Abstract
The indigenous soil knowledge among the Fulani subsistence farmers in two villages of northern Burkina Faso is examined, analysed and assessed with the aim of evaluating its adequacy for sustaining soil fertility and for the appropriateness of tapping indigenous knowledge in development programmes. The analytical framework is a multidisciplinary approach combining soil science and anthropology. The results show a high degree of consistency between the science-based western soil classification and the Fulani soil classification although the routes of generation are different. The farmers are aware of and active in management of soil fertility based on their experience, but express no thorough understanding of the mechanisms of plant growth. The soil knowledge is applied in the farming strategies which, as a primary aim, seek to minimize the risk of harvest failure. However, the analysis also suggests that the knowledge is no part of a ‘free-standing’ knowledge body which can be separated from the actual agricultural performance. The farmers express a general concern about the present state of the environment and degradation processes; however, there is no motivation to take active control of and manage the bush area. This is in contrast with the way millet cultivators actively manage their fields. An explanation of this is suggested by the division between the two Fulani ethnic subgroups, the FulBe who are the former masters and the RimayBe, the former slaves.
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Krogh, L., Paarup-Laursen, B. Indigenous soil knowledge among the Fulani of northern Burkina Faso: linking soil science and anthropology in analysis of natural resource management. GeoJournal 43, 189–197 (1997). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006894818609
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1006894818609