In Burkina Faso, agriculture is the basis of the country's social and economic development. In the wake of the oil crisis of the 2000s, Jatropha curcas has generated renewed interest from stakeholders in biofuel production and its use to mitigate the effects of climate change. Despite this certain enthusiasm, very little work has been done on the cultivation of Jatropha curcas. It is within this framework that this research work is part of which the overall objective is to study the impact of Jatropha curcas on the physical and chemical properties of soils in the South Sudan area of Burkina Faso. To do this, an activity was carried out on the establishment of an assessment system in farmers' plantations in the villages of Torokoro and Tin in order to collect information on the impact of the plant on soil properties. The results of the study indicate that the soils are richer in nutrients under the crown of Jatropha curcas. The plant improves the soil's carbon content by 17 to 21% compared to the Jatropha-free field. The cultivation of Jatropha curcas could therefore be considered to combat land degradation in the South Sudan area.
Climate changes have sever threats on food security in subsistence farming systems of Burkina Faso where agricultural production is strongly base on rainfall. Soil and water conservation techniques such as zaï and improved seeds of sorghum (Sorgum bicolor L.) were tested and adopted in the drier zones of the North as adaptation technologies to the climate changes. The aim of this study was to assess the performance of the combination of improved sorghum variety (Sariasso 11) with zaï technology on its yields performance in the context of climate changes. The trail was conducted in field conditions and 10 farmers were concerned. The different treatments were randomly distributed according to a Fisher block design with 4 treatments and 5 replicates in the villages of Loaga and Sika. Measurements were carried out on the components of sorghum yield, and soil parameters. The results showed that the treatment « zaï compost + improved seeds» adapt better to the climatic changes. It allowed a better development of the sorghum and grain yield increased by 3 compared to the control. Chemical parameters of the soil were significantly improved, and the pH reached a value of approximately 6.5 in this treatment. The combination of the two techniques permits therefore to improve the resilience of the agricultural production facing the climate changes.