• FAIR Sahel: Promoting agroecological intensification of agriculture to foster the resilience of farms in the Sahel

    Challenges

    In the Sahel, agricultural systems are characterized by high vulnerability to various risks (climatic, economic, health, security), a loss of diversification of agricultural production activities and agricultural value chains that are unfavorable to the profitability of the systems. Under demographic pressure, there is competition for the different uses of agricultural and pastoral land. This leads to overuse and rapid degradation of natural resources (soil, water, biodiversity) and the abandonment of certain irrigation areas. Under such conditions, the farmers' income is still too limited by low labor productivity and mediocre remuneration for the latter by non-control of access to markets. To find alternative, more sustainable ways of production, farmers still cruelly lack access to the necessary knowledge, and the organization to share, help each other and negotiate more effectively.

    (c) Cirad

    Description

    Agro-ecological intensification (AEI) can provide sustainable solutions to help producers in the Sahel develop agriculture that is more resilient to climatic hazards and increase their food security.

    The innovations developed by the project will contribute to improving the performance of agricultural production systems, resulting in a positive impact on the living conditions of producers, and on rural areas as a whole. FAIR relies on the knowledge and experience of the producers themselves, and on the methodological, scientific and technical contributions of research and development players. The originality of the project is to question and strengthen the interactions and collective processes at work between these actors, from West Africa and Europe, to accelerate and make sustainable the emergence of agroecological innovations and their ownership in rural areas.

    • The modes of interaction of research with development actors and producers are adapted to more effectively integrate agroecological knowledge on the functioning of agrosystems;
    • The advocacy work, scientifically and socially argued by the project actors, makes it possible to analyze the interest of AEI in ensuring food security and agricultural development;
    • Agroecological systems are more easily adopted by producers and extended to other regions;
    • Producers are more autonomous to develop their production systems in a highly fluctuating economic, social, political and climatic context;
    • Producers are more resilient to climate change, thanks to better management of resources and combinations of cropping and livestock systems that are more adapted to the new climate context.

  • The FAIR project organizes its activities into 5 components and 3 levels of intervention (local, national and regional) which favor interactions between research, development, institutional networks and producers.

  • Post Title
    Agronomists and Veterinarians Without Borders

    AVSF is an international solidarity organization recognized as being of public utility which has been working since 1977 to support peasant agriculture.

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    Center for International Cooperation in Agricultural Research for Development

    CIRAD is the French agricultural research and international cooperation organization for the sustainable development of tropical and Mediterranean regions.

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    Enda Properties

    Actively promote, in Senegal and in the sub-region, sustainable rural development by supporting local communities in reclaiming the governance of their land, the control, the ecological management and the enhancement of their resources.

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    French Development Agency

    A public and solidarity-based bank, AFD is the central player in French development policy.

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    IER Institute of Rural Economy

    IER's mandate is to improve agricultural, pastoral and aquaculture production and productivity for food security and sovereignty as well as for the preservation of human health and biodiversity in Mali. It proceeds to the development of appropriate technologies

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    Post Title
    Institute of Environment and Agricultural Research

    The Institute of Environment and Agricultural Research of Burkina Faso is one of the four specialized institutes of the National Center for Scientific and Technological Research. It is in charge of agricultural and environmental studies and research.

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    Post Title
    Joint Research Unit Actors, Resources and Territories in Development

    ART-Dev combines geography, economics, sociology, political science, agronomy, regional planning and anthropology. It brings together researchers and teachers from 5 institutions: Cirad, Cnrs, University of Montpellier, University Paul Valéry and University of Perpignan

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    Research Institute for Development

    The IRD is a key French player on the international development agenda. It works based on an original model : equitable scientific partnership with developing countries, primarily those in the intertropical regions and the Mediterranean area.

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    Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research

    The Senegalese Agricultural Research Institute (ISRA) is part of the Ministry of Agriculture but has its own board of directors.

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    Superior Council of Scientific Investigations

    The CSIC's Global Life Area covers activities related to biomedicine, the environment, agriculture, food and, in general, everything related to living organisms and the global processes of the Earth system that surrounds us.

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    Post Title
    UR Aïda: Agroecology and sustainable intensification of annual crops

    The Aïda unit is positioned on the intensification and sustainability of the production of annual crops in quantity and, when relevant, in quality, in particularly constrained tropical environments.

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  • Project Name
    FAIR Sahel project: presentation

    FAIR-Sahel project: Promoting agro-ecological intensification of agriculture to foster the resilience of farms in the Sahel

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