Fructifera: Burkina Faso Bio Climates

BIOCLIMATES

Bioclimates	Climate types	Annual rainfall, mm.	Number of dry months (*)
Sahelian climates	North Sahelian	< 400	> 9
	South Sahelian	400 to 600	7 to 9
	Transition Sahelo-Sudanien	600 to 700	7 to 8
Sudanian climates	North Sudanian I	700 to 800	6 to 7
	North Sudanian II	800 to 900	6 to 7
	South Sudanian I	900 to 1 100	5 to 6
	South Sudanian II	> 1 100	< 5
(*) Months with under 50 mm rainfall
Source : adapted from Fontès et Guinko (1995).

Agro-ecological Zones . Burkina Faso has not yet established an agro-ecological zoning in the strict meaning of the term. It is the phytogeographical zones defined by Monod (1957) and Guinko (1984) according to floristic and climatic characteristics, which take the place of agro-ecological zones. The map shows the four zones and their characteristics are summarised in the table below.

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Figure:Map of the agro-ecological zones of Burkina Faso derived from the map of natural vegetation and land cover of Fontès and Guinko (1995).

Table. General characteristics of Burkina Faso 's agro-ecological zones.

Zone	Percent of national territory	Annual rainfall mm.	Land cover
Sahel	13.4	< 400	Steppe with thorny bushes and annual grasses Pastoral zone evolving to agro- pastoralism , mainly pastoral at present Subsistence farming based on millet, sorghum and cowpea Transhumant herding
Sub- Sahel	15.3	400 to 700	Steppe with combretum and annual grasses Agropastoral , mainly agricultural zone High population density and land fully occupied Subsistence farming based on millet, sorghum and cowpea Transhumant herding and sedentary agropastoral agriculture
North-Sudan	38.9	700 to 900	Savannas with trees or shrubs Agropastoral , mainly agricultural zone High human and livestock population density Cotton area with agriculture based on sorghum, millet, cowpea and groundnut Transhumant pastoralism and sedentary village stock raising
South Sudan	32.4	900 to 1 200	Savanna with trees or shrubs, sparse forests Agricultural area characterised by perennial crops (mangos, citrus, cashew etc.) cotton growing, yams and cereals (sorghum, millet and maize. Used by transhumants in the dry season with sometimes mortal conflicts between pastoralists and farmers. Sedentary village stock rearing of taurin cattle.
NB. Subsistence farming is very widespread; it is essentially manual with very few external inputs. Animal traction is mainly used in the cotton-growing tracts (cash cropping) where modernisation ( mechanisation and use of agrochemicals) is well advanced.