1. Farmers in semi-arid West Africa understand the value of water, how it limits crop production and how essential it is to survival. They must contend with unreliable rainfall, short, unpredictable rainy seasons, and increasingly frequent natural hazards. Moreover, climate change may exacerbate all...
  2. Access Agriculture Training Video Zaï as they are known in Burkina Faso, or tassa in Niger, are wide deep planting pits. They act as a microcatchment and can be used to rehabilitate soils when used with manure. They have been very successful in West Africa during the last 25 years. Available...
  3. TheZayis made on land which is not very permeable so that runoff can be collected.Zaiare holes dug approximately 80 cm apart to a depth of 5 to 15 cm, with a diameter of between 15 and 50 cm (Figure 1).Zaiimprove infiltration of the captured runoff. The holes are deepened each winter....
  4. "Runoff farming" is identical with "Water Harvesting but for Irrigation Purposes". When the harvested runoff water from un-cropped areas is directed to a cropped area, this technique is called runoff farming. Soil profile acts as a water storage container, but storage in ponds or cisterns is also...
  5. “Zai” is a term that farmers in northern Burkina Faso use to refer to small planting pits that typically measure 20-30 cm in width, are 10-20 cm deep and spaced 60-80 cm apart. In the Tahoua region of Niger, the haussa word “tassa” is used. English terms used to decribe zai pits include “planting...