| The Central Plateau of Burkina Faso in semi-arid West Africa is well-known for a variety of soil and water conservation and environmental management programs initiated by the state, NGOs and international donors since the late 1970s. Development organizations have a strong presence in this region of high out-migration, rapid population growth and visible land degradation, and their presence has been encouraged by the government. A study of the impacts of "village land use management" was carried out in cooperation with an environmental program in Bam Province from 1992-1993, in order to assess the environmental, social and economic impacts of these environmental conservation activities.; A cultural ecological analysis was made of the livelihood systems of two remote Mossi and Yarse villages in Rollo departement, and the technical and social interventions carried out in these same communities were also monitored. The local Sudano-Sahelian ecology consists of diverse landscapes showing considerable modification, and is dominated by rain-fed agricultural production in nucleated Mossi settlements. Human adaptation to changeable resource endowments, technology, labor and ecology give rise to high variability in livelihood decisions, resulting in complex spatial patterns. Crop yields are variable, and are frequently insufficient to meet household and community needs. Intensification of agriculture is selective, and specific to certain individuals and sites. Off-farm incomes, animal sales and remittances from migrants are significant for many households.; Village land use management (gestion des terroirs villageois), engages sedentary "communities" to overcome conflicts and to participate enthusiastically in communal environmental management of their "village territories". This approach has many positive benefits for social solidarities and for land rehabilitation, but it can overlook the complexities of land use, agricultural knowledge and the plural rationalities of Mossi and Yarse farmers. As this approach to land degradation spreads to other Sahelian countries and is widely adopted by development aid agencies for its "participatory" elements, it first requires rigorous evaluation at the local level. The approach has nonetheless generated high levels of participation, new institutions, and buffered many individuals against food stress and hardship.; By combining an analysis of agrarian and social systems with work on development interventions, the study contributes to a political ecology of environmental management. Using hybrid research methods, it bridges a divide between theoretical understanding of nested scales of human-environment interventions, and the practical efforts of arid lands managers. |
