Transforming agriculture in the Sahel: what would it take?
This background paper was released on the eve of two major agriculture summits in Mauritania and Senegal. It argues that drought, flooding and other weather extremes are likely to increase the pressures on pastoralism to survive as a way of life and livelihoods, given that the Sahel will continue to be one of the world’s regions most seriously affected by climate change. It makes the case for African countries and communities in the Sahel and the international development community to help protect and expand pastoralism on behalf of the more than 80 million people living in the Sahel who rely on it as a major source of food and livelihoods.
It proposes innovations for agriculture transformation and resilience, which would include the development of cross-sectoral early warning systems for overall resource management, disaster preparedness, mitigation, relief, and reconstruction efforts in a collaborative effort to address floods, droughts, locusts, and other hazards.