Abstract: In Burkina Faso, agriculture is mainly rainfed, thus highly climate dependent. In order to face climate increasing variability,supplemental irrigation fromponds can improve farm resilience to dry spells. The practice is increasingly accepted by farmers and the government is subsidizing the construction of thousands ponds in the country. This paperis based on a literature review, field surveys and field experiments. Supplemental irrigation improves yields by 25%. The early start of the campaign may be wedged since the first rains from the second decade of May, by keeping animals in sheds and under the condition of a period not longer than twenty days, between the first rains able to fill the pond and the actual start of the rainy season. According to the agro-climatic zone and the quality of the sealing of the pond, water can be stored between 30 and 90 days after the last rains, allowing extending the campaign with a second crop.

1. RAINWATER HARVESTING FOR AGRICULTURE:
SUPPLEMENTAL IRRIGATION TO IMPROVE THE
RAINFED AGRICULTURAL PRODUCTION IN
BURKINA FASO
Sévère FOSSI,
Université Agricole de
Management des Métiers de la
Production (UAMMP), BP 984
Yaoundé, Cameroun.
severe.fossi@gmail.com
Maïmouna BOLOGO /TRAORE,
International Institute for Water
and Environmental Engineering
(2iE), 01 BP 594 Ouagadougou 01,
Burkina Faso.
maimouna.bologo@2ie-edu.org
Bruno BARBIER,
Centre de Coopération
Internationale en Recherche
Agronomique pour le
Développement (CIRAD), BP 6181,
Dakar, Sénégal. bbarbier@cirad.fr
An ACP-EU Technology-Transfer Network on Rainwater Harvesting Irrigation Management
for Sustainable Dryland Agriculture, Food Security and Poverty Alleviation in sub-Saharan Africa

2. PRESENTATION SUMMARY
INTRODUCTION
MATERIAL & METHODS
RESULTS & DISCUSSION
CONCLUSION
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3. INTRODUCTION 1/2
 Climate scenarios in West
Africa (IPCC 2007):
 frequency of extreme
weather events
 temperatures
 water resources scarcity.
 Rainfall based agriculture in
Burkina Faso
 Coping with rainfall variability:
 Traditional technique: zaï, half-
moon, stone bunds.
 Other forms of adaptation
strategies: dams, irrigation
schemes, short cycle varieties.
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Fig. 1: Climate zones of Burkina Faso

4. INTRODUCTION 2/2
How to extend the agricultural campaign through supplemental irrigation?
 Crop year 2011-2012 : bad harvest and
a major cereal deficit (Ministère de
l’Agriculture et de l’Hydraulique
2012a).
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 What responses to that
situation?
 The “Opération Maïs de Case”
(2012-2013), launched by the
MASA
 The PICIC (2011-2015),
Implemented by (2iE) Fig. 2: Cereal cover map by province

5. MATERIAL & METHODS 1/4
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Presentation of the study area
 The northern part of the country : some difficulties in managing rainfed
agriculture.
 Agriculture : 80% of the population in Burkina Faso
 Nearly 49% of rural families : not able to produce or acquire sufficient food to
meet their needs (FAO 2011).
 The average annual rainfall in the Burkinabe Sahel : between 400 and 700 mm
when going from north to south.
 Supplemental irrigation : 2nd rank of priority projects in agricultural domain in
the National Program on Adaptation Strategies of Burkina Faso

6. MATERIAL & METHODS 2/4
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Spatial evolution of rainfall normals from 1931 to 2000 (Directorate of
Weather, 2001).

7. MATERIAL & METHODS 3/4
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 Surveys
16 pilot producers
20 other farmers
Technicians
Methods
 Regular field trips
Field observations
 Field experiments
09 villages
 Literature
review
Case studies
Peer-review articles
Etc.

8. MATERIAL & METHODS 4/4
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 The tests conducted during 03 successive
agricultural campaigns.
 Corn variety used is Barka, an extra-early
variety (80 days) with a yield of 5.5 t/ha in
experimental station.
 Mineral fertilization with 200 kg/ha of NPK brought the 12th day after sowing
(DAS), followed by 100 kg/ha of urea (46%) brought the 25th DAS and 50 kg/ha
of urea (46%) brought the 35th DAS.
 The study was not interested in millet and sorghum, because farmers do not
irrigate them deliberately in rainfed agriculture.

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RESULTS & DISCUSSION 2/5
Size and Shape of Ponds
Table 3 : Agronomic parameters
 Ponds have usually the shape of a truncated cone or a truncated pyramid;
 Depth between 1, 5 and 2, 5 m;
 Volume ranging from 50 to 300 m3, according to the soil texture and the
longest dry spell observed in the area (22 days);
 Surfaces from 100 to 2000 m2.

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RESULTS & DISCUSSION 1/5
Safety of Farm Ponds and Agricultural Plots
 Acceptance of farm ponds: a minimum of security guarantee for children and
livestock.
 All the 36 farmers interviewed :
necessity to fence agricultural plots.
 Socio-cultural context : not possible for an individual to ask people to keep
cattle in confinement before the commonly planned dates.
 Opinion: fully shared by officials of
technical services for agriculture,
livestock and the environment.
Photo 1: Unprotected pond

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RESULTS & DISCUSSION 3/5
Yields and Production Safety
2,54 2,53 2,69 2,59
1,77
0,97
1,79
1,51
0
1
2
3
2012-2013 2013-2014 2014-2015 Av.
Yields/3Years
Yields(t/ha)
Experimental Plot Control Plot
 Supplemental irrigation as the only discriminating practice between two
agricultural plots enables improved corn yields over 40%.
 Dugué (1986) showed that the gain in sorghum yields due to SI in the Sahel
region is more than 40% of yield.
Figure 2: Average yields over three years for pilot farmers in the intervention areas of the project.

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RESULTS & DISCUSSION 4/5
Extension of the Agricultural Campaign
 The extension of the agricultural campaign is possible through the use of the
water from ponds.
 First rains (April or May) fill the
ponds.
 Other uses should be reduced
or eliminated, or integrated in
the design of the pond.
 Water from ponds also used for
other needs (Abba 2013) .
Photo 2: Women and children withdrawing water for
domestic uses in a village (Kongoussi Division)
 Triggers agricultural campaigns.

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RESULTS & DISCUSSION 5/5
 Water can be stored between 30 and 90 days after the last rains, extending the
campaign by gardening or relay cropping.
Extension of the Agricultural Campaign
 In Oubritenga, farm ponds are built within agricultural plots which are
protected by fences.
 Season actually begins in this area after
the first significant rains, with a total
rainfall exceeding 20 mm.
 This allows a first harvest in mid-July.
Photo 3: Access to agricultural plots
 Gardening ends when there is no more
water in the pond, close to the end of
December.

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CONCLUSION 1/2
 This study shows that supplemental irrigation can actually extend the
growing season and improve yields
 Supplemental irrigation is compatible with the practice of zaï and half-
moons, stone bunds, etc.
 No intensification of agriculture without securing agricultural water.
 A sociological brake regarding irrigation during the rainy season, but this
brake is gradually eliminated

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CONCLUSION 2/2
 It is important to make ponds financially accessible and to support farmers for
agricultural water management. Nowadays, pumps are cheaper.
 SI is scaled up by the World Bank in Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire and Cameroon
(cotton cultivation)
 PICIC and "Opération Maïs de Case", had a good impact on the field in all the
national territory
 SI could enhance the adaptation capacities of farmers to drought and dry
spells, with relay cropping and a better management of dry spells.

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