This study examined the impact of climate change on pastoral livestock in Boulgou Province located in the sub-humid zone of Burkina Faso. We analysed the annual rainfall and temperature data from 1980 to 2012 using both Mann-Kendall's statistical test to show the long-term annual trends and Standardised Anomaly Index (SAI) to evaluate inter-annual rainfall fluctuations. We also conducted household interviews with 248 respondents to analyse agro-pastoralists' perceptions of climate change and variability, its impacts on livestock production and their acceptance of adaptation measures. A binary regression model was employed to identify the most important factors affecting agro-pastoralists' decisions to adopt specific adaptation measures. Within the period of study, the annual rainfall showed an upward trend, with high inter-annual variability and 818.9 mm of mean annual rainfall. Additionally, the annual minimum and maximum temperatures showed a statistically significant upward trend, with a rate of change of 0.20°C and 0.27°C per decade. The results of the household interviews indicated that most of the respondents (73.4 %) observed temperature changes compared with rainfall amount (1.2 %). To adapt to these changes, they have already adopted some adaptation measures that include the use of crop residue and herd destocking. Other less popular but innovative adaptation measures such as haymaking and use of concentrate livestock feeds could be promoted effectively under a comprehensive climate change adaptation action plan within a reviewed National Policy for Sustainable Livestock Development. This case study is one of the platforms through which poor agro-pastoralists' perception and recommendations can be accommodated in this proposed multi-stakeholder policy review.

Conversion of pastures to cropland is one of the most important issues facing livestock farming in Burkina Faso. This study examined the impact of land use/cover change on pastoral livestock farming in Boulgou province between 1980 and 2013. Landsat satellite images (1989, 2001 and 2013) and socio-economic data were analysed. The interpretation of the classified Landsat images revealed an increase in cropland from 20.5% in 1989 to 36.7% in 2013. This resulted mainly from the conversion of woody savannah and shrub and grass savannah to cropland. Pastoral livestock farmers reported that the major drivers of vegetation loss were drought (95.1 %), population growth (91.8%), cropland increase (91.4%), extraction of fuel wood (69.8%) and increase in livestock population (65.4). These changes affect livestock farming through reduction of pasture, poor access to water and reduction of livestock mobility routes according to the farmers. This calls for regional and national policies to protect grazing areas in Burkina Faso that are similar to policies being implemented for forest and other types of vegetation cover in other countries. For such pastoral policies to be successful, issues concerning the mobility of livestock farmers must be enshrined into such policies and this study is an example of information source for these policies.