Agricultural Water Management Technology Expansion and Impact on Crop Yields in Northern Burkina Faso (1980-2010): A Review

The study finds that soil and water conservation (SWC) and small reservoir expansion increased significantly in northern Burkina Faso, particularly in regions receiving 700 mm of rainfall or less. While regional cereal yields rose by approximately 3% per year, and rice productivity showed a strong correlation with reservoir expansion, the causal links to poverty reduction and food security are less clear due to data limitations. The report suggests that AWM adoption is one of many factors contributing to livelihood improvements and requires further long-term analysis to establish definitive causality.

• Soil and water conservation (SWC) technologies saw substantial expansion in north central Burkina Faso between 1980 and 2005, particularly in areas with mean annual rainfall of 700 mm or less. Adoption rates reached 25-40% in the Centre-Nord, Nord, Plateau-Central, and Sahel regions, and at least 10-20% in other studied provinces.
• Regional yields for major cereals increased by approximately 3% per year from the 1980s to 2008, resulting in an absolute yield increase of 150% to 200% over 30 years.
• There is a strong correlation between the expansion of small reservoirs and increases in rice productivity, particularly in the Sahel, Nord, and Centre-Nord regions, where productivity increases ranged from 6% to 11% per year.
• The rates of increase for rain-fed cereal yields and SWC adoption were particularly aligned in the Nord and Centre-Nord regions.
• Small reservoir development accelerated in the 1980s, with over 60% of the current stock built during that decade in most regions. Despite their number, small reservoirs account for only about 3% of the total stored water volume in Burkina Faso.
• Poverty and food security indicators suggest general improvements since the 1990s, including an average 25% reduction in poverty incidence across the study area and a 4% annual increase in food security in the Nord and Plateau Central regions.
• The study notes that attributing development outcomes solely to AWM adoption is an oversimplification, as other factors such as rainfall patterns, seed use, fertilizer management, and non-farm income also influence yields and poverty.

APA

Morris, J., & Barron, J. (2014). Agricultural Water Management Technology Expansion and Impact on Crop Yields in Northern Burkina Faso (1980-2010): A Review. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/sei-report-morris-barron-cpwf-awm-in-burkina-faso.pdf

Chicago

Morris, Joanne, and Jennie Barron. Agricultural Water Management Technology Expansion and Impact on Crop Yields in Northern Burkina Faso (1980-2010): A Review. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2014. https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/sei-report-morris-barron-cpwf-awm-in-burkina-faso.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Morris |first1=Joanne |last2=Barron |first2=Jennie |title=Agricultural Water Management Technology Expansion and Impact on Crop Yields in Northern Burkina Faso (1980-2010): A Review |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=June 2014 |url=https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/sei-report-morris-barron-cpwf-awm-in-burkina-faso.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{morris2014agricultural, author = {Morris, Joanne and Barron, Jennie}, title = {{Agricultural Water Management Technology Expansion and Impact on Crop Yields in Northern Burkina Faso (1980-2010): A Review}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2014}, month = jun, url = {https://www.sei.org/mediamanager/documents/Publications/sei-report-morris-barron-cpwf-awm-in-burkina-faso.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }