Impact of agropastoral management on wind erosion in Sahelian croplands

Pierre Caroline, Kergoat Laurent, Hiernaux Pierre, Baron Christian, Bergametti Gilles, Rajot Jean-Louis, Abdourhamane Touré Amadou, Okin Gregory S., Marticorena Béatrice. 2017. Impact of agropastoral management on wind erosion in Sahelian croplands. Land Degradation and Development, 29 (3) : 800-811.

https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2783

Article de revue ; Article de recherche ; Article de revue à facteur d'impact

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Quartile : Outlier, Sujet : SOIL SCIENCE / Quartile : Outlier, Sujet : ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Liste HCERES des revues (en SHS) : oui

Thème(s) HCERES des revues (en SHS) : Géographie-Aménagement-Urbanisme-Architecture

Résumé : In the Sahel, climate change and demographic growth are raising major concerns about the ability of crop yields to support the local population. Agropastoral management affects wind erosion (e.g., through crop residue management and tillage practices, which modify surface characteristics), which itself substantially affects soil fertility and thus crop yields. There is therefore a need to assess the potential impact of the main Sahelian cropping practices – like sowing, manuring, and crop residue management – on wind erosion. Using a modeling approach adapted to an experimental site located in southwestern Niger over the period 2006–2012, and scenarios that describe a set of agropastoral practices, the impacts of these practices on wind erosion are simulated and compared. The results indicate that horizontal fluxes differ by a factor of 10 among scenarios, with annual horizontal fluxes ranging from 121 to 1,317 kg m−1. Modeled wind erosion is most sensitive to the mass of crop residues in the late dry season, but different practices dealing with crop growth or with crop residue management may result in fluxes of the similar magnitude. The collection of the crop residues after grain harvest increases wind erosion, whereas grazing might have mixed effects, probably further mediated by the mobility of livestock as a response to forage availability. The seasonal dynamics of the monthly cumulated horizontal fluxes vary depending on practice; however, the annual cumulated horizontal fluxes are closely correlated with meteorological conditions such as wind speed and rainfall in the previous year.

Mots-clés Agrovoc : système agropastoral, érosion éolienne, pâturage, déchet agricole

Mots-clés géographiques Agrovoc : Sahel, Niger

Mots-clés libres : Wind erosion, Sahel, Modeling, Cropland, Rangeland

Classification Agris : L01 - Élevage - Considérations générales
P36 - Érosion, conservation et récupération des sols
U10 - Informatique, mathématiques et statistiques

Champ stratégique Cirad : Axe 1 (2014-2018) - Agriculture écologiquement intensive

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