Inadequate land management and agricultural activities have largely resulted in land degradation in Burkina Faso. The nationwide governmental and institutional driven implementation and adoption of soil and water conservation measures (SWCM) since the early 1960s, however, is expected to successively slow down the degradation process and to increase the agricultural output. Even though relevant measures have been taken, only a few studies have been conducted to quantify their effect, for instance, on soil erosion and environmental restoration. In addition, a comprehensive summary of initiatives, implementation strategies, and eventually region-specific requirements for adopting different SWCM is missing. The present study therefore aims to review the different SWCM in Burkina Faso and implementation programs, as well as to provide information on their effects on environmental restoration and agricultural productivity. This was achieved by considering over 143 studies focusing on Burkina Faso’s experience and research progress in areas of SWCM and soil erosion. SWCM in Burkina Faso have largely resulted in an increase in agricultural productivity and improvement in food security. Finally, this study aims at supporting the country’s informed decision-making for extending already existing SWCM and for deriving further implementation strategies.

The dramatic droughts in West Africa from the 1960s to the 1990s compelled Burkina Faso to implement soil and water conservation (SWC) measures in the late 1970s.The purpose was to combat land degradation (e.g., desertification) in areas that experienced a decrease in vegetation productivity. In this study, normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI) trends from 2002 to 2016 were analyzed using the Mann-Kendall test to explore the spatio-temporal variations of vegetation at SWC and non-SWC sites in selected regions of Burkina Faso. On average, NDVI increased by 3.6% annually from 2002 to 2016. Approximately 81% of the SWC sites experienced increasing (greening) trends, whereas 78% of the non-SWC sites showed negative (browning) trends. Typically, SWC measures in Burkina Faso, such as zai (traditional planting pits use to foster the retention of soil moisture and increase soil nutrients) and halfmoons, are considered to have significant impacts on vegetation changes as visible from the NDVI. The results demonstrate that the implementation of SWC measures distinctly influences the vegetation growth in Burkina Faso. Thus, these findings could support regional and local informed decision-making in the context of sustainable land use planning and evaluation of ecosystem services.