Burkina Faso CFPA/CAPA cheat sheet

Liebig's law of the minimum: yield is limited by the scarcest nutrient, so correcting the most deficient factor gives the largest gain.

N-P-K roles: N drives vegetative growth and protein; P drives rooting and flowering; K drives water balance, fruit quality and disease resistance.

Legumes fix atmospheric N via Rhizobium nodules; rotation with cereals restores soil N and breaks pest cycles.

Critical period for weed competition in cereals is roughly the first 30-45 days after emergence; weeding later yields little gain.

IPM decision rule: scout, identify pest, act only above economic threshold; rotate active ingredients to slow resistance.

Symptoms of N deficiency: uniform yellowing of older leaves first; K deficiency: leaf-margin scorch; Mg deficiency: interveinal chlorosis.

Soil pH governs nutrient availability; most field crops perform best near pH 6.0-7.0, and liming raises pH while sulphur or acidifying fertilizers lower it.

Organic matter improves water-holding capacity, cation exchange and structure; compost or manure should be well decomposed before field application.

Ruminant feeding rule: forage forms the basal ration, concentrate supplements the deficit; abrupt diet changes cause rumen acidosis.

Water intake is roughly 2-4 times dry matter intake in cattle; water shortage reduces feed intake before milk yield drops.

Colostrum must be given within the first 6 hours of birth; it supplies antibodies because the newborn absorbs them only briefly.

Vaccination schedule follows the local veterinary calendar; Newcastle disease in poultry and PPR in small ruminants are priority immunizations.

Signs of heat in cattle: standing to be mounted, clear mucus, restlessness; cycle length about 21 days, heat lasts 12-18 hours.

Quarantine new animals for at least 14-21 days before mixing with the herd to prevent introducing disease.

Poultry housing rule: about 8-10 birds per m² in open-sided housing; overcrowding increases cannibalism and disease.

Body condition scoring is the cheapest management tool: thin animals get extra feed, fat animals get restricted energy.

Gross margin = gross product (output value) minus variable costs; fixed costs are excluded and treated at farm level.

Net farm income = total receipts minus total costs (variable plus fixed); a positive value means the farm covered all costs.

Break-even yield = total costs divided by unit price; break-even price = total costs divided by output quantity.

Depreciation (straight line) = (purchase cost minus salvage value) divided by useful life in years.

Partial budget decision rule: adopt a change only if added returns plus reduced costs exceed added costs plus reduced returns.

Working capital = current assets minus current liabilities; it measures the farm's ability to meet short-term obligations.

Cooperative principles: one member one vote, member economic participation, autonomy, education and concern for community.

Marketing margin = consumer price minus producer price; it covers transport, storage, processing and trader margins.

Preventive maintenance rule: check oil, coolant, air filter and tyre pressure daily; change engine oil per hour-meter interval.

Mouldboard plough inverts and buries soil; disc harrow breaks clods and levels; both are primary or secondary tillage implements.

Ploughing depth rule of thumb: 15-25 cm for annual crops; deeper ploughing risks bringing infertile subsoil to the surface.

Sprayer calibration: output (L/ha) = nozzle flow (L/min) x 600 divided by speed (km/h) x swath width (m).

Boom height rule: about 40-50 cm above the target for flat-fan nozzles to give correct overlap and limit drift.

Do not spray when wind exceeds about 3 m/s or temperature is very high; drift wastes product and damages neighbours' crops.

Sharpening and clearance: keep hoe and machete edges sharp; worn plough shares increase draught and fuel consumption.

Store implements under cover with metal parts oiled; fuel stored in labelled containers away from housing and ignition sources.

Contour bunds and stone lines follow the contour to slow runoff and trap sediment; spacing narrows as slope increases.

Zaï pits and half-moons concentrate water and organic matter in dry Sahelian soils and are used on degraded, crusted land.

Compost recipe: alternate dry carbon-rich material with green nitrogen-rich material, keep moisture at about 50-60%, turn every 2-3 weeks.

Agroforestry rule: select species with complementary rooting and canopy; nitrogen-fixing trees such as Faidherbia enrich soil and provide shade.

Grass strips and mulching reduce splash erosion and raise infiltration; bare soil loses structure and organic matter quickly.

Water harvesting structures need an overflow or spillway to survive heavy storms; without it they fail by breaching.

Protected areas and buffer zones along streams (10-30 m) filter runoff and protect water sources from silt and chemicals.

Burning crop residues destroys organic matter and soil life; retention or incorporation conserves nutrients and moisture.

Extension cycle: diagnose needs, plan, implement, monitor, evaluate, and feed results back into the next plan.

Farmer field school method: learning-by-doing on a demonstration plot, weekly sessions, group observation and analysis.

Adoption of innovation follows stages: awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, adoption; early adopters spread it to the majority.

Participatory rural appraisal tools: transect walk, seasonal calendar, resource mapping, focus group discussion, ranking.

Group formation stages: forming, storming, norming, performing; conflict is normal and needs clear rules to resolve.

A functional cooperative keeps written minutes, a membership register, and audited accounts; transparency sustains membership.

Monitoring compares actual progress with the plan; evaluation judges relevance, effectiveness, efficiency and impact.

Gender and youth inclusion rule: target the labour calendar and access to land, credit and training when designing activities.

Business plan components: market analysis, technical plan, financial plan (cash flow, income statement, balance sheet), risk analysis.

Cash flow forecast records cash in and cash out by period; a positive balance each month prevents insolvency.

Simple record keeping: date, description, quantity, unit price, total; separate farm and household money.

Market research steps: define the problem, collect data, analyse, decide; a small survey can reveal price and demand patterns.

Entrepreneurial calculation: profit = revenue minus costs; return on investment = net profit divided by invested capital.

Negotiation rule: prepare a target price and a walk-away point before meeting a buyer; know your cost of production.

Value addition (processing, packaging, grading) raises the selling price but requires a market study and working capital.

Written contract essentials: parties, object, quantity and quality, price, delivery date, payment terms, dispute resolution.

French: a past participle agrees with a preceding direct object (les graines que j'ai semées); with être it agrees with the subject.

French: the present indicative of -er verbs: je sème, tu sèmes, il sème, nous semons, vous semez, ils sèment.

Percentage: part = rate x base; to find the rate, divide the part by the base and multiply by 100.

Area formulas: rectangle = length x width; triangle = base x height / 2; circle = π x r² (π ≈ 3.14).

Rule of three: if a quantity a corresponds to b, then c corresponds to (c x b) / a; used for seed, fertilizer and feed doses.

Unit conversions: 1 hectare = 10 000 m²; 1 tonne = 1 000 kg; 1 m³ = 1 000 litres; 1 quintal = 100 kg.

Density and mass: mass = volume x density; water density is about 1 kg per litre at ordinary temperature.

Scientific method: observe, form a hypothesis, experiment with a control, record results, conclude.

Liebig law of the minimum limits yield by the scarcest nutrient.

N-P-K: N growth, P roots and flowering, K quality and resistance.

Legume rotation fixes nitrogen and breaks pest cycles.

Weed competition is critical in the first 30-45 days.

IPM: scout, identify, act above economic threshold.

N deficiency yellows older leaves first; K scorches margins.

Soil pH 6.0-7.0 optimizes nutrient availability.

Well-decomposed compost improves structure and water holding.

Seed rate depends on germination percentage and target density.

Forage is basal ration; concentrate fills the deficit.

Water intake is 2-4 times dry matter in cattle.

Colostrum within 6 hours of birth supplies antibodies.

Cattle heat cycle is 21 days; heat lasts 12-18 hours.

Quarantine new animals 14-21 days before mixing.

Poultry density about 8-10 birds per m².

Vaccinate poultry against Newcastle and ruminants against PPR.

Body condition scoring guides feed allocation.

Abrupt diet change causes rumen acidosis.

Gross margin = gross product minus variable costs.

Net farm income = total receipts minus total costs.

Break-even yield = total costs divided by unit price.

Depreciation = (cost minus salvage) divided by useful life.

Partial budget: adopt if added returns exceed added costs.

Working capital = current assets minus current liabilities.

Cooperative rule: one member one vote.

Marketing margin = consumer price minus producer price.

Return on investment = net profit divided by capital invested.

Daily check: oil, coolant, air filter, tyre pressure.

Ploughing depth 15-25 cm for annual crops.

Sprayer output = nozzle flow x 600 / (speed x swath).

Flat-fan boom height about 40-50 cm.

Do not spray above 3 m/s wind or in high heat.

Mouldboard plough inverts soil; harrow breaks clods.

Sharp shares reduce draught and fuel consumption.

Store fuel in labelled containers away from housing.

Contour bunds follow the contour; spacing narrows on steep slopes.

Zaï pits and half-moons harvest water on crusted soil.

Compost: alternate carbon and nitrogen material, 50-60% moisture.

Faidherbia and other N-fixing trees enrich soil.

Water structures need a spillway to survive storms.

Stream buffer zones of 10-30 m filter runoff.

Mulch and grass strips cut splash erosion.

Residue burning destroys organic matter and soil life.

Extension cycle: diagnose, plan, implement, monitor, evaluate.

Farmer field school uses learning-by-doing on a plot.

Adoption stages: awareness, interest, evaluation, trial, adoption.

PRA tools: transect walk, seasonal calendar, mapping, ranking.

Group stages: forming, storming, norming, performing.

Cooperatives need minutes, member register and audited accounts.

Monitoring compares progress with plan; evaluation judges impact.

Include women and youth in land, credit and training design.

Business plan: market, technical, financial and risk sections.

Cash flow forecast must stay positive each month.

Records: date, description, quantity, unit price, total.

Profit = revenue minus costs.

Return on investment = net profit divided by capital.

Prepare target price and walk-away point before negotiation.

Value addition raises price but needs market study and capital.

Contract essentials: parties, object, price, delivery, payment, disputes.

Past participle agrees with preceding direct object.

-er verb present: je sème, nous semons, ils sèment.

Percentage: part = rate x base.

Area: rectangle l x w; triangle b x h / 2; circle πr².

Rule of three: (c x b) / a.

1 ha = 10 000 m²; 1 t = 1 000 kg; 1 m³ = 1 000 L.

Mass = volume x density; water about 1 kg/L.

Scientific method: observe, hypothesize, experiment, conclude.