Improving Livelihood Through Crop-Livestock Integration

This research article investigates the dynamics of smallholder farms in Southwestern Burkina Faso, focusing on how crop-livestock integration can enhance livelihoods. The study employs the Ecological Discrete-Event Network (EDEN) modelling framework to analyze 128 distinct scenarios that enable poorly endowed farms to develop sustainable agropastoralism. The article outlines the methodology, which includes a literature review, expert interviews, and direct observations to create a model that predicts farm trajectories based on various management practices and environmental conditions. The results indicate that successful livelihood improvement is contingent upon increasing cultivated area, workforce, livestock, and maintaining soil fertility through organic inputs. The model's predictions align with observed farm types and trajectories, confirming its validity. The findings underscore the importance of understanding farm dynamics for designing effective management policies that promote sustainability in agricultural practices.