ABSTRACT
Soil fertility is generally low in Burkina Faso as a result of natural degradation of soils during cultivation and a failure to take steps to restore fertility and improve crop productivity. Fallowing has been the traditional way to restore fertility and is attractive because it requires no effort or expense other than the cost of clearing the land when it is returned to cultivation. However, owing to increasing demographic pressure and declining productivity, there is a shortage of arable land and, consequently, a reluctance to leave land uncultivated for the time required to restore fertility. Thus fallow length has decreased significantly.
