Climate Perceptions of Small Ruminant Farmers in the Mouhoun Province of Burkina Faso

Abstract

Perception is all about taking in, taking for oneself, taking hold of. Thus, a false perception of climate change can lead to a lack of adaptation or to maladaptation. Climate change represents a threat to the livestock farmers of the MP, whose main source of income is the exploitation of natural and animal resources. The problematic of this study is based on the good perception of the stockbreeders which were necessary to them to adapt to the climatic crises already occurred. The aim of this study is to analyze the perception of climate change by small ruminant breeders in the Mouhoun Province of Burkina Faso. To this end, 286 breeders, including agro-pastoralists and agro-pastoralists, i.e. 22 breeders per village, were surveyed. In addition, a focus group was held in each village, for a total of thirteen (13). Phinks software was used to process the individual survey data. The results indicate a drop in rainfall intensity (78.7%), a rise in temperatures (90.7%), a withdrawal from grazing areas (86%), a drop in milk production (81.3%) and lactation duration (86%). In summary, it appears that the population has a good perception of the climate in their locality. In addition, although it is difficult to integrate research evidence into development policy and practice, the results of this research could guide policy in making decisions about the climate perception of small ruminant farmers in the Mouhoun Province. This study leads to the conclusion that the changes perceived by farmers are relevant to the development of climate change adaptation strategies.