Journal of Agricultural Studies ISSN 2166-0379 2018, Vol. 6, No. 3 http://jas.macrothink.org 90 Impacts of Land Use and Cover Changes on Transhumant Pastoralism in Sudanian Zones of Burkina Faso, West Africa Charles L. Sanou 1,2* , Nouhoun Zampaligré 3,4 , Daniel N. Tsado 1 , André Kiema 3 , Yssouf Sieza 5 1 Federal University of Technology, Minna, Nigeria 2 West African Science Service Centre on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso 3 Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles, station de Farako-ba, Burkina Faso 4 Centre International de Recherche-Développement sur l'Elevage en zone Subhumide (CIRDES), Bobo-Dioulasso, Burkina Faso 5 Ministère des Ressources Animales et Halieutiques du Burkina Faso, Boucle du Mouhoun *Corresponding author: sclamoussa@gmail.com or sanou.c@edu.wascal.org Received: May 17, 2018 Accepted: June 1, 2018 doi:10.5296/jas.v6i3.13474 URL: https://doi.org/10.5296/jas.v6i3. 13474 Abstract This research aimed to investigate how the rapid land use and cover changes is affecting pastoral resources and practices within Kompienga province in Sudanian zone of Burkina Faso. To achieve this aim, Landsat images data of years 1989, 2001, 2013 and 2015 were retrieved and analysed. Images were acquired following the path 193 and row 52, from Landsat-5 Thematic Mapper (TM), Landsat-7 Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus (ETM+) and Landsat-8 Operational Land Imager (OLI). Images processing were done using 350 training sample for both; the purpose of supervised classification and accuracy assessment. Random Forest Algorithm (RFA) procedures in R-Software (version 3.3.2) were used for images classification. Furthermore, survey data were collected through group discussions and individual interviews with a 271 head of household respondents (pastoralists and agro-pastoralists) to investigate respondents’ perceptions on land uses and covers changes and its impacts on their pastoral and agro pastoral resources and animal husbandry practices. Results showed that Land use dynamics was characterized by an increase in croplands at an average rate of 46.7 % per year, between 1989 and 2015. On the contrary a decline of pasture lands was observed since 2001 at an average rate of 6.0 % per year. Similar trends in land uses changes were observed by interviewed respondents who depicted an increase in cropping lands (98.5 % of respondents) to the detriment of pasture lands (97.8 % of respondents). To overcome these land use/land cover changes and it subsequent consequences, respondent pastoralists and agro pastoralists have developed local adaptations strategies.