Burkina Faso

BURKINA FASO IS alandlockedcountryinWestAfrica with a population of about 14.3 million. The terrain is mostly savanna and relatively flat. Three major river systems cut through Burkina Faso: the Mouhoun, the Nakembé, and Nazinon; only the Mouhoun, along with the smaller Comoé, flows year-round. Access to clean water has been stressed in recent years, leading to tension between communities, especially in the north of the country. Only 18 percent of the land is arable, and recent decades have brought recurring droughts and increased desertification, along with overgrazing and soil depletion.

Current climate models indicate that Burkina Faso, like much of West Africa, is drying up and flooding at the same time. After a decades-long dry spell punctuated by severe droughts, the country is now moving into a ...