Effect of habitat mobility in cultivated fields on soil fertility in western Niger

Soil fertility management has always been a major concern in farms in the Sahelian zone. Some farming practices such as the periodic mobility of habitat within the fields provide a means of restoring soil fertility in western part of Niger. This work aims to study the effect of this practice on soil fertility in the village of Sadoré. Surveys were conducted with 30 farmers to understand farmers' perceptions of habitat mobility within the fields. Soil sampling was carried out on the 10 centimeters deep surface layer: six samples on the location of the old habitat areas and six samples on normal surfaces of the cultivated fields (controls) distant100 meters apart. The parameters chosen are pH, organic carbon (C), nitrogen (N), cation exchange capacity (CEC), assimilable phosphorus (P) and the sum of exchangeable bases (S). Surveys have shown that 100% of farmers practice habitat mobility in their fields to restore and improve soil fertility in degraded areas. The results of soil analyzes corroborate farmers' perceptions and show that the periodic mobility of the habitat in the field significantly improves soil fertility. The results of this study show that the periodic movement of habitat in the field improves significantly soil fertility. In fact, the best soil characteristics were obtained at the level of the old habitat zones compared to the normal surfaces of the cultivated fields. The improvement of soil physico-chemical parameters in relation to this habitat mobility is mainly due to the enrichment of soils in organic matter and in nutrients through household residues, litter and aeolian sediments trapped.
Environmental and Water Sciences, public Health and Territorial Intelligence Journal, Vol. 3, No 1 (2019)