Migration and Occupation of Rural Landscapes: A Case of the Commune of Kourinion in Western Burkina Faso

Abstract

In Burkina Faso, the agricultural peasantry is in a frantic search for means of subsistence to satisfy its absolute needs. Thus, the orientation of cultural practices according to economic and social issues constitutes an alternative, but it leads to social transformations, a dynamic in land occupation and an influence on natural vegetation. This study aims to analyze the evolution of the occupation of rural landscapes and conflicts of use in connection with the migratory phenomenon in the rural commune of Kourinion. In addition to the literature, this work is based on the analysis of information collected from farmers, land occupation data from 2000 and 2020 and direct observations in the field. The study made it possible to know the conditions of evolution of production systems and the socio-economic and environmental issues of these mutations on rural landscapes. The results reveal that the human and physical potential of the Commune conditions the evolution of agricultural practices centered on arboriculture and cotton cultivation. The diachronic analysis shows a spatio-temporal change through a reduction in the surface area of natural formations in favor of anthropogenic formations: rainfed crops by 41% as well as orchards and residential areas by 30%. The study also confirms that the current changes have a positive impact on the living conditions of households but are variously appreciated on the environment.