Informations et ressources scientifiques
sur le développement des zones arides et semi-arides

Long-term Europe-Africa Research and Innovation Partnership for Food and Nutrition Security and Sustainable Agriculture

Titre : FAIR Sahel : Fostering an Agroecological Intensification to improve farmers’ resilience in Sahel

Pays/Région : Burkina Faso ; Mali ; Senegal

Date : Start date 2020-01-01 // End date 2023-12-31

Identifiant : 206-FAIR SAHEL
Type de projet : Development and innovation oriented (research) project

Objectif
The general objective is to create the conditions for small producers in the Sahel to set up innovative technical systems of agro ecological intensification (AEI), allowing them a more efficient and sustainable management of resources and an improvement of their incomes, while making their operation more resilient to climate change in the three countries of intervention of the project. A more specific objective is to redefine the role of research so that institutional, political and technical actors have access to the necessary knowledge, effectively support organized and voluntary producers and create favorable conditions for AEI.

Présentation
In the Sahel, agricultural systems are characterized by high vulnerability to the extreme variability of the climate. Family producers are exposed to risks of various kinds (climatic, economic, health, even security) and are struggling to diversify their livelihoods. Finally,the functioning of agricultural value chains is not very favorable to the profitability and sustainability of agricultural systems. The result is a rapid degradation of natural resources (soil, water, biodiversity) and the abandonment of certain irrigation schemes. Mechanization, whatever its forms, is still not very widespread although desired to improve labor productivity. Its use requires practices and instruments adapted to the quality of the soil for which farmers do not always have the necessary knowledge. Under demographic pressure, competition for the different uses of agricultural and pastoral land takes place to the detriment of the sustainability of the systems.

Agro-ecological intensification (AEI) can provide sustainable solutions to help producers in the Sahel to develop agriculture more resilient to climatic hazards and increase their food security. Technical solutions exist but it often needs to adapt, optimize and combine them in innovative agro-ecological intensification systems thanks to a new dynamic of collaboration between the actors of research, development and producers. Institutional actors, interacting locally with farmers (local research, educational and training institutions, development operators, NGOs, producer federations, private market and supply chain actors, etc.), must also be supported to better understand the usefulness of the AEI and be able to support its development.

Coordinateur : Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD)
Partenaires : Research Institute for Development (IRD) Leibniz Centre for Agricultural Landscape Research (ZALF) Wageningen University & Research (WUR) CSIC - Spanish National Research Council Institut Sénégalais de Recherches Agricoles (ISRA) Institute of Rural Economy (IER) Institut de l’Environnement et de Recherches Agricoles du Burkina Faso (INERA) Agronomes et Vétérinaires Sans Frontières (AVSF) Enda Pronat

Financement principal : Directorate-General for International Cooperation and Development (DG DEVCO)
Budget : 9 000 000 EUR

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