Editing Burkina Faso (section)

===Climate===
[[File:Koppen-Geiger Map BFA present.svg|thumb|Map of [[Köppen climate classification]]]]

Burkina Faso has a primarily tropical climate with two very distinct seasons. In the rainy season, the country receives between {{convert|600|and|900|mm|in|0|abbr=on|sp=us}} of rainfall; in the dry season, the [[harmattan]] – a hot dry wind from the Sahara – blows. The rainy season lasts around four months, May/June to September, but is shorter in the north of the country. Three climatic zones can be defined: the [[Sahel]], the Sudan-Sahel, and the Sudan-Guinea. The Sahel in the north typically receives less than {{convert|600|mm|in|0|abbr=on|sp=us}}<ref name=relationship>{{cite web|url=http://www.sim.org/country.asp?fun=1&CID=18|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080309142111/http://www.sim.org/country.asp?CID=18&fun=1|archive-date=9 March 2008|title=SIM Country Profile: Burkina Faso|access-date=5 August 2006}}</ref> of rainfall per&nbsp;year and has high temperatures, {{convert|5|–|47|°C|°F|0|lk=on}}.

A relatively dry [[tropical savanna]], the Sahel extends beyond the borders of Burkina Faso, from the [[Horn of Africa]] to the Atlantic Ocean, and borders the [[Sahara]] to its north and the fertile region of the [[Sudan (region)|Sudan]] to the south. Situated between 11° 3′ and 13° 5′ north [[latitude]], the Sudan-Sahel region is a transitional zone with regard to rainfall and temperature. Further to the south, the Sudan-Guinea zone receives more than {{convert|900|mm|in|0|abbr=on|sp=us}}<ref name=relationship/> of rain each year and has cooler average temperatures.

[[File:Wreckage of a dam (Dourtenga, 2008).jpg|thumb|Damage caused by the Dourtenga floods in 2007]]

Geography and environment contribute to Burkina Faso's food insecurity.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Agroclimatic Shock, Income Inequality, and Poverty: Evidence from Burkina Faso|last = Reardon|first = Thomas|year = 1996|journal = World Development|doi = 10.1016/0305-750x(96)00009-5|volume=24|issue = 5|pages=901–914}}</ref> As the country is situated in the [[Sahel]] region, it has some of the most radical climatic variation in the world, ranging from severe flooding to extreme drought.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Cultural barriers to climate change adaptation: A case study from Northern Burkina Faso|last = Ostergaard Nielsen|first = Jonas|date = February 2010|journal = Global Environmental Change|doi = 10.1016/j.gloenvcha.2009.10.002|volume=20| issue=1 |pages=142–152| bibcode=2010GEC....20..142N }}</ref> The unpredictable climatic shocks can make it very difficult for Burkina Faso citizens to rely on and prosper from agriculture.<ref>{{Cite journal|title = Human Vulnerability to Climate Variability in the Sahel: Farmers' Adaptation Strategies in Northern Burkina Faso|author = Barbier|year = 2009|journal = Environmental Management|doi = 10.1007/s00267-008-9237-9|pmid = 19037691|display-authors=etal|volume=43|issue = 5|pages=790–803|bibcode = 2009EnMan..43..790B|s2cid = 9634833}}</ref>

Burkina Faso's climate also renders its crops vulnerable to insect attacks, including attacks from [[locust]]s and [[Cricket (insect)|crickets]], which destroy crops and further inhibit food production.<ref>{{cite journal|last1 = Groten|first1 = S. M. E.|year = 1993|title = NDVI—crop monitoring and early yield assessment of Burkina Faso|journal = International Journal of Remote Sensing|volume = 14|issue = 8|pages = 1495–1515|doi=10.1080/01431169308953983|bibcode = 1993IJRS...14.1495G }}</ref> Not only is most of the population of Burkina Faso dependent on agriculture as a source of income, but they also rely on the agricultural sector for food that will directly feed the household.<ref name="Coping"/> Due to the vulnerability of agriculture, more and more families are having to look for other sources of non-farm income,<ref>{{Cite journal|title = The costs and risks of coping with drought: livelihood impacts and farmers' responses in Burkina Faso |author=Carla Roncoli |author2=Keith Ingram |author3=Paul Kirshen|year = 2001|journal = Climate Research|doi = 10.3354/cr019119 |doi-access=free |volume = 19|pages = 119–132|bibcode = 2001ClRes..19..119R}}</ref> and often have to travel outside of their regional zone to find work.<ref name="Coping">{{Cite journal|title = Coping with household-level food insecurity in drought-affected areas of Burkina Faso|issue = 9|pages = 1065–1074|journal = World Development|volume = 16|doi = 10.1016/0305-750X(88)90109-X|date = September 1988|last1 = Reardon|first1 = Thomas|last2 = Matlon|first2 = Peter|last3 = Delgado|first3 = Christopher|url = http://oar.icrisat.org/7395/1/WorldDev_16_9_1065-1074_1988.pdf}}</ref>