The high demand for labor and the low availability of organic fertilizer reduce the effectiveness of manual zaï. To overcome these constraints, the effect of adding Loudetia-based compost enriched with Burkina natural phosphate (Burkina phosphate) under mechanized zaï on soil moisture content and sorghum yield was evaluated in 2022 and 2023 at Arbollé in northern Burkina Faso, using an experimental system of scattered blocks on eight (8) farmers.: T0 = control; T1 = manual zaï + producer organic manure + microdose; T2 = manual zaï + producer organic manure; T3 = mechanized zaï + producer organic manure + microdose; T4 = manual zaï + Loudetia compost; T5 = manual zaï + Loudetia compost + microdose and T6 = mechanized zaï + Loudetia compost + microdose. Mechanized zaï + producer’s organic manure + microdose (T3) and mechanized zaï + Loudetia compost enriched with Burkina phosphate (BP) + microdose (T6) gave the best grain yields ranging from 1213.13 k/ha to 1533.67 kg/ha, and the best soil moisture levels of 14.06% and 13.74% respectively at 45 JAS. Also, manual zaï + Loudetia compost enriched with BP + microdose (T5), made it possible to obtain average yields of 1004.62 kg/ha. Mechanized zaï + Loudetia compost + microdose could therefore help increase sorghum productivity. The effectiveness of this combination on yield could be improved by adding BP to the compost.

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.