Abstract
The Sahel region is considered a hotspot for climate change hazards and vulnerability of weather reliant sectors, including agriculture. Farmers in Burkina Faso have a long history of adapting their farming activities to frequent changes in climate. Using 150 in-person surveys, this study assesses farmers’ perceptions of climate change based on multiple climate variables, and reviews adaptation practices, including soil and water conservation strategies, in the Soudanian, Soudano-Sahelian, and Sahelian agroclimatic zones of Burkina Faso. In general, farmers are aware of changing climatic conditions, including increased temperatures, greater rainfall variability, heavier precipitation events, delayed onset, and premature offset of the rainy season. However, farmers perceive shifts in climate differently depending on their location and agroclimatic zone. As a result, different adaption strategies are implemented by farmers according to the climatic, societal, and economic context. Survey results show that in the Sahel, climate adaptation strategies rely on traditional knowledge and experimental approaches; whereas in the Soudanian zone, where weather conditions are more favorable for agriculture, adaptation practices are market oriented. These regional differences are important for targeting advisory services, planning processes, and decision-making to support the effective provision of weather and climate information services to the last mile.
Highlights
IntroductionThe Sahel region and Western Africa observed a warming of 0.5–0.8 ◦ C over the period 1979 to
The Sahel region and Western Africa observed a warming of 0.5–0.8 ◦ C over the period 1979 to2010, with warmer day and nighttime temperatures
Temperature increase was accepted by the majority (92%) of farmers in all agroclimatic zones, and climate records showed a consistent increase over time both for Tmax (0.04–0.29 ◦ C decade−1 )
Summary
The Sahel region and Western Africa observed a warming of 0.5–0.8 ◦ C over the period 1979 to. 2010, with warmer day and nighttime temperatures. Warming in this region is more significant than the average over the rest of Africa [1,2,3,4]. Future temperature projections suggest a 1–2 ◦ C, 2–4 ◦ C, and 5–7 ◦ C increase under representative concentration pathway (RCP) 2.5, 4.5 and 8.5, respectively, from June to August by the end of the century [6]. Despite the decrease in annual rainfall totals, some studies suggest a regreening of the Sahel in the last two decades, a likely result of consecutive years of rainfall recovery [8,9,10,11]. Uncertainty remains for Atmosphere 2020, 11, 827; doi:10.3390/atmos11080827 www.mdpi.com/journal/atmosphere
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