Annals of Biological Research
Abstract
Author(s): Kiema Andre, Ouedraogo Tinrmegson, Somda Jacques
Social and economic characteristics of agro-pastoralist were studied in two villages in the Sahel region of Burkina
Faso. The objective was to contribute to a better decision taking in the fight against poverty in Burkina Faso, and its
Sahelian region in particular. Single-pass surveys were conducted in 108 farms owned by agro pastoralists. In total
six identified resources allow discrimination against producers. The power of discrimination of each of these
resources has been evaluated and the results are given in order of relevancy: the number of sheep, goats, cattles,
household size, number of donkeys and the number of poultry. The results on the typology of agro-pastoralists
reveal that producers are heterogeneous in terms of provision of productive resources. Two classes of producers
have been identified and classified according to the quantity of resources they possess. The main resources used in
discrimination are: family labor, and (sheep, goat, cattle, donkeys, poultry) animal resources. Compared to the
average of the sample averages of resources available to the two classes are statistically and significantly different.
An agro-pastoralist class has resources below the confidence interval of the average sample. It has been described
as poor and represents 82% of the sample. The second class has resources beyond the confidence interval of the
mean of the sample (18% of the sample), and is described as rich. The poor are the most important strata in rural
areas. Strategies and animal breeding practices and associated performance are strongly related to the level of
resources. Indeed, the decision to adopt a technology depends not only on need and will of producers to changes,
but also their ability to that change given the resources they have to generate the funds needed for investment in new
production techniques.
