Parti du constat qu’au Burkina Faso, il n’y a qu’en allemand que l’inspecteur exige de recevoir la fiche de préparation de l’enseignant, et que de plus en plus de voix s’élèvent contre cette pratique, nous avons voulu réfléchir sur la question en nous basant sur les aspects didactiques. Du point de vu des attributions, les enseignants ont le devoir d’enseigner, de bien organiser des séances d’enseignement-apprentissage efficaces et les inspecteurs, le devoir d’encadrer, d’assurer le suivi pédagogique, de contrôler l’exécution des programmes. Bien que rédigée par les enseignants, la fiche est exigée par les inspecteurs, avec pour argument que la fiche leur servirait à vérifier l’exactitude de temps imparti aux activités, l’exécution exact des activités, etc. Les enseignants de leur côté ne comprennent pas cette exigence, car la fiche leur sert de repère à titre personnel. Ils craignent qu...

Agroforestry species are often exploited by local people based on their morphological characteristics. Knowledge of morphological characteristics and local preferences is useful for species selection and domestication. This study aims to assess the morphological diversity of Bombax costatum in two climatic zones in Burkina Faso. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 376 informants from four ethnic groups in the Sudano-Sahelian and the Sudanian zones. Variations in the morphotypes' characteristics and their environmental drivers were assessed on 172 trees based on trunk, crown, leaves, and flowers. Five ethnotypes, namely, dark red petals, light red petals, red petals, white petals, and yellow petals, were identified. Preference for ethnotypes was oriented toward petal color and bark aspect, with the red petals with rough bark ethnotype being the most preferred (p-value< 0.001)...

Climate change, land-use intensification, and agroforestry management are key drivers of soil organic carbon (SOC) dynamics in Sub-Saharan Africa, yet their combined effects remain poorly understood. Using a hierarchical space-for-time substitution approach, we analysed 1,440 soil samples from protected areas, fallows, and croplands across four climatic zones spanning a humid-to-semi-arid gradient in Ghana and Burkina Faso. We also assessed the role of tree canopy cover on SOC stocks and soil properties. Climate was the dominant driver of SOC dynamics, explaining 26.3% of the variation in topsoil SOC, while the interaction between climate and land-use accounted for 34% of the variation in total SOC stocks. The effects of land-use intensification increased along the aridity gradient, causing substantial SOC depletion in croplands within dry sub-humid and semi-arid zones, likely due to red...

This study presents the development and experimental validation of a coupled heat and mass transfer model for a dual-collector indirect solar dryer based on the energy balance of a representative section of the system. The governing equations describe the simultaneous evolution of collector temperature, drying air temperature and product moisture content while accounting for solar irradiance variations of up to 1050 W m⁻², convective heat transfer and both continuous and intermittent drying modes. Experimental tests were conducted on banana (Musa paradisiaca) and sweet potato (Ipomoea batatas), with a loading capacity of 1.5 kg for each product and an intermittency ratio of α = 0.5 under a controlled drying temperature below 60 °C. Temperature profiles, dry-basis moisture content and drying rates were determined and analysed for both operating configurations. The results showed favourabl...

Parkia biglobosa (Jacq.) R. Br. ex G. Don is highly valued species in many domains as food. However, the overexploitation of its fruits is one of the main causes of the species' vulnerability. Accurate assessment of annual fruit production could contribute in better conservation of the species. This study aims to assess fruit productivity of Parkia biglobosa and the relative proportion of the Non-Timber Forest Products (NTFPs) derived from the fruit. Fruit productivity was determined using a sample of 144 trees distributed across 6 diameter classes at 8 sites identified in two climatic zones. Seeds and husks were dried separately and then weighed. The weight of the pulp was obtained by subtracting the weight of the husk and seeds from the total weight of the fruit. The result revealed that fruit productivity is higher in the sudanian climatic zone than in the sudan-sahelian zone in Burki...

In the context of promoting local agricultural products in the face of significant post-harvest losses in West Africa, optimizing drying methods is a key challenge. This research explores the impact of various intermittent drying regimes applied to four fresh products, namely mangoes (Mangifera indica), bananas (Musa sapientum), potatoes (Solanum tuberosum), and sweet potatoes (Ipomoea batatas) from the market in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso). The objective is to evaluate the influence of intermittent drying kinetics on product quality. The samples, with an average unit mass between 150 and 350 g, were dried in an oven at 50°C, according to intermittent regimes varying from α = 1/2, 1/3, 1/4, 2/3, and 3/4 (drying time/rest time ratio). The reduced moisture content curves were obtained and the drying rate calculated. The drying time was shortened by 50%. The results indicate that for intermi...

Our work focuses on a numerical and experimental study of a flat plate solar collector designed and tested at the Ecole Normale Supérieure (ENS) in Burkina Faso at the Ouagadougou annex site. This device converts solar radiation into thermal energy. It was designed using locally available materials by a local designer. The objective of our work is to study temperature changes, efficiency, and the impact of solar radiation on the system during a less sunny period (rainy weather) that is conducive to the use of domestic hot water in order to evaluate its performance and provide solutions to optimize the device's efficiency and performance. The numerical results show that the average water temperature is 33°C compared to 49°C for the experimental results, with a theoretical efficiency of around 70%. Our results show that this device can heat water during the day despite unfavorable meteorol...

Burkina Faso relies mainly on fossil fuels for its energy production; however, given the rapid development of renewable energy technologies in recent years, Burkina Faso has been seeking other inexhaustible and environmentally friendly sources of energy, among which solar energy is considered the most important. Domestic hot water production is one of the most promising applications of solar energy for countries such as Burkina Faso. Thermal stratification has been identified as a means of increasing the thermal efficiency of a tank and, consequently, of the entire system. Stratified storage is characterized by a separation of temperature levels within the same tank, resulting in a thermal gradient between the hot and cold zones. The thin separation layer is called the thermocline. This study consisted of analyzing the stratification of the storage tank by evaluating the temperatures of...

Agroforestry, by integrating trees and shrubs into agricultural systems, serves as an effective nature-based solution for strengthening climate resilience and food security. While its adoption has received increasing research attention in West Africa, the relationships between plants’ apparency and local importance remain poorly understood. This study aims to examine whether plants’ ecological apparency in parklands explains their local importance to farming households. We conducted ethnobotanical surveys with 150 farmers, and carried out vegetation inventories in their parklands. Use Value (UV) and Importance Value Index (IVI) were calculated as proxies for plants’ local importance and ecological apparency, respectively. Data were analyzed through linear regression, and interpreted using the language of evidence. The results showed that Vitellaria paradoxa (UV = 4), Lannea microcarpa...

Solar energy is currently one of the most promising sources for meeting global energy needs. Hot water production using solar water heaters represents one of the most promising applications of solar energy for countries like Burkina Faso. However, the efficiency of solar system performance indicators remains a challenge, especially during periods of low sunlight. Our work focuses on a numerical study of a flat-plate solar collector designed and tested at the Higher Teacher Training College (ENS) in Burkina Faso, at the Ouagadougou annex site. The objective of our work is to numerically optimize performance indicators such as efficiency and fluid temperature across several key solar collector parameters in order to improve the quality of the solar system applied to domestic hot water production. In this regard, the numerical results obtained indicate that an optimal efficiency value is ac...