Burkina Faso

Elisabeth Ilboudo-Nébié, Columbia University In the Sahel of West Africa – which covers Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad – land degradation has led to migration towards less densely populated and more fertile areas. The land has been made less fertile by demographic pressure, fragmenting agricultural units and rainfall variability. We did research in Burkina Faso to understand the link between land degradation and migration. The area has seen a high number of Mossi farmers living in the densely populated central plateau and northern regions migrate to the south of the country. Poor resource management and reduced rainfall have exacerbated land degradation. A rapidly growing population, coupled with high rates...