Abdul Kader Ouedraogo

A visionary Malian agricultural innovator who transformed West Africa's food security through sustainable farming practices

Abdul Kader Ouedraogo (1912-1989) was a Malian agricultural scientist whose innovations in dryland farming revolutionized food production across the Sahel region. Born in Burkina Faso during French colonial rule, he developed the zaï farming technique in the 1950s, a method that revitalized degraded soils using stone barriers to capture rainwater. This technique increased crop yields by up to 300% in regions receiving as little as 200mm annual rainfall.

His groundbreaking research at the University of Bamako led to the creation of the Malian Agricultural Research Institute in 1962. By 1975, his techniques were adopted by 80% of farmers in Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso, preventing famine during the 1984 Sahel drought. Ouedraogo's work emphasized traditional knowledge combined with scientific methods, creating the first drought-resistant millet varieties that became staples in West African diets.

He pioneered community-based agricultural training centers, training over 10,000 farmers in participatory methods. His 1972 manual Zaï Farming: A Survival Technique for the Sahel became required reading for UN agricultural programs. Despite lacking formal education until age 25, he earned a PhD from Montpellier University in 1968. His legacy lives on through the Abdul Kader Ouedraogo Foundation, which continues promoting sustainable agriculture practices. His innovations are now part of the UNCCD's best practices database for climate-resilient agriculture.