Abstract
Resilience of smallholder farmers in their ability to bounce-back and overcome shocks, such as drought, is critical to ensure a pathway out of hunger and poverty. Efficient water conservation methods that increase rainwater capture and reduce soil erosion such as stone lines and grass bands are two technologies that have been proposed to increase the resilience in Sudano–Sahelian farming systems. In Burkina Faso, we show that stone lines, grass bands, and crop rotation are effective resilience strategies individually and in combination. During years when rainfall is well-distributed over time, differences are minimal between fields with water conservation methods and fields without. However, when there are periods of prolonged drought, water conservation methods are effective for increasing soil water, yield, revenue, and resilience. During drought conditions, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) grain yield and revenue with stone lines and grass bands were over 50% greater than that of the control, by an average of 450 kg ha−1, which amounted to an increase of 58,500 West African CFA franc (CFA) ha−1 (i.e., 98 USD ha−1). The results also suggest that the combination of water conservation method and crop rotation additionally improves cropping system productivity and revenue. Growing cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) in rotation with sorghum production provided more options for farmers to increase their income and access to nutrition. This study also sheds light on the limited productivity gains due to improved crop varieties. The local sorghum landrace, Nongomsoba, and the local cowpea variety in rotation resulted in the highest yields as compared to the improved varieties of Sariaso 14 sorghum and KVX 396-4-4 cowpea. Under similar low input/degraded conditions, improved crop varieties likely are not a suitable resilience strategy alone. We conclude that during erratic rainy seasons with frequent periods of drought (i.e., water stress) in rain-fed conditions in Burkina Faso, stone lines or grass bands in combination with sorghum and cowpea rotation are effective practices for increasing resilience of smallholder farmers to maintain crop productivity and revenue. With future and present increases in climate variability due to climate change, stone lines, grass bands, and crop rotation will have growing importance as resilience strategies to buffer crop productivity and revenue during periods of drought.
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Claims 10
Claim · model-written summary
Under drought, stone lines and grass bands increased sorghum grain yield by over 50% relative to the control.
- Treatment
- stone lines and grass bandse1
- Outcome
- grain yielde1
- Direction
- greatere1
- Value
- 450 kg ha−1e1
- Comparator
- the controle1
- Setting
- Burkina Fasoe0
SorghumOrganisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In Burkina Faso, we show that stone lines, grass bands, and crop rotation are effective resilience strategies individually and in combination”
e1“During drought conditions, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) grain yield and revenue with stone lines and grass bands were over 50% greater than that of the control, by an average of 450 kg ha−1”
Claim · model-written summary
Under drought, stone lines and grass bands increased sorghum revenue relative to the control.
- Treatment
- stone lines and grass bandse1
- Outcome
- revenuee1
- Direction
- greatere1
- Value
- 58,500 West African CFA franc (CFA) ha−1e2
- Comparator
- the controle1
- Setting
- Burkina Fasoe0
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In Burkina Faso, we show that stone lines, grass bands, and crop rotation are effective resilience strategies individually and in combination”
e1“During drought conditions, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) grain yield and revenue with stone lines and grass bands were over 50% greater than that of the control, by an average of 450 kg ha−1”
e2“which amounted to an increase of 58,500 West African CFA franc (CFA) ha−1 (i.e., 98 USD ha−1)”
Claim · model-written summary
Water conservation methods increased soil water during periods of prolonged drought.
- Treatment
- water conservation methodse4
- Outcome
- soil watere4
- Direction
- increasinge4
- Qualifier
- periods of prolonged droughte4
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In Burkina Faso, we show that stone lines, grass bands, and crop rotation are effective resilience strategies individually and in combination”
e1“During drought conditions, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) grain yield and revenue with stone lines and grass bands were over 50% greater than that of the control, by an average of 450 kg ha−1”
e4“However, when there are periods of prolonged drought, water conservation methods are effective for increasing soil water, yield, revenue, and resilience”
Claim · model-written summary
Growing cowpea in rotation with sorghum increased farmer income and access to nutrition.
- Taxon
- cowpea
Vigna unguiculatae5 - Treatment
- in rotation with sorghum productione5
- Outcome
- income and access to nutritione5
- Direction
- increasee5
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e5“Growing cowpea (Vigna unguiculata (L.) Walp.) in rotation with sorghum production provided more options for farmers to increase their income and access to nutrition”
Claim · model-written summary
The combination of water conservation method and crop rotation improved cropping system productivity and revenue.
- Treatment
- combination of water conservation method and crop rotatione6
- Outcome
- cropping system productivity and revenuee6
- Direction
- improvese6
Not reportedComparator
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“During drought conditions, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) grain yield and revenue with stone lines and grass bands were over 50% greater than that of the control, by an average of 450 kg ha−1”
e6“The results also suggest that the combination of water conservation method and crop rotation additionally improves cropping system productivity and revenue”
Claim · model-written summary
The local sorghum landrace Nongomsoba gave the highest yields compared with improved sorghum varieties.
- Material
- Nongomsobae7
- Outcome
- yieldse7
- Direction
- higheste7
- Comparator
- improved varieties of Sariaso 14 sorghume7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e7“The local sorghum landrace, Nongomsoba, and the local cowpea variety in rotation resulted in the highest yields as compared to the improved varieties of Sariaso 14 sorghum and KVX 396-4-4 cowpea”
Claim · model-written summary
The local cowpea variety in rotation gave the highest yields compared with the improved cowpea variety KVX 396-4-4.
- Taxon
- cowpeaVigna unguiculatae7
- Material
- local cowpea varietye7
- Outcome
- yieldse7
- Direction
- higheste7
- Comparator
- KVX 396-4-4 cowpeae7
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e7“The local sorghum landrace, Nongomsoba, and the local cowpea variety in rotation resulted in the highest yields as compared to the improved varieties of Sariaso 14 sorghum and KVX 396-4-4 cowpea”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors state that improved crop varieties alone are likely not a suitable resilience strategy under similar low-input conditions.
- Outcome
- a suitable resilience strategye2
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“During drought conditions, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) grain yield and revenue with stone lines and grass bands were over 50% greater than that of the control, by an average of 450 kg ha−1”
e2“Under similar low input/degraded conditions, improved crop varieties likely are not a suitable resilience strategy alone”
Claim · model-written summary
The authors recommend stone lines or grass bands with sorghum and cowpea rotation to increase smallholder resilience.
- Outcome
- effective practices for increasing resilience of smallholder farmerse3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e0“In Burkina Faso, we show that stone lines, grass bands, and crop rotation are effective resilience strategies individually and in combination”
e1“During drought conditions, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) grain yield and revenue with stone lines and grass bands were over 50% greater than that of the control, by an average of 450 kg ha−1”
e3“stone lines or grass bands in combination with sorghum and cowpea rotation are effective practices for increasing resilience of smallholder farmers to maintain crop productivity and revenue”
Claim · model-written summary
When rainfall is well distributed, differences between fields with and without water conservation methods are minimal.
- Treatment
- water conservation methodse3
- Outcome
- differencese3
- Direction
- minimale3
- Comparator
- fields withoute3
- Setting
- During years when rainfall is well-distributed over timee3
Organisms pictured · Representative pictures of the matched species, not figures from the paper.
Verbatim
e1“During drought conditions, sorghum (Sorghum bicolor (L.) Moench) grain yield and revenue with stone lines and grass bands were over 50% greater than that of the control, by an average of 450 kg ha−1”
e3“During years when rainfall is well-distributed over time, differences are minimal between fields with water conservation methods and fields without”
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