Abstract
<p>This study highlights the perception and the option value of climate information in the sahelian and sudano-sahelian agro-climatic zones of Burkina Faso. From the sampled farmers only 21.78% have access to climate information, while 93% of them need climate information to guide through their decision in planning agricultural activities. Option value shows the interest granted by farmers using climate information. About 64% of the farmers are willing to pay an average of Francs CFA 546.34 to obtain climate information. The willingness to pay is determined by the the farmers’ ability to predict the climate, to use radio as a means of information, farmers’ awareness of previous forecasts and early onset of rainy season. While farmers considered benefits from the use of climate information, it is clear that its contribution to farm income remains a field of research to explore. Thus it is necessary to experiment with individual farms and to evaluate the contribution of climate information to the value added in different crops and farmers’ income.<strong></strong></p>
Highlights
The use of seasonal climate forecasts based on indigenous knowledge is a traditional strategy of West African farmers to reduce climate risks on their crop yields (Roncoli, 2006; Nyong, Adesina, & Osman, 2007)
Option value shows the interest granted by farmers using climate information
This study analyzed the perception and the option value of climate information in the sahelian and sudano-sahelian agro-climatic zones of Burkina Faso. It showed that the climate information is asymmetrically distributed to a minority (21.78%) of the sampled farmers
Summary
The use of seasonal climate forecasts based on indigenous knowledge is a traditional strategy of West African farmers to reduce climate risks on their crop yields (Roncoli, 2006; Nyong, Adesina, & Osman, 2007). This traditional seasonal climate forecast, operating as an endogenous system of climate information, guides farmers to make choices on plots to cultivate, types of crop varieties and planting date. The main indicators of these endogenous seasonal climate forecasts are environmental (moon, cloud, wind), biological (animals, plants), magic and religious (Phillips, Deane, Unganai, & Chimeli, 2002) They are transmitted from one generation to another by oral tradition. Distortions in indicators transmission from one generation to the other question the reliability of these forecasts (Roncoli et al, 2008).farmers are looking for new strategies for seasonal climate forecasts to better plan seasonal crops production (Ingram et al, 2002)
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