Agroecology
Senegal
Country activities led by the Dynamique pour une Transition Agroécologique au Sénégal (DyTAES), the Senegalese Agricultural Research Institute (ISRA), and French Agricultural Research and International Cooperation Organization (CIRAD).
Contacts:
Jean-Daniel Cesaro (jean-daniel@cirad.fr) and Marc Piraux (marc.piraux@cirad.fr)
Related news
Partners
- The Dynamique pour une Transition Agroécologique au Sénégal (DyTAES)
- The Senegalese Agricultural Research Institute (ISRA)
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“The Fatick region is an area with strong scientific activities and partnerships for decades. With this initiative, we promote the concept of living landscape as an open social innovation approach for research for development actions.”
Jean-Daniel Cesaro (CIRAD), country focal point, Senegal. |
About the Agricultural Living Landscapes
With its population expected to double by 2050, Senegal assigns top priority to food security. Productivity is low but with much room for improvement in the country’s mostly rainfed agriculture, which is vulnerable to climate change and natural resource degradation. Hence the importance of promoting sustainable practices to intensify production and restore ecosystems, while enhancing agrobiodiversity and rural livelihoods.
In the Department of Fatick, rainfed Sahelian agriculture is generally diversified, with trees playing a major role and livestock present on almost every farm. Compost and manure are commonly used as organic fertilizer. Most farmers grow millet and groundnut in crop rotations as a means to manage soil fertility and control pests. However, family agriculture is vulnerable to variable rainy seasons and also faces limited access to agricultural inputs.
Since 2019, civil society organizations have joined forces with researchers in a national association called Dynamique pour la Transition Agroécologique au Sénégal (DyTAES), which promotes agroecology mainly through policy advocacy. In 2022, DyTAES developed a territorial grassroots movement at the department level in Fatick, with support from many stakeholders, including public authorities and projects. The ALL in Fatick is linked to this movement, which aims to strengthen collaboration between local organizations and support a local action plan that responds to farmers needs for agroecology and creates new business models.
Read the context assessment:
Exploring agroecology: a contextual analysis of Fatick, Senegal
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Progress with implementing the Initiative
While Senegal has progressed with the implementation of agroecological practices, there is still considerable room for improvement. Preserving natural resources (with the integration of trees, livestock, and agriculture) is a major concern. Improving yields and productivity as well as diversified local food systems are also important goals. Other opportunities stem from the major role of tree regeneration in maintaining soil fertility and feeding livestock, from formalization of the local milk sector, and from processing of local cereals, such as millet, to connect with a wider market. Promotion of sustainable agriculture receives support from a renewed system of governance with local organizations and territorial administration in the DyTAES. Against this background, the ALL in Fatick will work to accelerate the agroecology transition through these entry points:
- Co-construction of mixed crop-livestock systems and promotion of agroecology principles through research, advocacy, awareness raising, and sharing of experience
- New business models to improve inclusion of small-scale farmers and marketing of local products (millet and milk) within the local food system
- Inclusive participation to create a large agroecology coalition
- Co-construction of adapted local public policies in the Fatick region
- Advocacy at the local level for engagement with regional, national, and international stakeholders
