A diguette is a line of stones which are laid along the contours of gently sloping farmland to catch rain water and reduce soil erosion. Awa Bundani, from Siguin Voussé village, explains why the diguettes are so important to her community:

"Last year the rains were good. But in some years they stop, and the crops die. If the rains fail, we go hungry. We collect all the wild fruits. We shake the shea trees to collect even the last nut, to make butter. Some fruits like those from the kar tree we only use when food is short. We eat them crushed and mixed with water.

"The diguettes have made a huge difference. Before the compost and the soil were washed away. And when the rain was poor the soil would dry out quickly. We knew it was a problem, but we didn’t know what to do about it. It was said that during our grandparents’ time there was more rain and plenty of food. The rains came earlier and lasted longer. I don’t think we get the same rains now.

"Since we built the diguettes, the land produces more. We would have had only one bag of groundnuts, where now we get two. Since last year we have wheelbarrows and tools to help us with work on the diguettes and in building houses. This makes the work much less."