ABSTRACT
61As a researcher in the discipline of sustainable land use and natural resource management in the Sahel, I have travelled extensively for many years in the Sahelian region in the northern parts of Burkina Faso. I have always been impressed by people’s ability to act in a flexible manner in order to handle the many challenges related to water availability in places with close to desert-like conditions. In these semi-arid environments, heavy rain showers may fall in one village, while the neighbouring village remains totally dry.
