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The assessment identifies four primary livelihood strategies in the Nariarlé watershed: rainfed agriculture, irrigated gardening, pastoralism, and fishing. Rainfed agriculture is the most dominant activity, covering 60-70% of the watershed, but suffers from low yields and high climatic risk. Irrigated gardening provides higher financial returns, with up to 90% of harvests sold, though it faces challenges from dam siltation and pesticide pollution. Pastoralism serves as a critical financial safety net, though grazing lands are being reduced by the expansion of Ouagadougou and agri-business. Fishing is a minor activity involving less than 3% of the population, threatened by invasive plants and non-compliant fishing nets.

The document evaluates AWM strategies in the Nariarlé watershed, finding that improving rainfed agriculture and expanding gardening wells offer the broadest benefits. While small reservoirs have improved production, they face siltation and lack coordinated watershed-level governance, which is further complicated by the urban expansion of Ouagadougou.