Watershed‐Based Approaches for Sustainable Agricultural Ecosystem Management in Burkina Faso

ABSTRACT Agriculture plays a pivotal role in the socio‐economic development of Burkina Faso, employing a large proportion of the population and contributing significantly to national GDP. However, this sector faces critical challenges, notably rapid soil degradation, declining fertility and the increasing vulnerability of farming systems to climate variability. To mitigate these issues, soil and water conservation (SWC/SDR) techniques have been widely promoted and implemented at the individual farm level. While these practices have proven beneficial locally, they often fail to capture broader landscape‐scale benefits. In contrast, watershed‐based approaches integrate land and water management across multiple plots, generating substantial positive externalities, including reduced upstream runoff, diminished downstream erosion and enhanced ecosystem services. This study investigates farmers' acceptance of the watershed approach in the context of sustainability goals, using a survey of 101 farmers across Lallé, Kroumwéogo and Zémalga in the Zam municipality. The results indicate strong support for collective management: 85.1% of respondents favour watershed‐based interventions, compared to only 21.8% for individual management, with nearly all farmers (99%) willing to participate in collective work. Regression analysis ( R 2 = 0.19, p < 0.01) identifies income level, prior experience with collective action and mutual aid networks as significant predictors of willingness to engage even at greater distances. These findings highlight the potential of watershed‐based approaches to improve soil fertility, increase agricultural productivity, foster cooperation and contribute directly to Sustainable Development Goals 2, 13 and 15.