Adaptation and Resistance of Smart Valleys Bunds in Sudanians’ Lowland: Experience in Four Lowlands in Burkina Faso

Smart-Valley is an inexpensive, sustainable and participatory lowland development approach, developed by Africa-Rice in order to increase the resilience of small-scale rice producers to rainfall variability effects. The approach is based on these farmers’ knowledge of their lowlands. Smart-Valley has already proven itself in West Africa's coastal countries. In these coastal areas, smart valley bunds are designed with only lowland land. But in sudanian climatic zone, the runoff is sometimes violent. Will bunds with lowland lands be resistant? Hence, this study aimed to test and adapt smart valley bunds designed for West Africa coastal areas to sudanian ecology. Twenty ha in four lowlands, five ha by site, were developed during the months of May-June 2018 follows smart valley approach. However, rubble stones were used to reinforce the main bunds and drainage channels were made if needed. The study showed that on half of the sites, the small holders farmed their lowland without carrying out any water management bunds. Smart valley adapted technology is not suitable for all the sudanian lowlands because this approach was success 75% in lowlands tested. But, in these area where smart valleys is adapted, bunds done by rubble stone slow down runoff, increases infiltration and retains a standing water that reduces the effects of pockets of drought during crop production