Abstract
This study addresses the specificities of soils in low-income countries. These infertile soils are characterized by low levels of agricultural productivity and the disappearance of long-term fallow, which is gradually giving way to shorter-term fallow and sedentary agriculture. The overall objective was to assess the physico-chemical characteristics of the soils of the Boukombe watersheds in the north-west of Atacora in Benin. Soil studies of 15 farm sites from which soils were sampled at the [0-20] cm horizon with 30 composite samples and statistical analyzes were performed. The results of particle size analysis showed predominance (68%) of a textural dimorphism with a sandy loam character and a relatively stable structure. The soils are generally acidic (pH ≤ 5), sodium in places and poor in Organic Matter (0.3%), particularly in the plateau. Mountain lands have soils richer in OM (4%), but poor in nitrogen with a content of between [0.02-0.14%], the C / N ratio at 3% lower than 12. The contents nutrients and minerals are accumulated at the bottom of slopes (2.23% carbon, 0.14% nitrogen) and at the top of slopes (14ppm of phosphorus) under Fonio. These soils remain in a fragile state, subjecting them to the process of intense erosion. The degradation, silting up and progressive acidification of soils constitute the main constraints of agricultural production, the solution of which is based on restoring their fertility by rehabilitating dikes and removing silt.
Highlights
The world's population is expected to grow by more than 2 billion to reach 9.6 billion in 2050 [58]
By comparing the clay rates at the level of the different study villages, it must be remembered that this rate was higher at the top of the slope under Fonio in Koukouatiengou and lower at the top of the slope under Fonio in Koumagou A This showed that this rate was not a function of altitude
The analysis of figure 2 relating to the content of the different granulometric fractions and the texture of the soils showed that there is no significant difference between the average contents of the soil fractions of the different soils (p> 0.05)
Summary
The world's population is expected to grow by more than 2 billion to reach 9.6 billion in 2050 [58]. Most of this growth will take place in cities in low-income countries, with infertile soils and low levels of agricultural productivity. Population growth in sub-Saharan Africa has led to increased demand for food. In most countries of subSaharan Africa, soils have low fertility, and exported nutrients are not adequately replaced. Intensive agriculture and the search for new fertile land put pressure on the ecosystem, which in turn leads to reduced soil fertility [54, 22]. Yields are relatively low and land productivity decreases [74, 70]. The rare agroenvironmental studies carried out in this city [37, 16, 75, 17, and 20]
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