Urban Market Gardening Improves Soil Health: A Case Study in Burkina Faso
In sub-Saharan Africa, urban market gardening is characterized by the intensive use of chemical inputs, which could have adverse effects on soil health. This study therefore aimed to assess the impact of urban market gardening on soil health. Topsoil samples were collected from 69 plots at a market...
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MDPI AG
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Soil Systems |
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| author | Rayangnéwendé Adèle Ouédraogo Fabèkourè Cédric Kambiré Laurent Cournac Charles L. Bielders |
| author_facet | Rayangnéwendé Adèle Ouédraogo Fabèkourè Cédric Kambiré Laurent Cournac Charles L. Bielders |
| author_sort | Rayangnéwendé Adèle Ouédraogo |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In sub-Saharan Africa, urban market gardening is characterized by the intensive use of chemical inputs, which could have adverse effects on soil health. This study therefore aimed to assess the impact of urban market gardening on soil health. Topsoil samples were collected from 69 plots at a market gardening site in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, with cultivation histories ranging from 0 to over 50 years. Twenty-six chemical, biological, and physical soil properties were analyzed. Principal component analysis was used to identify minimum data sets for the assessment of soil health. The selected variables were standardized and aggregated into two soil health indices on a scale from 0 to 100: an overall index based on all properties combined and an average index based on the mean of the biological, physical, and chemical components of soil health. Both indices revealed a clear improvement in soil health over time, with the overall index rising from an initial value of 0.35 to 0.64 after 60 years and the average index rising from 0.30 to 0.62. The average index, which enables the separate assessment of its three components, accounted for a greater share of the temporal variability (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.59) than the overall index (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.47). These findings highlight the positive impact of urban market gardening practices on soil health at the study site, which was attributed to the large additions of organic amendments. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-69ae0a6d67994adeba6f9e8876bbd5c3 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2571-8789 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
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| series | Soil Systems |
| spelling | doaj-art-69ae0a6d67994adeba6f9e8876bbd5c32025-08-20T03:27:40ZengMDPI AGSoil Systems2571-87892025-06-01925910.3390/soilsystems9020059Urban Market Gardening Improves Soil Health: A Case Study in Burkina FasoRayangnéwendé Adèle Ouédraogo0Fabèkourè Cédric Kambiré1Laurent Cournac2Charles L. Bielders3Earth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, BelgiumInstitut de Recherche en Sciences Appliquées et Technologies/Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique et Technologique (IRSAT/CNRST), Direction Régionale de l’Ouest, Bobo-Dioulasso 01 BP 2393, Burkina FasoEco&Sols, Institut de Recherche pour le Developpement (IRD), CIRAD, INRAE, Institut Agro, Université de Montpellier, 34060 Montpellier, FranceEarth and Life Institute, Université Catholique de Louvain, 1348 Louvain-la-Neuve, BelgiumIn sub-Saharan Africa, urban market gardening is characterized by the intensive use of chemical inputs, which could have adverse effects on soil health. This study therefore aimed to assess the impact of urban market gardening on soil health. Topsoil samples were collected from 69 plots at a market gardening site in Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso, with cultivation histories ranging from 0 to over 50 years. Twenty-six chemical, biological, and physical soil properties were analyzed. Principal component analysis was used to identify minimum data sets for the assessment of soil health. The selected variables were standardized and aggregated into two soil health indices on a scale from 0 to 100: an overall index based on all properties combined and an average index based on the mean of the biological, physical, and chemical components of soil health. Both indices revealed a clear improvement in soil health over time, with the overall index rising from an initial value of 0.35 to 0.64 after 60 years and the average index rising from 0.30 to 0.62. The average index, which enables the separate assessment of its three components, accounted for a greater share of the temporal variability (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.59) than the overall index (R<sup>2</sup> = 0.47). These findings highlight the positive impact of urban market gardening practices on soil health at the study site, which was attributed to the large additions of organic amendments.https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8789/9/2/59soil organic matterWest Africavegetable cropssoil health index |
| spellingShingle | Rayangnéwendé Adèle Ouédraogo Fabèkourè Cédric Kambiré Laurent Cournac Charles L. Bielders Urban Market Gardening Improves Soil Health: A Case Study in Burkina Faso Soil Systems soil organic matter West Africa vegetable crops soil health index |
| title | Urban Market Gardening Improves Soil Health: A Case Study in Burkina Faso |
| title_full | Urban Market Gardening Improves Soil Health: A Case Study in Burkina Faso |
| title_fullStr | Urban Market Gardening Improves Soil Health: A Case Study in Burkina Faso |
| title_full_unstemmed | Urban Market Gardening Improves Soil Health: A Case Study in Burkina Faso |
| title_short | Urban Market Gardening Improves Soil Health: A Case Study in Burkina Faso |
| title_sort | urban market gardening improves soil health a case study in burkina faso |
| topic | soil organic matter West Africa vegetable crops soil health index |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2571-8789/9/2/59 |
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