Different cropping patterns and frequencies of cultivation are generally observed in concentric rings around the typical farmer's household compound in the West African semi-arid tropics and generate what is referred to in this study as the ring management system. The paper presents the technical and economic characteristics of the ring management system as observed in two agroclimatic zones of the Mossi Plateau in Burkina Faso. Three major soil and crop management rings can be identified in each zone, with management and land use intensity declining from the inner rings to the outer ring. The determinants and rationale of the system from the farmer's point of view are discussed. The results point out the maturity period of crops and varieties, the probability of livestock damage to crops, the distance from the compound to the field and the natural fertility base of soils as major instruments and determinants of the soil and crop management strategies used by the farmer to alleviate major production constraints such as poor and unreliable moisture availability, low soil fertility, and labour bottlenecks. Some hypotheses commonly formulated with respect to soil fertility maintenance in the region are also tested. The results suggest that common beliefs such as: (1) the farming systems in the region inevitably mine the natural fertility base of the soil and become less productive when they evolve toward more permanent cultivation practices; (2) only low management technologies are suitable for the farming systems in the region, do not have generality and can only apply to a portion of the typical farm land.
