region is characterized by severe intraseasonal and inter-annual variability with respect to precipitation and reservoir inflows. Reservoir operations are generally conservative, even during wet years. A stochastic linear programming model is introduced which translates seasonal streamflow and precipitation forecasts, in the form of a scenario tree, into optimal release schedules for reservoir operators to implement in real-time as forecasts and system conditions change. Goals include more efficient and equitable releases, and downstream flow maintenance. A VBA-based graphic user interface (GUI) is used to ensure implementation and ease of use by operators. © 2008 ASCE