Two Reasons why Water Resources and Traditional Rain-fed Farming in West Africa have Declined

Two reasons for the decline in water resources in West Africa and traditional dry agriculture are the reasons for increasing the productivity of traditional rainfed agriculture in West Africa and affecting the growth period and water conservation. Due to the shortage of water there is the possibility of conflict between several African countries. Water resources in West Africa is decreasing. The annual renewable water resources of the West Bank in West Africa reported in 1994 was approximately 350 billion cubic meters (1 cubic meter = 35.3 cubic feet).

Burkina Faso in West Africa is a poor country, and the rural population is highly dependent on rainfed agriculture. Recent summer rainfall was 15% less than the average of 1920 - 1969, and the rise in temperature increased the effect of the reduction of rainfall 8. In addition, the per capita farmland is decreasing. The combination of lack of land and reduced precipitation will make people very vulnerable to environmental changes and climate change. Sabine Henry, Bruno Schoumaker, and Cris Beauchemin investigated the relationship between rural drought and immigration in Burkina Faso, using detailed immigration household survey data and rainfall measurements. Their findings suggest that immigrants are a coping strategy for short distance travel at low cost, especially among rural communities. Thus, immigrants seem to be a short-term, voluntary strategy to diversify income sources during the stress period.

Burkina Faso is in West Africa in northern Ghana. Burkina Faso has a warm climate and is dry in winter. The land of Burkina Faso is basically flat, with hills in the west and southeast. Burkina Faso's natural resources are manganese, limestone, gold, copper, lead, silver. Some environmental problems are drought recurrence, overgrazing, deforestation. The population of Burkina Faso is 11,946,065. This number is declining steadily due to high mortality due to AIDS. The average life expectancy of Burkina Faso is 46 years of the total population. The total fertility rate for women is 44 children per woman. The main ethnic group is Mossi, accounting for over 40% of the population. The main language is French and the mother tongue of Africa.

Freshwater is consumed faster than supplies throughout the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) regions. Irrigation occupies most of this application. Unlike traditional floods and rainwater irrigation, drip irrigation supplies a controlled amount of water directly to each plant through a series of pipes and emitters. This reduces agricultural use by 30% to 60% and yield increases from 20% to 50%, but only 27% of irrigated farmland in the Middle East and North Africa uses this technology. For small farmers, which make up the majority of agricultural producers in the Middle East and North Africa, the cost and operational costs of drip irrigation systems are often obstacles to the traditional transition to drip irrigation.