Climate variability, agroecological practices and household food security in Burkina Faso

Purpose Climate shocks are one of the major causes of persistent food insecurity in Sub-Saharan Africa, through their negative impact on the performance and progress of the agricultural sector. To enable farm households to adapt to these shocks, the adoption of agroecological practices that enable sustainable production is considered one of the best alternatives. Yet little work has examined the contribution of this technology in the Sahelian zone of this region. This article aims to analyze the effect of adopting agroecological practices on the food security of farm households in Burkina Faso in the context of climatic variability. Design/methodology/approach The analysis is based on a linear regression model with endogenous treatment effects, using data collected from 2,000 farm households by the current Thomas SANKARA University. Findings The results show that, in the context of climatic variability, adopting agroecological practices is part of the production strategy of rural households and has a positive effect on food security. This effect becomes more significant when these practices are combined, and the most common combinations are crop diversification/association, soil and water conservation techniques, and organic manuring. Research limitations/implications Given the persistence of extreme weather events, the research findings suggest that authorities should adopt a holistic approach to extending agroecological practices to strengthen farmers' resilience and food security, rather than a piecemeal approach. Originality/value The study highlights the food security achieving role of agroecological practices for rural households. Unlike previous studies, the results show that households are adapting to climate variability by adopting agroecological practices, thus ensuring their food security. Peer review The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-09-2024-0753