Abstract
Agricultural water-harvesting systems provide spectacular results throughout the Sahel, but their application is much less widespread than is possible. Constraints on and opportunities for their use are discussed here, with specific examples drawn from a yield study conducted in Niger. The high millet (Pennisetum americanum [L.] K. Schum) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L] Moench.) yields achieved with micro-catchment water-harvesting show it as a promising cropping system for land-poor farmers and/or in areas where conventional practices produce relatively low yields.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 83-106 |
Number of pages | 24 |
Journal | Journal of Arid Environments |
Volume | 30 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - May 1995 |
Keywords
- Sahel
- agricultural systems
- crop yields
- water-harvesting micro-catchments
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics
- Ecology
- Earth-Surface Processes