Global population growth, especially in developing countries, will most likely require an increase in agricultural production, but the sustainability of this production cannot be achieved without the preservation of ecosystem functions. Therefore, farmers need to know about, and deal with, the trade-offs between agricultural productivity and ecosystem functions and services. This review aims to assess practical science-based tools that can be used to make decisions for sustainable agricultural production. We reviewed 184 articles and divided them into categories depending on whether they describe tools, practices, ecosystem services, models, or other topics. Although many studies were global in scope, the approach to analyzing and assessing trade-offs appears to vary geographically. The review showed that trade-offs between agricultural productivity and ecosystem functions are most commonly studied in Europe and Asia, while few studies have been conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. Most tools in the review addressed only one or a bundle of ecosystem services, related to water, biodiversity, or climate regulation, and were designed for different types of land use and ecosystems and applicable at different scales. More practical tools for trade-off analysis have mainly been developed and applied by development organizations with support from science. Closer collaboration between practitioners, development organizations, and scientists is suggested to foster co-development of tools useful for identifying sustainable strategies for closing the yield gap, increasing productivity and for balancing ecosystem services, building on the Sustainable Development Goal’s framework and its targets for agricultural productivity and ecosystem services for trade-off analysis. We recommend the development and fine-tuning of the identified tools to specific contexts and landscapes through innovation platforms bringing together farmers, extension workers, scientists, and local decision-makers.

Rice is a staple food worldwide and ranks fourth in dietary importance in Burkina Faso. However, national production remains insufficient to meet rising demand due to inadequate rainfall, a critical constraint for this water-intensive crop. Water-efficient irrigation systems offer a promising solution to address water scarcity and improve yields. This study from December 2021 to April 2022 assessed the agro-physiological performance of five rice varieties under three irrigation methods: drip, sprinkler, and submersion. The experiment was conducted using a split-plot design with three replications, allowing for the evaluation of environmental, physiological, growth, and productivity parameters. Results showed higher vapor pressure deficits (VPD) and soil moisture levels under drip irrigation. Soil moisture levels were consistently higher under drip irrigation (0.175 ± 0.007 m³/m³) compared to the sprinkler system (0.145 ± 0.003 m³/m³) both before and after irrigation events. Submersion irrigation increased stomatal conductance, with FKR80 showing the highest rate (327 ± 7.6 mmol m⁻² s⁻¹). Rice cultivated under drip irrigation exhibited superior light interception compared to sprinkler and submersion methods. Chlorophyll content at heading was highest under drip irrigation for the varieties FKR19 (45.19 ± 1.70) and FKR62N (45.7 ± 1.85). The highest grain and straw yields, along with the best water use efficiency (WUE), were achieved using the drip irrigation mode. Varieties FKR19 and FKR62N excelled, with grain yields of 10.67 ± 1.9 t/ha and 10.93 ± 1.5 t/ha and WUE of 19.75 ± 1.56 and 20.24 ± 1.88 kg/ha/mm, respectively. This highlights of this irrigation mode potential to mitigate rainfall variability in tropic zone.

Varroa mite threatens honey bees worldwide by affecting larvae and adults and causing viral diseases associated with colony collapse. This study investigates its prevalence and infestation level, and morphometric traits in Southern Sudanese (SS) and Northern Sudanese (NS) phytogeographical zones of Burkina Faso. We visited 238 hives from 48 apiaries in 9 provinces. Phoretic varroa mites were detected through a 70% alcohol wash on approximately 300 worker bees. Once in the laboratory, 7 morphometric characters were measured on 1 to 10 varroa mites per hive. According to these measurements, the mites were identified as Varroa destructor, Anderson & Trueman, 2000. Data analysis reveals that 91.6% of colonies of the whole sample are infested with varroa. In NS zone, the provinces of Bazega and Zoundweogo show high infestation level (5.93% and 7.18% respectively), while in the SS zone, Nahouri and Ziro exhibit the highest level (8.19% and 9.00%) respectively. In terms of body length and body width (BL and BW), varroa mites from SS zone display averages of 1176.04 ± 40.1 µm and 1765.14 ± 49.2 µm, while those from the NS zone have average values of 1167.44 ± 40.8 µm and 1755.36 ± 53.42 µm. These morphological differences are statistically significant (P ≤ 0.05), highlighting variability that may result from local adaptations or genetic variations. The morphological diversity of this parasite has implications for its biology, dispersion, and virulence towards bees. Future studies should explore genetic factors influencing parasitic dynamics and bee resistance for effective management strategies.