Feasibility Study for a National Domestic Biogas Programme in - SNV

Feasibility Study for a National Domestic Biogas Programme Burkina Faso
c) Hydro & Wind Power
The hydro-electric potential is still under-exploited, although several dams for hydro
power generation were built in the 1990s. Wind patterns could possibly be harnessed
for both pumping and electricity generation, but no further R&D has been undertaken.
1.5 Agriculture
Three different farming systems are mainly practised:
� the root crop system, representing an area of 1,626 km 2 in the south-west,
� the mixed cereal - root crop system, representing a vast swathe of 180,970
km² across the south and centre of the country,
� the Agro-pastoral millet/sorghum system, representing 92,105 km 2 in the dry
north 48 .
Agricultural land currently represents about 38 % of the total national surface area 49 ,
while the area of land under pasture is estimated to about 60,000 km 2 . Arable land
represents 17.66% of land use, permanent crops 0.22% and other 82.12% 50 . In
2003, the irrigated land was estimated to 250 km 2 , although less than 10% of the
land is cultivable without irrigation. Droughts have further limited agricultural
production.
Agricultural activities are generally associated with livestock breeding, and
concentrated in both rural and peri-urban settlement areas, often performed by
women. Activities are very heterogeneous 51 ; ranging from small-scale but capitalintensive
market-oriented commercial vegetable growing, dairy farming and livestock
fattening, and part-time farming by the urban poor to cover part of their subsistence
requirements.
1.5.1 Agricultural activities and products
Agricultural activities, which consist mainly of large crop production, are diversified
because they are strongly linked to the spatial and temporal variability of the climate
and the rainfall. The changing climate and growing demand for natural resources by
an increasing population compromise the sustainability of the current system of land
use and seriously threaten food security among rural populations.
The main agricultural products are cotton, peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, sorghum,
millet, corn, and rice.
Table 12: Cereal production in tons (x 1000) 52
2003 - 2004 2004 - 2005 2005 - 2006
Millet 1,184.3 937.6 1,196.3
48
FAO Country profiles http://www.fao.org/countryprofiles/maps.asp?iso3=BFA&lang=en
49
FAO/Livestock information, Sector Analysis and Policy Branch (2005) – Livestock Sector
Brief of Burkina Faso
50
http://www.theodora.com/wfbcurrent/burkina_faso/burkina_faso_economy.html
51
FAO (2001) Global Farming Systems Study: Challenges and Priorities to 2030, REGIONAL
ANALYSIS- SUB-SAHARAN AFRICA (http://www.fao.org/ag/magazine/GFSS-Afr.pdf)
52
Missions économiques/Fiches de synthèse (2006) – Situation de l’agriculture au Burkina
Faso
30