From January to April 2006 I did research in Ouahigouya and surroundings, in northern Burkina Faso (West Africa) on access to water resources in the Sahel region. After three months of fieldwork I wrote my Master's thesis about this subject for the Vrije Universiteit of Amsterdam.During my stay in northern Burkina Faso, I wrote a diary of which much is published on this weblog. It gives an insight on rural African life, how I did my field research and the problems I faced.
This is me on my motorbike going from my 'home' in Ouahigouya, to the village.Field Research:
This year, 2007, we face the half-way point of the MDG's (Millennium Development Goals) set by the UN to reduce poverty in the world. In my thesis it becomes clear that access to water is a crucial factor for the improvement and development of rural livelihoods in the Sahel region (one of the poorest areas in the world).
While most scientific research concentrates on water management and irrigation systems, I was more interested in the social effects of water scarcity: the dry season lasts eight months per year!
I focused on three forms of social constraints :
- Ethnic differences (Mossi farmers and Fulani pastoralists);
- Gender differences (men and women);
- Hierarchical differences (social strategy).
African rural livelihoods are based upon strong social structures which enables communities to survive in vulnerable environments. In times of drought and other crises, villagers rely upon their institutes for collective-action, and conflict-solving mechanisms.
At the moment I am designing my own website, on which you can soon find a full summary of my Master's thesis.
rosien.nl
