Dynamics of Salinization of Agricultural Areas in Koba (Boffa)

Abstract

Climate change scenarios indicate an increase in soil salinization as a result of sea-level rise and its impact on coastal areas. In Guinea, our understanding of this phenomenon is limited. This article looks at the extent of salinization phenomenon and proposes farmers' solutions to deal with it in Koba area in Boffa, in the Republic of Guinea. The aim of this work is to analyze the changing dynamics of salinization in agricultural areas of Koba in this context of climate change. By the end, in addition to that, a cartographic survey approach with an image processing on QGis 3.4 was used as working method. This result show that salinization in Koba is progressing rapidly and that marine intrusion is now annual rather than cyclical (every 7 years). Several hectares of land have been abandoned because of the rising salinity, which progresses towards the mainland from year to year. In the space of 36 years, 3,196 hac. (6%) of land have been abandoned, which is equivalent to 88.6 hac. Per year (0.17% per year) in Koba. The solutions proposed which deals with the rise in salinity under the influence of climate change in area with early warning systems for forecasting, water management at plot level, combining activities and changing activity if necessary. Local knowledge (the position of birds' nests on plains, direction taken by ants, etc.) is also a key factor.