Improving crop yields in the Sahel by means of water-harvesting

Agricultural water-harvesting systems provide spectacular results throughout the Sahel, but their application is much less widespread than is possible. Constraints on and opportunities for their use are discussed here, with specific examples drawn from a yield study conducted in Niger. The high millet (Pennisetum americanum [L.] K. Schum) and sorghum (Sorghum bicolor [L] Moench.) yields achieved with micro-catchment water-harvesting show it as a promising cropping system for land-poor farmers and/or in areas where conventional practices produce relatively low yields.