ABSTRACT
This chapter introduces the province of Sissili. It analysses the case study villages in terms of the provincial economy and its physical and socio-cultural characteristics. The province of Sissili lies to the south of Burkina Faso between the latitudes 10°59’ and 12°0’ North and between 1°18’ and 2°53’ West. The natural vegetation in Sissili varies between savanna and wooded savanna. The term ‘wooded savanna’ in this context is understood to mean a savanna made up of low and tall woody species associated with a more or less continuous grassy layer. The province of Sissili contains a wealth of woody biomass, with total woody savanna covering around 60 per cent of the province. Burning the bush is a traditional agricultural and cultural practice which involves the majority of the population, burning around their villages and fields. There are many reasons behind bush burning and thus there are many different ‘types’ of fire.
