Burkina Faso: The Effects of Environmental Migration on the Implementation of Agro-ecological methods, Exchanges and Cooperation

This study addresses the surge in North-South internal migration in Burkina Faso that has accompanied the land degradation spurred by a series of severe droughts starting in the late 1960s (Lindqvist, Tengberg, 1993). Drawing from the hypotheses of Gray and Kevane (2001) and Deshinkar (2011) that link agricultural intensification to migration in Burkina Faso, this study aimed to discover to what extent the implementation and dissemination of sustainable agricultural initiatives in Burkina Faso occur between migrants and locals, thereby establishing links between strategies of mitigation and adaptation for migration. Results showed that the uptake of both modern and sustainable agricultural techniques has occurred primarily among migrants, most of whom have left their home villages due to drought and desertification. Furthermore, villages where land rights were secured by monetization rather than customary tenure experienced more cooperation between locals and migrants and with the extension services.