From Senegal to Ethiopia, the Sahel region faces serious environmental and social challenges, such as widespread poverty, worsening security and changes in the weather patterns that threaten the resilience and productivity of farming systems. Since most of the local populations’ livelihoods depend on subsistence farming, it is crucial to investigate and promote practices that enhance soil quality and yields while preserving the long-term health of agroecosystems.
Agroforestry and agroecological practices are interesting for the Sahel context as they typically do not depend exclusively on external inputs to intensify production but rely firstly on the use and optimisation of existing local resources. They are also adapted to the local context where a complex integration of trees, shrubs, crops and livestock in farming systems is prevalent. However, the agroecological transition of food systems in the Sahel is not only a matter of providing technical solutions, but also of creating an enabling a social and institutional environment where farmers are able to negotiate with other local stakeholders.
To improve fairness and social justice in food and agricultural systems, it is important to consider fairness in value chains, access to markets, access to good quality agricultural extension services and training and knowledge, among other elements. From farmers to researchers and from policymakers to food processors, the multidisciplinary aspect of such an agroecological transition implies that all actors work together to make farming systems more ecological and just.
- the EU's international role | international cooperation
- Tuesday 5 September 2023, 11:30 - 13:00 (CEST)
Practical information
- When
- Tuesday 5 September 2023, 11:30 - 13:00 (CEST)
- Where
- InfoPoint and Webex Meetings
- Languages
- English, French
- Organisers
- International Partnerships InfoPoint
Description
Can agroecological and agroforestry approaches provide the solutions needed to intensify farming systems in the Sahel in a sustainable way?
Scientific evidence shows that agroecological and agroforestry approaches can increase yields, regenerate soils and improve farmers’ livelihoods, while contributing to making farming systems fairer. The FairSahel and SustainSahel projects are generating reliable evidence on how to successfully implement such practices through co-creation processes between researchers, farmers and other stakeholders in Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso.
In this conference, the two projects will share experiences and results regarding
- appropriate management approaches that can generate positive synergies between trees, shrubs, crops and livestock in the local farming systems
- the complex interactions between the use of native trees and shrubs and livestock health
- participatory trials in Senegal, Mali and Burkina Faso generating more knowledge about the appropriate use of trees and shrubs in farmers’ fields, as well as their density and composition
- the type of stakeholders that can activate systemic changes toward the agroecological transition of farming systems in the Sahel
- co-creation of innovation systems that can lead to agroecological intensification, as well as the conditions that favour that transition
- insights from the multi-stakeholder knowledge-sharing process, including training and dissemination activities
Speakers
- Christophe Larose, INTPA F3
- Eric Scopel, CIRAD (France)
- Harun Cicek, FiBL (Switzerland)
- Yelemou Barthélémy, INERA (Burkina Faso)
- Astou Camara, ISRA (Senegal)
Language of conference: English and French
Language of Q&A session: English and French
Registration