Farmer dependency on synthetic inputs threatens agroforestry sustainability in forest-adjacent lands of Burkina Faso (West Africa)

This study analyzes current soil fertility management strategies in agroecosystems adjacent to the Sissili classified forest in Burkina Faso. Data collection involved semi-structured interviews with 130 farm managers and field assessments of phytodiversity and dendrometric parameters across 44 agroforestry parklands. Data analysis included frequency computation of management practices, Multiple Correspondence Analysis (MCA) to assess the relationship between sociocultural factors and practices, and Weibull distribution modeling to evaluate the structure of agroforestry species populations. The results indicate that the surveyed farmers exhibit a high dependence on synthetic fertilizers (97.7%) and pesticides (90.8%) for soil fertility management. Moreover, the findings reveal limited use of plant biomass and a significant influence of farmers’ sociocultural status on agricultural practices. GLM analysis showed significantly higher species diversity and abundance in young versus old parklands (p < 0.0001). With dominance of Vitellaria paradoxa in the distribution of species across all parklands age classes, the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test revealed significant differences. Agroecological approaches such as assisted natural regeneration, biomass recycling, and land tenure security are recommended to enhance system sustainability and conserve biodiversity in the forest-agricultural interface.