| Popis: |
Sahelian Africa is a transition zone which is located between the arid Sahara in the north and the humid tropical area from the south. The list of countries covering this area is such as follows; Senegal, Mauritania, Mali, Burkina Faso, Niger, Nigeria, Chad, Sudan as well as the so called "Horn" of Africa which is formed by Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, and Somalia. Among the most striking characteristic concerning the climate from this particular African area, we find its instability which means that either it may register heavy rainfalls in short periods, normally between June and September, or suffer from severe droughts. Burkina Faso is an agricultural country with a large rural population. The total area in cultivation is estimated to be 2,900,000 hectares. Synthetic pesticides have been used in Burkina Faso for about eight decades. At a global level, some studies have been carried out on impacts of pesticide use (Eddleston et al., 2002, Konradsen, 2007, Lee and Cha, 2009). However, few updated studies have been carried out on patterns and impacts of pesticides use in Sahelian countries. The purpose of this paper is to provide an overview of pesticides in Burkina Faso, almost one century after the introduction of synthetic pesticides. Assuming that the other Sahelian countries have the same socio-economic level as Burkina Faso, their patterns of pesticides use may be not different. This briefing summarizes the findings of studies regarding the situation of pesticides in Burkina Faso and the subsequent recommendations for taking action at policy and program levels. |
