Proper water management

Fonio is well adapted to annual rainfall of 700 to 1000 mm. However, towards the Sahelian zone annual rainfall drops lower. Effective management of water is therefore essential in traditional rain-fed fonio production and is now becoming even more important due to the increasing occurrence and severity of droughts.

Recommended practices to improve water use efficiency in fonio production include:

• Early planting in the season. Early sowing can be advisable in order to optimise the use of rainwater, particullarly if weather forecasts depict a short rainfall period.
• Early maturing cultivars. In areas with limited rainfall amounts, or when planting is done close to the end of the rainy season, early maturing cultivars are preferable.
• Mulching. Using the previously harvested crop residue to mulch the field can reduce the rate of evaporation of water from the soil.
• Reduced tillage. Reduced or no tillage strongly reduces loss of soil water through evaporation compared to ploughing of an entire field.
• Proper weed control. Removal of weeds reduces the rate at which they compete with fonio for water, leaving more moisture to the crop.
• Reducing plant population. This is an important consideration in arid regions where rains are brief and unreliable, and where there is no irrigation.