Senegal Great Green Wall Initiative –Country Review Suggested citation Mentz, S., Karambiri, M. and Smith Dumont E. 2022. The Great Green Wall Initiative in Senegal Country Review. Bogor, Indonesia: Centre for International Forestry Research (CIFOR) and Nairobi: World Agroforestry (ICRAF). Produced by KANDS Collective hello@kandscollective.com Acknowledgements This work was carried out with support from the CGIAR Initiative on Climate Resilience, ClimBeR. We would like to thank the Belgium Federal Public Services (FPS) Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Development Cooperation and Knowledge series all funders who supported this research through their contributions to the CGIAR Trust Fund. Through the sub-grant, the Centre for International Forestry Research-World Agroforestry (CIFOR-ICRAF) have supported ClimBeR through extensive stakeholder consultation on the four focus countries, Senegal, Mali, Ethiopia and Sudan. In addition to the focus countries, regional engagement and a series of virtual events and stakeholder interviews have been synthesised into the knowledge series. We would like to thank the time and expertise from stakeholders for interviews, workshops, regional events and sharing their insights towards this important project. ClimBeR ClimBeR seeks to address challenges to adaptation by small-holder farmers through science and innovation aimed at transforming the climate adaptation capacity of food, land, and water systems, working closely with partners at the local, national, regional, and global levels. ClimBeR focuses on generating knowledge to unlock public and private finance, foster climate- and peace-sensitive policies and backstop the Great Green Wall Initiative (GGWI), Africa’s flagship programme to address climate change and desertification. https://www.cgiar.org/research/publication/ initiative-overview-climber-building-systemic- resilience-against-climate-variability-and- extremes/ COUNTRY REVIEW 1 Contents 1 Great Green Wall Initiative – Country 4 3.3 Development partners 19 Assessment 3.4 Civil society 21 1.1. Overview of the Great Green Wall 4 3.5 Private sector 23 Agency in Senegal 3.6 Networks and alliances 23 1.2 National Technical Assistance needs 6 for the GGW in Senegal 3.7 Summary of stakeholders linked (or poten- 24 tially linked) to the GGW in Senegal 1.3 National Platforms 7 1.4 Dialogue and scaling 8 1.5 Data platforms 8 4 Land restoration and climate change 34 initiatives 1.6 Financing 11 4.1 Land degradation, land neutrality 34 and land restoration 2 Bottlenecks | for GGW’s implementation 12 4.2 Climate Change 40 4.3 Major Environmental Agreements or 42 3 Stakeholder analysis relevant to the GGW 18 Commitments 3.1 Government departments 18 3.2 Presidency, agencies and 19 commissions 2 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL Abbreviations and acronyms 3AO National framework of the Alliance for Agro- M&E Monitoring and Evaluation ecology in West Africa MEDD Ministry of Environment and Sustainable ADENA Association for Livestock Développement in Development Senegal MEPA Ministry of pastoral development AFOLU Agriculture, Forestry and other Land Uses NDC Nationally Determined Contributions ANGMV National Agency of the Great Green Wall of Senegal NDT Land Degradation Neutrality ANR Assisted Natural Regeneration NPA New Agricultural Policy ASERGMV Senegalese Agency for Reforestation and PAF Forestry Action Plan the Great Green Wall PAGGW Pan-African Agency for the Great Green Wall CAADP Comprehensive Africa Agriculture PAN/LCD National Action Programme to Combat Development Program Desertification CEDAW Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination PFS National Forest Policy against Women PNAE National Environmental Action Plan CNIGDT National Intersectoral Council for Sustaina- ble Land Management PNDE National Programme for the Development of Livestock CNIS/GDT National Strategic Investment Framework for Sustainable Land Management PNIA National Agricultural Investment Plan COMNACC National Climate Change Committee POAS Land Use Planning and Allocation Plans CNCR National Consultation and Cooperation PRACAS Senegalese Agriculture Acceleration Framework with the Rural People Programme CRAFS Land tenure thinking and action tank in PRSP Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers Senegal SAWAP Sahel and West Africa Programme in the CSE Ecological Monitoring Center Support of the GGW Initiative DEFCCS Directorate of Water, Forests, Hunting and SDGs Sustainable Development Goals Soil Conservation SLM Sustainable Land Management DSRP Document de Stratégie pour la croissance et SNDD Senegal National Development Strategy la Réduction de la Pauvreté SNDES National Economic and Social Development DyTAES Dynamic for Angroecological Transition in Strategy Senegal SNEEG National Gender Equality and Equity Strategy ECOWAP ECOWAS Common Agricultural Policy SNSAR National Food Security and Resilience FAO Food and Agriculture Organisation of the Strategy United Nations Climate Change SIRT Land Resource Information System FNRAA National Agricultural and Agrifood Research Fund SAIDA Agricultural Services and Digital Inclusion in Africa FNDASP Agro Sylvo Pastoral Development Fund TaFAé Task force for the promotion of agroecology GGW Great Green Wall in Senegal ICAT Initiative for Climate Action Transparency UCAD Cheick Anta Diop Dakar University LADA Land Degradation Assessment in Drylands UNFCCC United Nations Framework Convention on project Climate Change LDN Land Degradation in terms of Neutrality WAEMU West African Economic and Monetary Union LOASP Agro-Sylvo-Pastoral Orientation Law LPSERN Sectoral letter for environment and natural resources COUNTRY REVIEW 3 Photo: ©Kelvin Trautman | Regreening Africa 4 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL Great Green Wall 1Initiative – Country Assessment This section provides a brief analysis of the history, partners, such as the Cheick Anta Diop Dakar progress and key bottlenecks related to the Great University (UCAD), the Centre de Suivi Ecologique Green Wall (GGW) initiative within Senegal. It also (CSE), the Institut Senegalais de Recherche Agricole, provides an overview of key institutions responsible the Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of for coordinating and implementing GGW-related Agriculture (ILRI, 2022). activities within the focus country. In 2019, Haidar El Ali was appointed Director General of the Senegalese Agency for Reforestation and 1.1 Overview of the Great Green Wall the GGW (ASERGMV). The Agency was by decree merged with two other structures, extending its Agency in Senegal portfolio to also cover eco-villages and reforestation The GGW in Senegal is 545 km long, 15 km wide (Savadogo, personal communication, 2022). As and involves three regions: Louga, Matam and such, the newly created ASERGMV is a “super Tambacounda. The population affected by this structure”, based in Dakar, that operates under the project is 322 221 inhabitants. technical supervision of the Minister of Forestry and the financial supervision of the Finance Ministry. Senegal was one of the first countries where the It implements and overseas all sustainable land GGW was operationalised, starting with the creation management (SLM) interventions nation-wide. of the Senegalese National Agency of the Great ASERGMV now has three departments: Green Wall (ANGMV) in 2008, through the leadership 1. The management of the GGW; of former President Abdoulaye Wade. In 2014 the GGW initiative was ratified. 2. The management of ecovillages; and, 3. The management of reforestation. According to the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), the implementation of the GGW initiative can be attributed to institutional continuity The Agency’s core mandate is to continue to re-green between 2005 and 2012, and the active participation the GGW area and to reforest the whole of Senegal. of scientific, institutional, research and academic Figure 1. Route of the GGW in Senegal: 545 km at a width of 15km Source: Senegal GGW Funding and Action Plan (2012-2016) COUNTRY REVIEW 5 MODUS OPERANDI The ASERGMV includes a Surveillance Council (which include a representative from the Presidency, representatives from the Ministries of Finances, Community Development, Agriculture, Forestry, Livestock, Wellbeing, Youth, and a representative from the Union of Associations of the Locally Elected Officials) who meet on a quarterly basis. The ASERGMV Director General is nominated by the Minister of Forestry and is responsible for ensuring the implementation of the decisions made by the Surveillance Council. In 2020, the Agency signed a framework agreement with the Programme for the Inclusive and Sustainable Development of Agriculture in Senegal (PDIDAS). Partnership agreements to support implementation were also signed with the Organisme National de Coordination des Activités de Vacances, which represents more than 7 600 sports and cultural associations in Senegal. Partnership agreements were also signed with numerous cities in the Louga, Thiès, Casamance and Tambacounda regions, as well as with CorpsAfrica (which has placed 20 volunteers ACHIEVEMENTS TO DATE in 10 regions in support of establishing Tolou Keur, i.e. ‘circular gardens’), and with Fabrimétal in Dakar The 2020 GGW Global Report (UNFCCD, 2020) (which has developed a tree nursery near its factory, indicates that Senegal had restored a total area of from where it distributes saplings free of charge 119 202 hectares (ha), as of 2019, broken down as for reforestation and sponsors the Tolou Keur of follows: 72 452 ha reforested area, 33 500 under Belvédère). Assisted Natural Regeneration (ANR) and 13 205 km of windbreaks. These achievements required On the ground, 2 000 water and forestry agents are the production of 18 million seedlings/plants and responsible for supporting the implementation of the resulted in the creation of 1 396 jobs. programme in the field. These agents supervise the 7 000 young people recruited by the agency for GGW Total funding allocated to the GGW in Senegal, as of activities. 2019, amounted to US$18.3 million of international funding (UNFCCD 2020). The domestic funding allocated to the GGW is not reported in the 2020 CONSULTATION FRAMEWORKS report. All actors are represented within the national GGW multi-stakeholder consultation frameworks, including state structures, NGOs, civil society MANDATE AND STRATEGY organisations, the private and parastatal sectors The ASERGMV’s general mandate is to intensify and research institutions. The modus operandi of reforestation, develop ecovillages and implement these consultation frameworks at different levels is the GGW. This mandate includes mobilizing actors described below: to implement and maintain reforestation activities, create green jobs, ensure access to renewable • At the local level (local authorities/communes), energy in ecovillages and support sound water meetings are held on a quarterly basis. The management as well as sustainable funding sources Agency signs territorial plans with monitoring and for these eco-villages. implementation mechanisms, validates the plans, and provides guidance and recommendations. The national strategy for the GGW focuses on: Issues emerging from these local meetings are • Local appropriation – implementing GGW fed into the regional meetings (Diop, personal with and for local communities, through local communication, 2022). To promote coordination authorities; the Agency has brought together all the mayors of the GGW intervention zone and established • Development partnerships; and performance contracts. In addition, the Agency • Job creation for youth and women and poverty has recently set up a schedule of conditions eradication (African Union 2022). between the communities (Ba, personal communication, 2022). 6 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL • At the regional level, meetings are held every Pillar 1: Investment in farms, value chains, local six months. The results of these meetings are markets, exports), as well as on the “development consolidated in a follow-up report that is used of techniques and technologies for reforestation to inform the annual national meeting (Diop, and integrated and sustainable management of personal communication, 2022). ecosystems” (GGW Pillar 2: Land restoration and • At the national level, an annual meeting is sustainable management of ecosystems). With convened during which the work plan and budget regards to the GGW Pillar 3 (Climate resilient for the coming year are validated. The ASERGMV infrastructures and access to renewable energy), submits an annual report to the Pan-African Senegal’s priority is to “develop techniques and Agency of the GGW (PA-GGW). The technical technologies that are resilient to climate change committee of national GGW experts (focal points) both in the field of agro-sylvo-pastoral and fishing meets once a year to prepare for the annual production (food security), in access to alternative Council of Ministers of the Environment and the energy (energy security) and in the prevention of Conference of Heads of State (Diop, personal risks and disasters”. This is illustrated for instance communication, 2022). by the purchase of solar powered digging machinery (Ba, personal communication, 2022). Under GGW Pillar 4 (Frameworks for effective governance, Meetings with the PA-GGW and its implementation sustainability, stability and security), Senegal’s partners happen in an informal manner – meetings reported main intent is to “ improv(e) the institutional are organised on an ad hoc basis and this informal and economic environment of the programme arrangement has proved functional (Boëte, personal intervention area”. Lastly, in terms of the Agency’s communication, 2022). capacity building priority (GGW Pillar 5) Senegal seeks to “develop capacity building activities for the various stakeholders for the effective, efficient, NATIONAL COALITION and sustainable implementation of the programme” In March 2021, a Presidential Council on GGW (UNCCD, 2022:25). met to discuss the development of a national coalition to implement GGW. This meeting resulted Among the new partnerships engaged in by the in 10 recommendations, including the creation of Agency, notable is the partnership with the Moroccan consultation frameworks at the national, regional and Office Cherifien des Phosphates. Through this local level. partnership, ASERGMV has acquired new equipment such a solar-powered shovel tractor to plant trees The national consultation framework will gather (Ba, personal communication, 2022). actors across all relevant ministries, as well as civil society, to leverage the GGW for resilient socio- The ASERGMV, under the leadership of the new economic development. In addition, local planning Director General, embarked on a new ‘Integrator’ contracts will be signed with all 17 local authorities programme for the GGW. This programme is in order to increase local communities’ participation providing support for the development of a new five- in the GGW, with technical, financial and operational year strategic plan for the ASERGMV. support provided by the Government of Senegal (AU, 2022). 1.2 National Technical Assistance needs RECENT DEVELOPMENTS for the GGW in Senegal In March 2021, Oumar Abdoulaye Ba was appointed the Director General of the ASERGMV. He has One of the challenges highlighted by national GGW been described by his peers as very dynamic and stakeholders was that many of the programmes had pro-active. Since his arrival, ASERGMV has been limited impact at ground level. Sufficient studies revitalised, with more partnerships and better have been done on the biophysical context for visibility in the field. Upon taking office, the Director land restoration in Senegal, but the funds are not General took European Union and US ambassadors to reaching the communities. Generally, the sense was the GGW field sites to sensitize them to the project. that an adequate skills base was in place, but the costs of land restoration processes was a barrier. The Director General is reportedly reviewing the That being said, new skills development may be Agency’s organisational chart and is actively putting required as ASERGMV ratchets up its use of modern the ASERGMV on a highly technological pathway (Ba, technologies, for example, training on the piloting of personal communication, 2022). This technological drones. focus is apparent in the strategic orientation of the Agency , as captured by the UNCDD (2002). A key issue plaguing the progress of the GGW, as The Great Green Wall Accelerator’s briefing note related by the GGW Director in Senegal, Colonel underlines Senegal’s focus on the “promotion of the Diop, is the lack of adequate and systematic green economy, articulated around the strengthening information sharing. This challenge will be addressed of SMEs and their economic environment” (GGW by a new communications department within COUNTRY REVIEW 7 ASERGMV. • The lack of research funding to support There is also further work to be done in terms of the Senegalese researchers. Research organisations analysis of degraded lands in Senegal. It has been such as the Observatoire Homme-Milieu could suggested that the Institute of Soil Science needs increase their research production if more to strengthen the technical capacity of its teams to funding was allocated to support PHD and Master support accurate assessment of the total amount of candidates; degraded land by type of degradation and to assess all the land restoration interventions that are being • Research grants are allocated for short time carried out. This would allow stakeholders to better periods (2-3 years), whereas the monitoring of understand the status of national land restoration restoration takes place over long time periods (i.e. efforts, identify good practice, and assess progress 10 years); and, against stated policy objectives (Sow, personal • There are gaps in the mapping of stakeholders on communication, 2022). the ground and facilitation of information flow to synergise initiatives. The ASERGMV is currently working to translate into a national programme the PA-GGW Decennial Priority Investment Plan (DPIP)1 at the national level, aligned with the five pillars of the plan and those of the GGW Accelerator (Savadogo, personal 1.3 National Platforms communication, 2022). A first draft has already been Senegal’s needs around consolidating platforms is produced, as well as indicators for 2022 and 2023, ambiguous. Colonel Diop, the GGW-A Director, has which will be discussed in a validation workshop with argued that there are already adequate consultation all stakeholders and submitted to the Presidency. frameworks and that the focus should lie in COP15 of the UNCCD, convened in Abidjan in strengthening these platforms rather than creating May 2022, was an opportunity for the AU to launch new ones. He further underlined that those platforms this national platform with technical and financial set up by international NGOs are not sustainable. partners (AU, 2022). Others also argue that existing platform structures, Senegal is receiving support from the GGW especially those that seek to integrate SLM efforts, Accelerator programme as well as the World Bank, need additional support. The multi-stakeholder, International Fund for Agricultural Development inter-ministerial platform called the National (IFAD), the European Investment Bank and the African Strategic Investment Framework for Sustainable Land Development Bank (AfDB) (UNFCDD 2021). Management is a case in point. This platform was originally launched under the Terra Africa platform Senegal has over time developed a range of and administered by the World Bank. It was then technologies and processes to address land formally adopted as a ministerial framework in 2014, degradation. In this respect, Senegal (Forestry with support from the EU. This framework brings Department) is considered as having capable together different actors working on SLM, in an approaches to address land degradation, but all attempt to integrate interventions related to the NGO partners on the ground and farmers might not GGW. The framework includes a portfolio of projects have mastered these techniques and would require and is intended to be a framework for dialogue and further support (UNCCD 2022). investment in SLM. However, this framework is not very active. Critical bottlenecks flagged with regards to researchinclude: The actors want a formalisation of this organisational • Technical expertise in restoration is not matched structure, which is one of the objectives of the by strong research on the socio-economic Riposte project. For a while the committee sought dimensions of restoration, which might constitute formal recognition from the Presidency, then from one of the main stumbling blocks to the long- the office of the Prime Minister. In October 2022, term sustainability of interventions; all the stakeholders involved in the platform met • Critical research topics concerning water stress and decided that the platform would fall under and water management are not adequately the Ministry of Agriculture, and a committee was addressed; established to support further activities. The committee drafted a technical note addressed • The lack of coordination in the research to the Ministry of Agriculture in support of the undertaken around the GGW; institutionalisation of this structure. Strategic • The lack of a central repository where all the partners were also requested to support this initiative research linked to the GGW in Senegal could be (Sow, personal communication, 2022). housed; Engagement with various stakeholders in the • Research is often top down and not fed back to the community level; 1. The Decennial Priority Investment Plan (DPIP) will be a reference framework for planning and technical and financial execution of the activities and financial resources required for their implementation. The overall objective is to develop a 10-year strategic plan 2021-2030 for key technical activities, together with an efficient financing scheme to further relevant and sustainable responses to emergencies of social, economic, and environmental resilience. The Priority Programs in the two cycles 2021-2025/2026-2030 (PAGGW 2021). 8 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL preparation of this report revealed that many were satisfied with the current institutional framework governing the work of the GGW. What was highlighted as lacking is strong information sharing among GGW actors. Support was also expressed for the current focus on strengthening governance at the decentralised level, i.e. improving the institutional and economic environment of the programme intervention area and local Terroir Development initiatives. A further challenge highlighted was the perceived lack of coherence between the different existing platforms, often engaging the same actors. Greater coherence is required to improve efficiency of GGW programme delivery (ClimBer 2022). 1.4 Dialogue and scaling The national consultation framework initiated by the National Agency of Senegal is focused on fostering a national coalition to gather actors across all Ministries, as well as civil society, to leverage GGW for resilient, socio-economic development. This is reflected in the above mentioned effort by the Agency to establish local planning contracts with 17 local authorities in order to increase local communities’ participation in the GGW, with technical, financial and operational support provided by the Government of Senegal (AU 2022). Prior to the establishment of the GGW national coalition in early 2022, stakeholders underlined that there was a dire lack of inclusion and information sharing with many relevant actors. However, all key stakeholders were included in the establishment of the national coalition and the activities of the coalition itself may well serve to address these concerns. Going forward, there is a need to ensure the systematic inclusion and information sharing with all actors (including non-state actors) relevant to the GGW (Mbaye, personal communication, 2022). At a national level, a priority should be to support formalising the National Strategic Investment Framework for Sustainable Land Management (Sow, personal communication, 2022). 1.5 Data platforms NATIONAL-LEVEL DATA PLATFORMS There doesn’t seem to be a system of clear data and evidence organisation related to the GGW ambitions and this lack of a centralised system was flagged as problematic by the GGW Accelerator. The ASEGMV website is out of date and, in the words of the Director, information is not shared adequately, which gives a poor reflection of the work Senegal is doing and undermines its relationships with other governmental entities, the donor community and non-state actors (Diop, personal communication, 2022). Photo: ©Kelvin Trautman | Regreening Africa COUNTRY REVIEW 9 At the national level, each entity has its own data. AgriMarketplace, which connects producers, The research identified several initiatives involved in traders, and consumers to facilitate trade and centralising data linked to SLM and climate change access to agricultural inputs; and eNutrifood, on existing platforms: which provides information on the production, preservation, and consumption of nutritious food. • The Ministry of Environment centralises all data In 2021, 84 000 Senegalese farmers received with the Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE). The information through this platform on climate, CSE is setting up a Climate Reference Bureau market, health and nutrition and animal nutrition. with support from Luxembourg. It aims at building This information was made available in six local the capacities of territorial authorities (communes languages, and was received as either an SMS or and departments) to integrate climate change in voice messages. their local development plans and support the elaboration of Local Climate Adaptation Plans • The Projet de Services d’Information Climatique (ClimBer, 2022). pour Accroître la Résilience et la Productivité au Sénégal (USAID/CINSERE) (2017-2021) provided • The Institute of Soil Science is working on the capacity building and the establishment of a CIS development of a database through a GCF- platform. funded project, namely, Support for Enhancing Ecosystem and Community Resilience through Two additional platforms with a focus on climate the Restoration of the Productive Base of Saline change adaptation will be developed for Senegal by Lands, with support from IUCN/SSC and the ClimBer through the Governance for Resilience (G4R) African Network for Integrated Development. project, which will be rolled out in 2022-2025. These They are working to build a database on saline are: soils. Other types of degradation besides salinization will be integrated. The geographic • The Early Warning, Early Action, Early Finance focus of the GGW in Senegal does not overlap (AWARE) platform that will be used as trigger with areas of high salinity, but this database mechanism to manage the response to floods remains relevant in terms of the broader focus on and droughts, developing standard operating land degradation. procedures with the relevant stakeholder coalitions. The purpose is not to duplicate data • The National Council for Food Security has but to co-create locally-owned specific datasets developed a Land Resource Information for Senegal, reflecting the needs of disaster risk System (SIRT) to use modern information management stakeholders in Senegal (ClimBer and communication technologies to provide 2022). information on the specific resources - biophysical, social and economic - of each of the • The ClimAdapt-Gov dashboard aims at defined territories. It is also a tool for integrating empowering farmers, communities and policy this knowledge for better decision-making in planners to help community or provincial level support of enhanced food security and resilience. organisations assess different resilience strategies at their scale, using simple resilience assessment • A database of reforestation and GGW initiatives indicators that could monitor if the portfolio of and actors is listed on a Google Maps database. adaptation options they chose is right for their The latest updates to the map date back to community and if there is resilience impact 2021 and speak of the tree planting the Agency (ClimBer, 2022). supported in some areas. REGIONAL LEVEL DATABASES There are several climate information services (CIS) available in Senegal: The World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) is a global network aiming • The Agricultural Services and Digital Inclusion to document, share, and apply SLM knowledge. in Africa (SAIDA) platform was launched in The network establishes an innovative space for 2019 by the National Agency for Agricultural sharing and scaling good practices to address land and Rural Council (ANCAR) in collaboration degradation, climate change, and biodiversity loss. with FAO. The platform includes four ICT mobile This facilitates local, national, regional and global applications for small-scale farmers and livestock knowledge sharing and analysis of which good keepers: Care and Feed Your Livestock, which practices work where, how and why, and their costs provides real-time information on animal disease and benefits. The WOCAT Global SLM Database control and animal feeding strategies; Weather has been officially recognised by the UNCCD as the and Crop Calendar, which provides weather primary recommended global database for SLM best forecasts, crop calendars, and warning systems; practice. The best practice adopted by the GGW are profiled on the WOCCAT database. 10 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL Photo: ©Kelvin Trautman | Regreening Africa Through the support of the TerrAfrica Leveraging (detailed in projects below) aims to assist countries Fund, TerrAfrica’s Regional SLM Knowledge Base has with assessing available tools and methodologies for been established. It contains tools, documents, and scientific measurement of the ecological impacts of practical information to assist in sustainable land and land degradation and SLM practices to guide future water management upscaling at national, regional investment decisions in the GGW region. and continental level. Senegal is in the process of creating a country-specific information system The Regreening Africa App, which has been based on this system. One of the main tools of the deployed in some of the GGW countries, helps TerrAfrica platform is the Country SLM Investment farmers, government agents and project officers to Framework (CSIF), which aims to provide guidance collect data on key indicators of land restoration. on the design and implementation of SLM investment The data ranges from the number and types of trees frameworks at national level. planted, plant survival rate over time, location of tree nurseries and the tree species they stock, polygons The Building Resilience Through Innovation and management practices in farmer-managed Communication and Knowledge Services (BRICKS) natural regeneration sites, training offered to farmer project (the regional component of the Sahel and groups, and the number of women and youth who West Africa Programme in the Support of the GGW have benefited from the project. Lead farmers Initiative - SAWAP) supports the efforts of national and extension agents collect data on their land projects in designing M&E systems, developing restoration activities – they become an integral part tools (remote sensing, mapping and GIS), defining of efforts to scale the assessment and the monitoring and setting up platforms for the exchange of of impacts of land restoration across a wide range good M&E practices, promoting South-South of landscapes. By aggregating and synthesizing partnerships within and outside the SAWAP portfolio, this information and combining it with evidence and evaluating programme performance on best from systematic, science-based assessments of practices. land health, stakeholders’ understanding of what interventions work best where and for whom can be In addition, the GEF-funded Large-Scale Assessment improved. of Land Degradation to Guide Future Investments in Sustainable Land Management in the GGW Countries COUNTRY REVIEW 11 SOS Sahel has developed an online platform listing 1.6 Financing all non-state actors involved in the GGW. The goal is to give visibility to non-state actors. State The key needs related to institutional strengthening in entities initially pushed back on this database and Senegal include: the willingness of civil society organisations to take ownership of the GGW. However, in 2018 they • The development of a robust M&E system: This were given the mandate to develop this platform, is an issue the GGW Accelerator is seeking to which is struggling to gain momentum. Listings are address. It is worth noting that the Ministry of far from comprehensive as it is proving difficult to Environment is implementing a monitoring system get the relevant stakeholders to agree to be listed to inform the Nationally Determined Contribution - considerable effort will be needed to lobby for (NDC) of Senegal, with support from the French membership in this platform and also to channel Development Agency (ClimBer, 2022). This M&E traffic to it. system should be integrated into the GGW system. In 2021, FAO and the African Union Commission • Senegal needs to build capacity of the various presented the results of the Africa Open DEAL10: stakeholders for the effective, efficient, and Open Data on Environment, Agriculture and Land sustainable implementation of programmes, & the GGW, which has provided a detailed picture as identified in the GGW results framework of the continent through bringing together more (UNFCCD 2022a:26). than 300 000 collections. This data opens up huge opportunities for addressing issues related to • The Land Degradation Assessment (2008) environment, agriculture and land use in Africa, and developed a baseline scenario of land strengthens the capacity of countries to monitor degradation for Senegal and subsequently set the change and conduct analyses (Sacande et al, 2021). country’s restoration targets. However, since then there has been no inventory update. Capacity The Green Alliance for Reforestation is a non-state building is required on the use of improved initiative developing platforms based on satellite methodologies and tools to carry out such an imagery. This is an interactive platform where large update (Sow, personal communication, 2022). international NGOs can create awareness around • Optimising information sharing between their initiatives. This NGO database does not include stakeholders through online collaboration state programmes and activities. (identifying the right tools and methodologies). • There is a need to build a strong community base to support the sustainability of national GGW activities and reduce implementation costs. There is also a need to undertake more rigorous evaluation of the success rate of tree planting programmes (ILRI, 2022). 12 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL 2 Bottlenecks for GGW’s implementation Table 1. The main bottlenecks for the implementation of the GGW initiative Bottleneck or key issue Description and underlying factors How this can be addressed within the country POLITICAL AND INSTITUTIONAL BOTTLENECKS Lack of harmonised • Lack of harmonization of sectoral interventions on the theme of • Support the formalisation of the mainstreaming of desert advancement and SLM. National Strategic Investment land restoration Framework for Sustainable Land strategy across • The inconsistency of public policies is reflected by a poor Management. different sectoral harmonisation between regulations on decentralization, domains and land use planning, mining operations (mining code), forestry • All the codes that deal with the same jurisdictions code, agriculture, pastoral development strategies and land resources should be merged under a laws, which maintain the different resource managers and common heading and addressed under management in a siloed sectoral vision. relevant categories. • What is lacking in the policy framework is a process/law articulating the synergies between different forms of land use. The Forestry Code, the Water Code and the Agro-Pastoral Law need to be synergized through a focus on development, taking the drivers of degradation into account. Insufficient • Weak communication and lack of information sharing are • According to Col Diop, these information flow highlighted by the GGW Director as critical bottlenecks. shortcomings will be remedied with the new communication department of • The image of the Agency is poor in relation to donors. the ASERGMV Information is not up to date or transparent (Diop, personal communication, 2022). • A global study on the contribution of NGOs in reforestation and addressing desertification would be required (Ba, personal communication, 2022). Conflicting policy • Ecosystem restoration is not only focused on recovering the orientations ecological function of degraded ecosystems; it also involves changes in land management. Large scale agro-industrial development still features strongly in Senegal (despite strong emphasis on supporting an agroecology transition) which is contradictory to the recommended land management practices linked to restoration. Lacking • Despite the fact that some key documents support agroforestry, • ANR and agroforestry should be agroforestry for example: Politique forestière du Sénégal 2005-2025, SNSAR adopted by the Ministry of Agriculture, development 2015-2035, PANA 2006, LOASP and INDC, and the fact that as well as the MEDD, as essential strategy the new forestry code (Law N° 2018-25 of November 12, 2018) elements of agricultural extension to is quite strict (in fact its strictness may disincentivise farmers achieve real impact on agricultural with the adoption of ANR), the agroforestry elements are spread productivity and resilience. throughout different Ministries: environment (MEDD), agriculture (MAER) and MEPA (livestock/pastoral). But the absence of an • This could form part of a possible agroforestry development strategy, combined with insecure revision of the Agro-pastoral land tenure and unclear distribution of rights over the restored Orientation Law. ecosystems impedes the adoption and scaling of agroforestry and other land restoration practices. Competing • In the Ferlo region pressures on silvo-pastoral resources are • Scope for mainstreaming land demands in the already exacerbated by climate change, competition for land, restoration into the Plan for an GGW area and competition between users. In this context, reforestation Emerging Senegal. of plots to which access is prohibited seems to be an additional factor in the fragmentation of the pastoral space and the immediate removal of resources without compensation (Goffner et al 2022). COUNTRY REVIEW 13 Bottleneck or key issue Description and underlying factors How this can be addressed within the country Incomplete • Incomplete decentralization processes limit the effectiveness of • Establish legislative and regulatory decentralisation local institutions (including those overseeing land management) frameworks supportive of local processes to support national land restoration initiatives. Senegal is slightly initiatives. in advance, with their decentralization law completed, however the transfer of financial resources from the state to the local government remains challenging. • The decentralization reforms undertaken in Senegal in 1996 and 1998 conferred various prerogatives on rural communities in the management of natural resources. • All prerogatives are held by the local government, but natural resource management issues are often neglected in favour of other sectors and issues (health, education, etc.). • Weak capacity of local authorities in terms of intellectual and technical skills. • Competences transferred without commensurate transfer of resources. Unsecure and • The Senegalese land tenure system is characterized by a plurality • Support land tenure security tenure of norms that is manifested by the coexistence of customary mechanisms developed in law (widely applied by local communities) and modern land collaboration with local authorities that legislation will ensure that local actors, especially • There is no formal recognition in the forestry legislation that women, and investors benefit from farmers have an exclusive right to the trees resulting from ANR the added value generated by their on their fields interventions. • Land restoration requires investments. No land restoration or development project attracts financial investment without land security • There is a need to put up fences before reforestation efforts commence. IMPLEMENTATION OF THE GGW: DISPARITY AND “LOCK-IN” A TOP DOWN AND NON-INCLUSIVE APPROACH TO THE EXPENSE OF THE DEVELOPMENTAL PARADIGM Lack of synergy in • The lack of a coherent policy framework results in failures to the implementation take advantage of synergies between projects related to land of projects restoration. This leads to an inefficient use of time and resources and ultimately undermines the effectiveness of interventions (Sow, personal communication, 2022). • There is a need to strengthen the coherence of action at the level of the governorates and prefects, whose mission is to promote community dialogue; there is a lot of duplication in the field and a lack of coordination of actions - it is necessary to harmonize this and allow for efficiency of actions (Ba, personal communication, 2022). A rigid, • Local populations perceive GGW projects such market gardens • The implementation of each project technocratically or large scale SLM as a government environmental project with a is to be preceded by a grounded driven approach “top-down” logic disconnected from local realities consultation and co-design with each community, with a greater focus on • A tendency has prevailed to implement the GGW with a “one political ecology. size fits all” approach, whereas each and every socio-ecosystem along the GGW route is unique, with its own characteristics and dynamics, calling for adapting and aligning actions implemented accordingly. “This alignment requires in-depth knowledge of each socio-ecosystem, as a condition for success and acceptance of future actions. However, the time required for diagnosis, analysis and consultation is often considered incompatible with the urgency felt by decision-makers and GGW implementers.” (Goffrey et al 2022). • There are reports that the protocol for planting is so strict that other potential partners are precluded from being incorporated into the GGW.2 2. The GGW is reported to be very driven by the “technical “ aspects, to such an extent that it precludes collaboration. For instance, particular attention is paid to what species can be planted and how they should be planted. A private company that specializes in gum Arabic and who has planted 15 000 ha of acacia trees to plant gum Arabic (which creates added value in the GGW areas) wanted to meet with the GGW. It is reported that the agency did not want to meet with this company (AZYLA GUM) arguing that they do not do the planting properly. An open dialogue could lead to actors improving their techniques to the benefit of the GGW (Garreau, personal communication, 2022). 14 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL Bottleneck or key issue Description and underlying factors How this can be addressed within the country Exclusion of farmers • The GGW is problematic by design - the chosen location is • The proposed 10 recommendations essentially a pastoral axis, hence the importance of consulting brought forward by the UNFCCC the herders - this implies a strong capacity building and (2021) to improve the work of the engagement of communities in designing interventions (Ka, national coalition address these personal communication, 2022). concerns. • Lack of effective inclusion of a wide range of key actors, e.g. • Put in place practical mechanisms for producer organisation are the grassroots of the GGW. The planning dialogue and action at the options advocated by producer organisations are often very local and national levels, especially close to the objectives of the GGW; they should be an integral focusing on producer organisations. part of the implementation of the GGW (Garreau, personal This would allow for getting closer communication, 2022). to producers’ organisations and to associating them with the GGW, taking into consideration their natural resource management strategies (UNFCCC, 2021). • Elevate the GGW as a tool for improving the livelihood of populations to the highest political level. • The solution is to work through the farmers’ organisations, so that the communities and other stakeholders carry the project. The CNCR is present in the 14 regions, it includes grassroots farmers’ organisations. Participation by the CNCR could allow better implementation and sustainability of the project. Lack of involvement • A study on the mobilization of non-state stakeholders of the • Set up multi-stakeholder, multi-sector of partners: CSOs, GGW found that the implementation of the initiative was top dialogue mechanisms around the private sector and down, technocratic and non-inclusive. Greater involvement of objectives of the GGW local government CSOs and research actors in the dynamics of the GGW should be encouraged via a support programme for the field actors of • Involve local authorities in project the GGW (UNFCCC, 2021). management and the implementation of the GGW projects • Failing to introduce these actors in projects will result in the risk that “the projects presented (lack) territorial anchorage”. • For better connections between GGW Funding partners should be encouraged to set up dedicated actors, harness existing opportunities funding programmes for these actors (UNFCCC, 2022:14). and knowledge through the creation of a GGW multi-stakeholder hub. • Establish practical, simple and clear criteria and procedures for engagement. • Integrate the greatest number of actors through a system of recognition of different levels of commitment of actors and actions (UNFCCD 2022). • National coalitions should enable the establishment of MoU between ministries and decentralized institutions, municipalities and cities, so that states can request dedicated funding for GGW municipal plans (UNFCCD 2022). COUNTRY REVIEW 15 Bottleneck or key issue Description and underlying factors How this can be addressed within the country LACK OF INVOLVEMENT OF LOCAL POPULATIONS COMPROMISES LONG TERM SUSTAINABILITY OF INTERVENTIONS • The populations that benefit from the land restoration measures • Implementation of GGW projects rely must be able to take over from the state services. However often on existing instruments of territorial the lack of ownership and co-design of interventions with the governance and shared resource local populations, as well as other factors such as access to management, such as pastoral units, resources and the absence of land tenure rights, are all factors borehole management committees inhibiting the buy in form local beneficiary populations. and communal councils. The GGW • Lack of genuine support from pastoral communities. would thus be catalytic to consultation processes and to consolidate • The humanitarian approach to implementing market gardens decision-making and management compromises their long-term sustainability. For instance, the bodies at the intermunicipal level for “Food for Work” programme consist of providing women’s SLM. groups with food aid; it is conditional on their participation in the farm plot. But most development initiatives do not yield high economic returns. This poor productive and financial performance might condemn them to remain dependent on programmes such as the GGW and actors such as the World Food Programme. This is the major ambiguity of the GGW gardens which, in attempting to promote tools for the fight against poverty, adopt the institutionalized practices of humanitarian aid. • Given that this is their environment, rather than talking about a lack of ownership, we should talk about a lack of project continuity at the GGW level (Ka, personal communication, 2022). LIMITED CAPACITY OF FARMERS AND FARMER ORGANISATION Limited technical • Farmers and farmer organisations lack technical capacity. • Entry points identified by the GGW capacity of • Supporting their technical staff is an action that the Accelerator Accelerator: “In West Africa, the farmers and farmer should consider (UNCCD 2022). There are only a small number of ROPPA network took the lead in organisations NGOs with the required expertise on these issues. January 2020 in the so-called West to adopt the African initiative on agroecology and recommended is a good entry point. (...) Farmer- techniques to-farmer exchanges have proven to be a powerful tool for scaling up agroecological techniques.” GENDER Lack of addressing • While there is mention of gender equity and inclusion of women, fundamental youth and other groups in situations of vulnerability in the policy causes of gender documents, there is a lack of coordinated planning and activities inequalities able to address the root causes of inequalities. Most of the actions relate to solving the current needs of these groups, but there is less focus on changing their status through addressing their strategic needs. RESOURCES CONSTRAINTS Constrained • Land restoration is extremely costly. • ASGGMR has embarked on a high- resources • Insufficient logistics given the isolation of reforestation areas. tech drive to increase the pace at mobilisation which activities are deployed on the ground (modern machinery, etc.). High reliance on • Many land restoration targets and commitments rely heavily external funding on funding from external donors. The GGW was expected to receive financial support from the government, local authorities and villagers, while these entities, particularly at the local level, have limited capacities for resources mobilization. Institutional • The main obstacle to the mobilization of resources is the • “There is a need to communicate about blockage in the positioning of national agencies. These agencies are under the the opportunities available, not only to financial dialogue direction of their country’s Ministry of the Environment. However, the Ministry of Finance and Planning, the financial partners all dialogue at the level of each country but also to the sectoral ministries that with one interlocutor: the Ministry of Finance and Planning. prepare projects for the government budget” (UNFCC 2021:5). 16 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL Bottleneck or key issue Description and underlying factors How this can be addressed within the country BIOPHYSICAL CONSTRAINTS Water scarcity • The GGW operates in water constrained environments, with • Alternatives to and better management deep aquifers (230 m) compounded by climate change (delayed of water points/ponds. arrival of long rains). • There is tremendous pressure from pastoralist communities on • Studies required on the replenishment government to drill boreholes for their livestock. The Agency of underground water given the high promised many boreholes – the most challenging area is the intensity of boreholes being created. Ferlo region. • There is a high mortality of seedlings – approximately half the seedlings are lost before planting or at planting due to water constraints, cattle roaming and fire damage (ICLEI, 2022). Freshly transplanted trees need extra water due to the lack of moisture in the soil. • The agency is planning on multiplying boreholes in the region. It has acquired highly technological equipment. It is important to verify whether there is enough water to irrigate newly restored land. This has long term consequences on the use of underground water. • The water stress issue has implications from a gender perspective – women are forced to allocate significant time to collecting and transporting water. Botanical • Some actors contend that uncertainty remains in terms of the most optimal species, whereas some maintain that the optimal species are known but that improvements could be done in terms of the management of these species. LOCAL DYNAMICS Insecurity and • Different use of space by several actors e.g. pastoralists and • The PRM approach can assist in conflict farmers. overcoming these shortcoming - • Livestock wandering in reforested plots leads to inter-community it is embedded in local land use conflicts. Incidents of open provocation by pastoralists have practices with the community, building been reported, with livestock keepers walking their herds on customary management and through the GGW perimeter at night during the season when governance norms. PRM can help pastures are abundant (i.e when there is no scarcity of feed); this bring a greater degree of community has been construed as a sign of provocation towards the GGW participation by including women and (Ouedraogo, personal communication, 2022). youth and in managing activities and interventions contributing to the GGW, • Maintenance of measures to guard against external attacks where the mainly top-down approach (firewalls, fences, etc.). to date has excluded communities • “In Senegal, the government introduced the concept of and, in some situations, has created pastoral units (PUs) in the 1980s around water points with conflict with them. the objective to sustainably manage resources and spaces for the benefit of local populations and the community of transhumant pastoralists. Despite their apparent success, PUs have been implemented in a top-down manner and have failed to invest in or empower pastoral communities to manage the PUs. Once management plans are established, the PUs are often left without supervision, capacity building programmes or monitoring and as a result, management plans are rarely implemented. Where pastoral unit management bodies exist, they are often politicized and heavily influenced by local chiefs.” Growth of the • The GGW does not go through protected forest areas but • The theme of water usage should agricultural sector through silvo-pastoral areas, and one of the important be rethought within a framework of challenges to be taken into account in planning human resource management, which calls developments in the area is the sharp increase in the number of for a revision of the Silvo-pastoral farms in the western zone. At the time, the law prohibited the Law (2004), in order to accommodate development of crops in this area, but the agricultural sector is these new dynamics (Ndiaye, personal progressing, and livestock numbers in this area is increasing. communication, 2022). In the northern part, there are important hydro-agricultural developments that favour crop production; in this sense, the government responds to the needs of the population, particularly in terms of agriculture, but the ecological aspect does not figure sufficiently in the planning. COUNTRY REVIEW 17 Bottleneck or key issue Description and underlying factors How this can be addressed within the country WEAK MONITORING AND EVALUATION Lacking M&E system • There is no systematic way of tracking and reporting on the • Improve M&E by setting up a system progress made towards achieving SLM that addresses and meet accessible to all actors that centralises the GGW goals (regionally applicable). This was underlines by all knowledge for innovations in the Colonel Diop as the ‘weakest link’. He says that ‘we are aware of field. the gaps and problems, but the reality is that most people only see the money and the very large amounts. When the US$1.7 • Undertake a mid-term appraisal of the billion is announced, there is a rush, there is no excitement status of land degradation in Senegal. about the impact and results’ (Diop, personal communication, The Accelerator is trying to remedy 2022). this by providing tools and equipment, • Lack of reliable monitoring and evaluation system for strong and training sessions. Work has been reporting on the achievements of the GGW. In policy underway for the implementation documents, emphasis is put on reports, making it difficult to of a results management framework trace and verify the interventions’ results. since May 2021. This has led to the establishment of two tools: 1) The • Obsolete datasets for tracking land degradation and impact of annual financial tracking table to track interventions. The 2008 land degradation assessment gives a commitments and disbursements by baseline scenario of land degradation. This dataset is outdated pillar and country for each funding and mid-term inventory of degradation is required. partner and 2) The annual impact monitoring table to track achievements on the ground by pillar, for each national agency of the GGW (UNFCC 2017). Undercapitalisation • Many projects and investments, including the work of NGOs, • Explore the possibility of a CSOs, and autonomous investments by farmers and herders, go “GGW” label which actors can unreported and unrecognised. used depending on their level of contributions to the GGW. Lack of multi- • The evaluation of the effectiveness of investments related to sector analytical the fight against land degradation should be inseparable from accounting the inventory of global investments made at the level of the concerned sectors of activity (agriculture, livestock, water, etc.). However, in the absence of analytical accounting, it is difficult to know the real share of the total amount of investments that have had a positive impact on actions to combat land degradation. RESEARCH GAPS Research bias • A review of the Sahelian GGW reveals a “predominance of • Redress this research bias by towards forestry ecological studies in the GGW literature and a concentration supporting research focusing on and to on certain of studies in certain geographies of interest, such as northern socio-economic and other aspects areas Senegal” (Bruckmann et al, 2022). of GGW implementation, as well as addressing geographic bias. Limited research • Research funding is often allocated for short (2-3 year) time time assigned frames, which is deemed highly insufficient to capture the to restoration/ outcome of reforestation projects, taking social dynamics into reforestation account – these research time frames need to be expanded to a projects 10-year period (Mbaye, personal communication, 2022). Limited sharing of • Set up a mechanism to centralise all information and scientific and technical information centralisation of and innovation and to easily research outcome disseminate findings, strengthen knowledge exchange, and promote valorisation of research findings. Research is top • Often research outcomes are not fed back to the level of • As above – promote the establishment down community-based organisations that could benefit from these of observatories. research findings. 18 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL Photo: ©Kelvin Trautman | Regreening Africa 3 Stakeholder analysis relevant to the GGW 3.1 Government departments The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable The Ministry of Agriculture and Food Sovereignty Development (MEDD) ensures the coordination (MAER) develops, coordinates and implements of activities on climate change and supports the agricultural policy at the national level. MAER’s sectoral ministries in the planning of climate actions involvement with the GGW is key, as they support and M&E. Certain rangelands are in protected areas, planning of food gardens, water management, which are under MEDD supervision. It is the lead sinking of boreholes, etc. ministry supporting the work of the GGW. It assists the Agency in the planning of activities and the The Ministry of Animal Husbandry and Production formulation of M&E indicators. develops, coordinates and implements the national livestock development policy. The Directorate of Under the MEDD, the key departments are: Livestock addresses the role of livestock in forest degradation. • The Directorate of Water, Forests, Hunting, and Soil Conservation (DEFCCS), which helps The Ministry of Finance and Budget signs bilateral implement GGW activities on the ground and multilateral financing agreements granted to • The Directorate of Planning Senegal in all areas, including climate change. It supports fiscal decentralization efforts, both by law • The Directorate of Environment and Classified and also through local funding via rural tax collection Establishments (DEEC) and other revenue generation efforts. • The Directorate of National Parks (DPN) The National Agency for Civil Aviation and • The National Institute of Pedology (INP) Meteorology is in charge of supervising and COUNTRY REVIEW 19 coordinating all meteorological, climatological and The National Food Security Council (CNSA) was scientific activities related to climate change. The created in 1998. The Executive Secretariat of the Agency is also responsible for the management of National Food Security Council (SECNSA) was the meteorological observation network, including created within the CNSA. Its function is to inform facilities, equipment maintenance and data exchange all decisions in the field of food security and on a global scale. resilience, to facilitate the monitoring and evaluation of the food security and resilience policies and programmes, to participate in the mobilization of 3.2 Presidency, agencies and financial resources for the national food security and resilience system; and to facilitate consultation, commissions synergy and ensure complementarity between actors The Senegalese Agency for Reforestation and the involved in the implementation of food security and GGW falls under the Presidency. resilience projects and programmes. This Council is responsible for providing food insecurity early warnings, with two important meetings every year LOCAL GOVERNMENT where all food security actors gather to analyse and Local authorities are the custodians of local land map the food security situation for Senegal. management and access to resources (tenure, land use, etc.). They are responsible for local development planning and are equipped with legal tools adapted 3.3 Development partners: to this responsibility. Local government entities (“collectivités territoriales”) further play a role in FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS institutionalizing rural participation in national policy commitments; help form federations of elected local • The AfDB has in 2021 pledged US$6.5 billion authorities; and support public forums to debate in support of the GGW. It is involved in the national policies that affect rural populations. These recently launched Africa Integrated Climate Risk institutions also play an important role in developing Management Programme. models of natural resource management and in • The West African Development Bank (BOAD) informing rural populations of their rights and the announced that between 2024 and 2034, the roles and powers of their elected representatives. “100 Million Trees” project will bring together the efforts of eight West African countries mobilised The Association of Mayors of Senegal plays a role against desertification. This major reforestation in training municipal councils on policy frameworks operation will cover the entire West African (especially around decentralisation functions) and on Economic and Monetary Union (WAEMU) zone, as their rights as local representatives and the means by part of the GGW. which they can defend, exercise and develop these rights. • The GEF funds multiple SLM and climate resilience projects, including the recently The Agency for National Statistics and Demographics completed Mainstreaming Ecosystem-based (ANSD) centralizes and disseminates statistical Approaches to Climate-resilient Rural Livelihoods data produced by the national statistical system. in Vulnerable Rural Areas through the Farmer Field The Agency is also responsible for monitoring School Methodology. international technical cooperation on statistics. In this capacity, it represents Senegal in subregional, • The European Investment Bank funds several regional and international meetings relating to environmental projects in Senegal. matters within its competence and monitors the activities of international organisations in the field • Green Climate fund (GCF) funds a number of statistics. At the request of the government of regional projects of which Senegal is part, and public and private entities, the Agency may such as The Africa Integrated Climate Risk undertake research on statistical, economic and Management Programme as well as Inclusive social issues. Green Financing Initiative (IGREENFIN I), both projects focusing on the GGW. It also funds the The National Agricultural and Rural Advisory project Increasing the Resilience of Ecosystems Agency (ANCAR) manages agricultural and rural and Communities through the Restoration of the advisory services throughout Senegal. It develops Productive Basis of Salinized Lands. Nationally, it a decentralized agricultural advisory system, funds the Building the Climate Resilience of Food working for the producer organizations through a Insecure Smallholder Farmers through Integrated participatory approach based on partnership. It has Management of Climate Risk (R4) (2016-2024). set up the Agricultural Services and Digital Inclusion in Africa (SAIDA) platform. 20 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL • The World Bank’s International Development • The EU supports several land restoration and Association (IDA) is the main funder of the agro-ecologically focused projects. See the Livestock Climate Finance in Senegal project EU funded project database for further details. (ILRI 2022b). It finances activities of the Regional Amongst the EU-funded projects is Regreening Support Project for Pastoralism in the Sahel to Africa. support climate mitigation and adaption through sustainable landscape management, improved • The African Risk Capacity (ARC) Group is involved animal health and veterinary drug control, in the recently launched Africa Integrated Climate improved livestock value chains. It has been Risk Management Programme. providing co-financing (US$150 million) since 2021 for the new IFAD Programme in Senegal’s • USAID funds the Feed the Future Senegal Agriculture and Livestock Competitiveness Agricultural Policy and Reform Support Project Programme For Results and other projects (PSS). focused on resilience. In 2021 the World Bank announced it would invest US$5 billion to help • The Canadian (Quebec) Union des producteurs agricoles du Québec (UPADI) has been working restore African drylands. with the CNCR on SLM projects country wide. • The ASERGMV has signed a framework agreement with the Programme for the Inclusive • The Moroccan Office Cherifien des Phosphates (OCO) features among key partners to the and Sustainable Development of Agriculture Agency, providing modern equipment to improve in Senegal (PDIDAS), a programme initiated planting. in 2014 with funding from the World bank and the GEF and another specific agreement for the • GIZ supports land tenure security among implementation of the following activities: the rural population and is very involved with developing a sustainable electricity supply • The demarcation and signposting of eight through the deployment of renewable energy and classified forests in the Saint-Louis region. the promotion of energy efficiency measures. A • The construction of three nurseries, two in project on “climate-friendly cooking” in Senegal the Saint-Louis region and one in the Louga is underway (2020-24). region. • The production of 800 000 seedlings of a UN SYSTEM dozen species. • The United Nations Development Programme • Capacity building of actors grouped in Inter- (UNDP) has historically supported Senegal villages Association (AIV). with mainstreaming climate change into local planning of municipalities. The 2021 activity • The establishment of 40 000 ha of land report mentions 21 communes in the intervention degradation defences. regions that have integrated climate change adaptation and gender into their communal • The development of nine development and development plans. It also supported the management plans (PAG). community nature reserves and pastoral • These activities will, among other things, units in the Ferlo and Bas-Delta regions with contribute to the increase of the vegetation cover establishing development plans that facilitate rate, the management of biodiversity and the the strengthening of their governance for development of income-generating activities in participatory management of the environment. the regions of Saint-Louis and Louga. UNDP has reportedly played a part in reshaping Senegal’s approach to the GGW, supporting a • The OPEC Fund for International Development more integrated approach. UNDP is currently contributed financially to the Agricultural involved with the final stages of the Ecosystem- Development and Rural Entrepreneurship based Adaptation for Resilient Natural Resources Programme - Phase II (PADAER-II). and Agro-pastoral Communities in the Ferlo Biosphere Reserve and Plateau of Thies. • ICRAF is involved in the Regreening Africa BILATERAL DONORS project. The Data Science and Applied Learning Lab at ICRAF has spearheaded the development • As France relaunched the GGW initiative at of the Regreening Africa App. ICRAF can play the One Planet Summit in January 2021, by a further role in reinforcing investments in the announcing the creation of the GGW Accelerator, practice of ANR and promoting Land Use Planning the French Development Agency (FDA) naturally and Allocation Plans (POAs). features as one of the primary development partners, especially in Senegal. The FDA positions • IFAD is involved in several programmes related itself as a key strategic partner of the GGW to climate change resilience and agricultural Accelerator. development. COUNTRY REVIEW 21 • The World Food Programme is the implementing • Sahel Eco has signed a partnership agreement agency of the Building the Climate Resilience with the Pan-African Agency for Food Security to of Food Insecure Smallholder Farmers through strengthen collaboration between governments Integrated Management of Climate Risk (R4) and civil society actors. It also runs the GGW (2016-2024) and is involved in the recently Partners’ Platform. launched Africa Integrated Climate Risk Management Programme. • The NGO Elevage Sans Frontières has supported several livestock projects in Senegal. • Entrepreneurs Without Borders (OZG) is 3.4 Civil society implementing agroforestry projects in Senegal. Local and international NGOs working on land • World Vision has committed with ministries and restoration, climate change and land management national networks to institutionalise ANR and include: other sustainable land use practices. • The Organisme National de Coordination des • The Association for the Promotion of Agroforestry Activités de Vacances which accounts for more and Forestry (APAF) is a peasant organisation than 7 600 sports and cultural associations. that supports the application of agroforestry • Fabrimétal has developed a tree nursery near techniques. its factory, from which it provides saplings free • Reforest’Action plants trees to restore soils of change in support of reforestation, as well as depleted by decades of groundnut cultivation. sponsoring the the Tolou Keur (“circular gardens) Planted by and for the local farmers, the trees of Belvédère.3 protect their fields and secure their crops. • IUCN is a membership union uniquely • WeForest is a Belgium NGO which supports composed of both government and civil society local governance frameworks in the GGW organisations. It has recently called for bringing project areas. In Senegal, Weforest is involved back the focus on the wetlands and water issues in rehabilitating mangroves. It was involved in within the GGW. A biodiversity status assessment a reforestation project of 1 000 ha in the silvo- of the GGW was undertaken in 2017 “Biodiversity pastoral zone of Ferlo, a three-year pilot project and the GGW: Managing nature for sustainable with a view to scaling up over 10 years (Neyra, development in the Sahel”. personal communication, 2022). • Oxfam is involved in the Regreening Africa project and support small scale agricultural projects in NATIONAL NGOS Senegal. • • The “Sukyo Mahikari” association has been CARE is involved in the Regreening Africa project. working alongside the Forestry Service on a • Catholic Relief Services are involved in the voluntary basis on large-scale actions, notably Regreening Africa project. through group of young people from different countries in Europe, America, Asia and Africa, • The Pierre Rabhi Endowment fund supports to participate in the building of the GGW associations with agroecological work in Senegal. programme (GGW Action Plan 2011). • SOS SAHEL is a French NGO currently active in 11 • University Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar (UCAD) countries in the Sahel, from Senegal to Djibouti. has been involved in GGW activities through It helps rural communities in sub-Saharan Africa reforestation activities, as well as providing to guarantee their food security and nutritional medical care and literacy training, in particular quality in a sustainable manner that respects their to women’s groups and youth associations, as environment. The NGO has been actively involved a contribution to the building of the GGW by in the GGW. It has taken part in identifying GGW students and teachers with the support of the champions and has, together with the 1t.org competent services (GGW Action Plan 2011). platform4, which is hosted by the World Economic Forum, formed a partnership to support the GGW. • Union Nationale des Exploitants Forestiers This initiative is focused on encouraging the du Sénégal (National Union of Forest Users) establishment of partnerships around landscape (UNCEFS), has also been active in the field restoration, supporting and strengthening the assisting the GGW. visibility of Sahelian eco-preneurs, and attracting investment for restoration in the Sahel. 3. http://www.burkinadoc.milecole.org/agroecologie-afrique/agroecologie-senegal/article-reforestation-et-grande-muraille-verte-asergmv/ 4. 1t.org platform was created as part of the UN Decade of Ecosystem Restoration, with the goal of conserving, restoring and planting 1,000 billion trees by 2030, with a particular focus on the Sahel and the GGW. 1t.org particularly supports eco-entrepreneurship by highlighting innovative and promising solutions and helping them to grow through UpLink Trillion Trees challenges and accelerator programmes. 22 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL • Centre d’Étude, de Recherche et de Formation en Langues Africaines (CERFLA) is a grassroots development organisation which has been working with CNRS. Its intervention areas include organisational development, social transformation, community health, resource governance, local economy (milk, market gardening, fattening, etc.), pastoralism, water and land security, and resilience to climate change. CERFLA implemented the project Strengthening Local Institutional and Technical Capacities to Intervene in the Governance of Pastoral Resources (with financial support from USAID), implemented in Ranérou-Ferlo from 2018 to 2021, which forms part of the GGW intervention area (Balde Loum, pers. com 2022). • Green Sedhiou is a local development association for the protection and preservation of the environment. Its vision is to rehabilitate the vegetation cover of Sedhiou via reforestation of one million plants by 2030. It is involved in restoration of mangroves along the Casamance River and the Soungouroungou River (outside GGW area). • Conseil des Volontaires Communautaires pour le Développement au Sahel is a civil society organisation involved in pastoral counselling, economic animation for development, resilient non-formal education. • Agrécole Afrique uses an approach based on agroecology, on the social economy of solidarity and the development of innovations to help the population in a situation of poverty to become aware of this situation of vulnerability, to organize and mobilize themselves to better produce while respecting the environment, the earth and the health of people and animals, all in a participatory and responsible management. • ENDA Pronat is a preeminent NGO in Senegal. It is a member of the international network Enda Tiers Monde, of the Senegalese National Federation for Organic Agriculture (FENAB) and leads the Avaclim research in Senegal. ENDA Pronat sits on the Cadre de Réflexion et d’Action sur le Foncier au Sénégal (land tenure think tank in Senegal - CRAFS), the multistakeholder task force for the promotion of agroecology in Senegal (TaFAé), and the national Alliance for Agroecology in West Africa (3AO) steering committee. The NGO is secretary of the Dynamique National pour la Transition Agroécologique au Sénégal (DyTAES), focal point of the Coalition for the Protection of African Genetic Heritage (COPAGEN) at the national level and also of the sub-regional and international networks COPAGEN, and participates in the Alliance for Food Sovereignty in Africa (AFSA). Photo: ©Kelvin Trautman | Regreening Africa COUNTRY REVIEW 23 • The National Partnership for Senegal’s Water Among these farmers’ associations in the GGW area (Partenariat National de l’Eau du Sénégal - PNES) are ADIT, EGAB, ADENA (Association for Livestock is an association working in the field of integrated Development in Senegal). water resource management. CNCR have worked extensively with the Union des • The Platform of European NGOs in Senegal is producteurs agricoles du Québec (UPADI) in the a network of NGOs that was formed with the context of various projects that seek to promote a objective of creating synergies and establishing community-based natural resource management new partnerships. It aims to strengthen the approach to GGW projects. Engagement with the effectiveness of the participation of its members GGW Agency has been limited until recently, but in the economic, social and cultural development collaboration has increased in the context of a of Senegal. It seeks to promote dialogue between project shaping community-based natural resource the different civil society actors in Senegal. management and soil health that forms part of the FAO’s Strengthening Agricultural Adaptation project (SAGA) (Ka & Thierno Cissé, personal 3.5 Private sector communication). Total Energies Foundation has in 2018 partnered with In 2014 CNCR launched the National Family Farming the Téssékéré International Human and Environment Observatory and in 2015 it drove the launch of the Observatory, which is working in Senegal to promote National Observatory for Land Tenure Governance in the sharing of experiences between states and raise collaboration with the Task Force for the Promotion awareness of the project among local communities. of Agroecology in Senegal (Cadre de Réflexion et d’Action de la société civile sur le Foncier au Sénégal The Jokalante platform combines feedback - CRAFS). mechanisms, IVR systems, voice services, SMS, social media and data collection tools. Through local community radios, a dynamic web platform and SLM/LAND NEUTRALITY MULTI-STAKEHOLDER dedicated agents, Jokalante creates linkages with PLATFORMS the rural population. Jokalante works with ANACIM Key platforms include: (a climate information institution) to scale the distribution of this information. • A national SLM committee which is responsible for 1) refining the main land restoration guidelines MLouma is a company specialized in the digitalization defined by the CNIS/GDT, 2) adopting the of agriculture; with the support of several partners annual SLM work plan, budgets, and ensuring (ICCO, USAID, UNCDF, ICRISAT, ANACIM, ORANGE, the coordination, monitoring, and evaluation of OCP, MEDA), mLouma has in recent years developed the different actions. The committee is supported a range of tools that address the problems of by a multi-sectoral executive secretariat, and producers based on specifications developed by an operational unit for technical support and international organisations. monitoring of the CNIS/GDT. The focal point of the Rio Convention on Desertification leads the national SLM committee. 3.6 Networks and alliances • The national land degradation neutrality (LDN) FARMER NETWORKS working group is a subgroup of the steering committee (the federated group from the Action Conseil National de Concertation et de Coopération Programme Against Desertification and the SLM des Ruraux (CNCR) (National Consultation and working group - PAN/LCD/GDT) that oversee Cooperation Framework with Rural Communities) the alignment of the Action Programme Against is a seminal partner for the GGW, especially Desertification (PAN/LCD) with the CNIS/GDT in light of the recurrent call for GGW initiatives development strategy and its integrated financial be developed from the ground. The CNCR is the strategy. representative of the Senegalese peasant movement. This network brings together different associations of farmers, fishermen, foresters, breeders, women’s organisations, and youth organiations; representing CLIMATE CHANGE NETWORKS IN SENEGAL 32 national peasant federations in all. In each federation there are hundreds of organisations; some The National Committee on Climate Change are structured by region or by association (there are (COMNACC) ensures the coherence of programmes 38 associations that cover specific localities). In the and projects with the national objectives related GGW intervention areas (silvo-pastoral zones), there to climate change. The Regional Climate Change are associations that are members of the Federation of Peasant Non-Governmental Organisations. 24 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL Committees (COMRECC) are created to be the NETWORKS FOCUSING ON THE representatives of the COMNACC in the regions. AGROECOLOGICAL TRANSITION They pursue the same mission as the national committee in the regions, i.e. information, awareness, Dynamique Nationale pour la Transition training, and facilitation in the design, financing, Agroécologique au Sénégal (DyTAES) is a network implementation, validation and monitoring of projects that brings together umbrella organisations of in the regions. producers, consumers, NGOs and Senegalese and international research institutions, Senegalese and The pluri-disciplinary working groups (GTP) set up West African civil society organisations, and local by ANACIM at the department level gather all relevant elected officials. It plays a key role in fostering a sectors concerned with the preparedness and transition towards agroecology. monitoring of the winter cropping season to guide farmers with their decision-making (ClimBer, 2022). Task force multi-acteurs pour la promotion de l’agroécologie au Sénégal (Multi-stakeholder Task Force for the Promotion of Agroecology in Senegal - TaFAé) promotes agroecology in Senegal. LAND GOVERNANCE Alliance for Agroecology in West Africa (3AO) – The National Platform on DV (Directives volontaires) Senegal is part of 3AO, an IPES Food-supported and Land Governance (COPIL DV/GF) ensures coordination and information platform composed dialogue on land governance, the development of of farmers’ organisations, research institutes, national consensus, the preparation of action plans international NGOs and social movements. It aims for the implementation of the Voluntary Guidelines, to promote and support an agroecological transition and the monitoring and evaluation of land in West Africa to ensure resilient, sustainable governance in Senegal. livelihoods adapted to local agricultural challenges. It Cadre de Réflexion et d’Action sur le Foncier au seeks to facilitate intersectoral cooperation through a Sénégal (CRAFS) is a land tenure think tank in series of concrete and concerted actions in favour of Senegal. agroecology, while providing greater visibility to the agroecological movement in West Africa. 3.7 Summary of stakeholders linked (or potentially linked) to the GGW in Senegal Table 2. Summary of stakeholders linked (or potentially linked) to the GGW in Senegal Stakeholder Stakeholder & Contact Specific role of the Role of Category Person Role stakeholder related to stakeholder linked Phone, Email, Website, Address GGW to GGW Gov. agency Agence Sénégalaise de la ASERGMV operates under Meeting its GGW target Primary stakeholder Reforestation et de la Grande the technical supervision enhanced resource in charge of GGW. Muraille Verte (ASERGMV) of the Forestry Ministry and mobilisation, improved Oumar Abdoulaye Ba (Director the financial supervision of coordination and General of ASERGMV) the Finance Ministry and is information sharing, responsible for the management monitoring of initiatives. of the GGW; the management of Director of GGW, Colonel Gora Ecovillages; the management of Diop Reforestation. Gov. agency Ministry of Environment and Ensures the coordination of Resource mobilisation, Assists the agency Sustainable Development activities on climate change developing national in the planification (MEDD) and accompanies the sectoral funded project of the activities and Relevant directorates other ministries in the planning of focusing on GGW, the formulation of than DEFCCS (see below) actions and monitoring and capacity development some indicators. include: evaluation. Certain rangelands to develop bankable are in protected areas which projects, greater Direction de la planification - are under MEDD supervision; project coordination, M. Boucar Ndiaye responsible for the preservation knowledge of what Direction de l’Environnement of natural resources (firefighting, other stakeholders are et des Etablissements Classés etc.). It is the lead ministry doing in terms of SLM in (DEEC) - Baba Dramé supporting the work of the the GGW area. Direction des Parcs Nationaux GGW. (DPN) - Bocar THIAM COUNTRY REVIEW 25 Stakeholder Stakeholder & Contact Specific role of the Role of Category Person Role stakeholder related to stakeholder linked Phone, Email, Website, Address GGW to GGW Gov. Directorate of Water, Forests, Helps implement GGW activities Assume secretarial department Hunting, and Soil Conservation on the ground. This implies services – key (DEFCCS) (MEDD) working within the 7 poles partner in Baidy BA established with the 7000 identifying funding young people recruited by the for GGW projects. agency, who are in fact under the supervision of the water and forestry agents. In addition to this workforce, there are 2000 water and forestry agents. Gov. Ministry of Agriculture and Develops, coordinates and Enhanced/dedicated Direct department food sovereignty implements agricultural policy resources to support implementation at the national level. The MAER’s GGW implementation. support. Enhanced/ involvement with the GGW is more streamlined. key – involved in the planning of food gardens, availability of water, sinking of boreholes. Gov. Ministry of Animal Husbandry Develops, coordinates and Receiving some Direct department and Production implements the national resource allocation implementation livestock development policy. from the GGW projects support. Enhanced/ The Directorate of Livestock to supplement its own more streamlined. addresses the role of livestock Operational budget, as in forest degradation and its staff and resources capitalizes on the economic are being used by GGW importance of grazing resources projects over and above in forest management. its own site work. Gov. The Ministry of Finance and Signs all bilateral and multilateral Funding to Agency. department Budget financing agreements granted Laity René Pierre Ndiaye to Senegal in all areas, including climate change. It supports fiscal decentralization efforts, both by law, and also through local funding via rural tax collection and other revenue generation efforts. Gov. entity/ Centre de Suivi Ecologique The CSE provides information Inclusion in the GGW Many areas of Research (CSE) for decision-making, Alliance. synergies possible Cheik Mbow particularly in the management setting up a Climate of natural disasters, and Reference Bureau has developed expertise that aims at building in as coastal management, the capacities of monitoring of rangelands, territorial authorities bushfires and agricultural (communes and production, vulnerability and departments) to adaptation studies to climate integrate climate change, carbon sequestration, change in their local long-term monitoring of development plans ecosystems, economic and support the valuation of ecosystem services, elaboration of Local environment-health issues, climate adaptation etc. It has been accredited as plans (PLAC). a National Implementing Entity (NIE) by the Adaptation Fund Relevant research since 2010 and by the Green partner. Climate Fund (GCF) in 2015. 26 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL Stakeholder Stakeholder & Contact Specific role of the Role of Category Person Role stakeholder related to stakeholder linked Phone, Email, Website, Address GGW to GGW Gov. entity Institut Sénégalais de ISRA conducts basic and Inclusion in the GGW ISRA has been Recherches Agricoles (ISRA) applied research. Its strategic Alliance. involved in Diaminatou Sanogo scientific axes are: research essentially 1. Promotion of efficient, through the Pôle resilient, competitive and Pastoralisme et ISRA Divisions include: sustainable production Zones Sèches” • The National Forestry systems. (PPZS) research Research Center (CNRF), partnership (see which is involved in GGW 2. Transformation of agriculture below). related research. and sustainable support • Tamsir MBAYE (Director) to family farms and agro- • The Bureau of industries. Macroeconomic Analysis, 3. Watch, prospective and Social Engineering, is also valorization. involved in GGW-related 4. Capacity building and research partnership consolidation. • National Laboratory of Research on Crop Production • National Research Laboratory on Animal Production • National research laboratory on fisheries production Gov. entity / Soil Science Institute (INP) The INP is in charge of Uptake of research on The INP is involved research (within the Ministry of identifying the degraded soils, soil degradation by in research on soil Agriculture) of proceeding to their diagnosis partners, alignment of salinity and will Samba Sow and finally, of providing initiatives. be developing a remedies in the form of database of all forms amendment or promotion of best of soil degradation. practices for SLM. It is equipped This focus on soil with a central laboratory and degradation is routine laboratories in charge of relevant to the conducting analyses (soil, water, GGW. fertilizers) to meet the needs of producers for all crops. Gov. entity National Agricultural and Rural Its mission is to manage Not known Can assist through (local gov.) Advisory Agency (ANCAR) agricultural and rural advisory experience working services throughout Senegal. with POs through It develops a decentralized a participatory agricultural advisory system, approach. working for the POs through a participatory approach based on partnership and based on the demand of the producers. ANCAR was established through a World Bank project. It has set up the Agricultural Services and Digital Inclusion in Africa (Saida) platform. Gov. entity Agency for National Statistics Centralizes and disseminates Not known Contribute to (local gov.) & Demographics (ANSD) summaries of statistical data data as part of the produced by the entire national M&E system for statistical system. The Agency is the GGW through also responsible for monitoring decentralised international technical structures. cooperation in statistics. In this capacity, it represents Senegal May undertake, at in subregional, regional and the request of the international meetings relating government and to matters within its competence public and private and monitors the activities of administrations, international organisations in the studies and research field of statistics. on statistical, economic and social issues. COUNTRY REVIEW 27 Stakeholder Stakeholder & Contact Specific role of the Role of Category Person Role stakeholder related to stakeholder linked Phone, Email, Website, Address GGW to GGW Gov. entity National Food Security Council Gives orientations in order To be involved in GGW Identify synergy (CNSA) to inform all decisions in the to foster synergy and and ensure field of food security and ensure complementarity complementarity resilience, to facilitate the between actors involved in the fields of monitoring and evaluation of in the implementation food security the implementation of food of food security and and resilience, security and resilience policies resilience projects and access to funding and programmes, to participate programmes. opportunities. in the mobilization of financial resources for the national food security and resilience system; to facilitate consultation and complementarity. Gov. entity The Association of Mayors of Plays a role in training municipal Not known. The management of (local gov.) Senegal (AMS) councils on knowing policy natural resources is frameworks (especially around the responsibility decentralisation functions. Land of the mayors; tenure) and on knowing their municipal councilors rights as local representatives through the various and the means by which they commissions, can defend, exercise and including the State develop these rights. Commission. Gov. entity Local authorities Local authorities are the Being involved in co- As they are (local gov.) custodians of local land design. responsible for Partnership agreement to management and access to local development support implementation resources (tenure, land use, planning, they were signed with cities etc.). equipped with legal (such as: Diokoul Diawrigne tools adapted to (Louga Region), Tivaouane Institutionalizing rural this responsibility. (Thiès Region), Ziguinchor participation in national policy Their involvement (Casamance), Golmy commitments; helps form is critical for the (Tambacounda Region) federations of elected local elaboration of authorities and enable public local development forums to debate national plans. Can play a policies that affect rural role in training rural populations. Plays a role in populations on developing models of natural their rights and the resource development and roles and powers management that can sustain of their elected investment in the sector. representatives. Programme Programmeme for the Inclusive Partner of the ANGMV for the Resources to pursue On site and Sustainable Development realization of land restoration restoration activities. implementation of of Agriculture in Senegal activities (nurseries, tree restoration. (PDIDAS) planting, Capacity building of actors). Local ONCAV (Organisme National Partner of the ANGMV for the Resources to pursue On site organisation de Coordination des Activités realization of land restoration restoration activities. implementation of de Vacances) which counts activities. restoration. more than 7600 Sports and Cultural Associations in Senegal NGO Fabrimétal Partner of the ANGMV for the Resources to pursue On site realization of land restoration nursery/tree planting implementation of activities and developed a tree activities. restoration. nursery. Local Sukyo Mahikari Has been working alongside the Resources to pursue Participation in association forestry service on a voluntary restoration activities. the building of the basis on large-scale actions. GGW programme. 28 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL Stakeholder Stakeholder & Contact Specific role of the Role of Category Person Role stakeholder related to stakeholder linked Phone, Email, Website, Address GGW to GGW NGO National Union of Forest Users Has been active in the field Resources to pursue Participation in (UNCEFS) assisting the GGW. restoration activities. the building of the GGW programme. NGO Agrécole Afrique Promotes the adoption of On site Assane Gueye agroecology. implementation of restoration based on agroecology, organisation of communities. NGO ENDA Pronat Member of the international Agroecology integration NGO with network Enda Tiers Monde, in GGW practices. significant local of the Senegalese National and international Federation for Organic clout – can leverage Agriculture (FENAB) and leads off existing projects the Avaclim research in Senegal to amplify work of sits on the (Land tenure thinking GGW. and action tank in Senegal (CRAFS), on the multi-actors Task force for the promotion of agroecology in Senegal secretary of the Dynamique National pour la Transition Agroécologique au Sénégal (DyTAES), focal point of the Coalition for the Protection of African Genetic Heritage (COPAGEN). NGO National partnership for Working in the field of integrated Not known. On site Senegal’s water association water resource management. implementation of restoration incorporating integrated water resource management. (Potential for involvement in GGW unknown). Private Total Energies Foundation Partnered with the Téssékéré Not known. Funding. International Human and Environment Observatory . Private The Jokalante platform Specialises in data collection Business opportunities. Outreach to rural tools. Through local community populations, radios, a dynamic web platform dissemination of and dedicated agents, good practice, creates linkages with the rural dissemination of populations. research findings Private MLouma range of tools that A company specialized in the Business opportunities. Can assist with address the real problems digitalization of agriculture. range of tools of producers based on that address the specifications developed by real problems of international organisations with producers based on an inclusive approach. specifications by GGW. INGO Elevage Sans Frontières Has supported several livestock Resources to pursue On site projects in Senegal. livestock management implementation of activities. restoration. COUNTRY REVIEW 29 Stakeholder Stakeholder & Contact Specific role of the Role of Category Person Role stakeholder related to stakeholder linked Phone, Email, Website, Address GGW to GGW INGO Promotion of Agroforestry and A peasant organisation Resources to pursue On site diffusion Forestry (APAF) recognized by the State of restoration activities. of agroforestry Senegal promoting agroforestry techniques. techniques. INGO Reforest’Action Plants trees in agroforestry Resources to pursue On site diffusion initiatives. restoration activities. of agroforestry techniques. INGO WeForest Partners with the PPSZ in To be part of the On site diffusion researching social dynamics Alliance. of agro-forestry and setting up local governance techniques. frameworks in the GGW project areas. INGO CorpsAfrica Partner of the ANGMV for the Not known. Availing volunteers realization of land restoration to project sites. activities - has placed 20 volunteers in 10 regions for Tolou Keur and with Fabrimétal in Dakar. Network National consultation and This network brings together Inclusion in GGW Works in projects cooperation framework with different associations of farmers, Alliance. that seek to promote the rural people fishermen, foresters, breeders, a community-based women’s organisations, the natural resource youth college, 32 national management peasant federations in all. approach to GGW projects. In each federation there are hundreds of organisations; Best placed some are structured by region organisation to or by association (there are 38 make linkages with associations that cover specific farmer sat ground localities). level and ensure participatory It launched the National family approach to GGW farming Observatory and in activities. 2015 it drove the launch of the National Observatory for land tenure. Network Professional agricultural These include cooperatives, Being included in Enhanced, organisations associations, unions, co-design, to have participatory, federations, confederations, farmers benefit GGW, sustained foundations and foundations and knowledge shared. implementation unions. of GGW and lasting legacy. The The CNOP and its member success of the GWI organisations, FENAFER, essentially rests FENAJER, AOPP (at the national on producers as and regional levels) feature the contributors among the key professional to restoration and agricultural organisations. the gate keepers of restored areas. Working Multidisciplinary working The GTPs set up by ANACIM Expansion and use of The activities of group groups (GTP) at the department level gather the network to benefit the GTPs are being all relevant sectors concerned farmers on the ground. expanded and they by the preparedness and are not in all regions monitoring of the winter of the country – a cropping season to guide good entry point farmers with their decision- to engage with making. farmers. 30 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL Stakeholder Stakeholder & Contact Specific role of the Role of Category Person Role stakeholder related to stakeholder linked Phone, Email, Website, Address GGW to GGW Climate National Committee on Climate National platform set up by Cohesion/alignment The Regional change Change (COMNACC) Presidential decree and in of initiatives related Climate Change Platform charge of the coordination, to climate change Committees consultation, training, mitigation/adaptation. (COMRECC) are awareness-raising, management Integration of CC created to be and monitoring body for the project into M&E system the relays of the various activities identified . COMNACC in the in the framework of the regions. implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and its additional legal instruments. It ensures the coherence of programmes and projects with the national objectives related to climate change, at the level of mitigation. Land National Platform on DV and Ensures dialogue on land Application of provisions Platform aimed at governance Land Governance (COPIL DV/ governance, the development in decentralisation law. addressing land platform GF) of national consensus, the tenure issues can be preparation of action plans leveraged by GGW for the implementation of the to address localised Voluntary Guidelines, and the land tenure in the monitoring and evaluation of context of projects land governance in Senegal. being implemented. Think tank Land tenure thinking and action CRAFS in 2017 called onto the Application of provisions As above tank in Senegal (CRAFS) President to finalise the land in decentralisation law. reform process. Task force Multi-actors Task force for the A group of actors, born from a Greater uptake of Platform can be promotion of agroecology in desire to think and act together agroecology. used to engage Senegal) (TaFAé) between farmers’ organisations, actors to promote/ researchers, NGOs, institutions learn about in order to promote agroecology agroecology fr GGW in Senegal. projects. Network Dynamique Nationale pour la Network that brings together Greater uptake of It plays a key role Transition Agroécologique au umbrella organisations of agroecology. in fostering a Sénégal (DyTAES) producers, consumers, transition towards NGOs and Senegalese agroecology. A and international research good platform to institutions, networks of engage on how to Senegalese and West African deepen agroecology civil society organisations, uptake in context of a network of local elected GGW. officials. Regional National framework of the Coordination and information Greater uptake of It seeks to facilitate network Alliance for Agroecology in platform composed of farmers’ agroe-cology. inter-sectoral West Africa (3AO) organisations, research cooperation through institutes/universities, a series of concrete international NGOs and social and concerted movements. It aims to promote actions in favour and support an agroecological of agroecology, transition in West Africa. while providing greater visibility to the agroecological movement in West Africa. Financial Green Climate Fund (GCF) Funds a number of regional Direct support to GGW Funding. & strategic projects of which Senegal projects. partner is part, such as the Africa Integrated Climate Risk Management Programme, Inclusive Green Financing Initiative (IGREENFIN I), both projects focusing on the GGW. COUNTRY REVIEW 31 Stakeholder Stakeholder & Contact Specific role of the Role of Category Person Role stakeholder related to stakeholder linked Phone, Email, Website, Address GGW to GGW Financial Global Environment Fund (GEF) GEF funds multiple SLM and Direct support to GGW Funding. partner climate resilience projects projects. including. Financial European Investment bank Funds several environmental Status of support/ Has been earmarked institution projects in Senegal. interest in GGW to fund projects for unknown. the GGW . Financial African Development Bank In 2021 pledged US$6.5 billion Direct support to the Consultations were partner (ADB) in sup-port of the GGW. GGW. held within the framework of the support project for the implementation of the GGW on the initiative of the ADB (pillar III of the transition support facility). Financial World Bank World Bank’s IDA is the main Vision for the Sahel: Funding - In 2021 & strategic funder of the livestock climate mobilize financial the World Bank partner finance in Senegal. It finances resources to protect announced it would activities of the Regional a fragile environment, invest US$5 billion Support Project for Pastoralism and help the to help restore in the Sahel to mitigate and countries restore the African dry-lands. adapt to climate change living conditions of through sustainable landscape populations, particularly management, improved animal live-stock herders. health and veterinary drug control, improved livestock value chains. Financial West African Development Was earmarked to fund projects Direct investment in Funding. partner Bank (BOAD) for the GGW (discussion held in GGW. 2022). Will fund the "100 million trees" project 2024 and 2034 (cover the GGW area). Financial European Union Supports several land Fostering an agro- Funding. & strategic restoration, agro-ecologically ecological transition in partner focused projects. the Sahel. Financial Canadian (Quebec) Union Has been working with the SLM Funding & technical & strategic des producteurs agricoles du CNCR on SLM projects country supports involved partner Québec (UPADI) wide. with on some SLM project in GGW. Financial French Development Agency Supporting regional projects Agroecological Funding – & strategic (AFD) focused on the agroecological transition. enhancing AE partner transition, resolving dimension of Hélène Julien transboundary issues in the projects. context of the GGW. + funds "Programmeme d'Appui à la Transition Agroécologique" (PATAE). The French Development Agency puts itself forward as a key strategic partner of the GGW Accelerator. Financial USAID Funds the Feed the Future Not known. Not known. & strategic Senegal Agricultural Policy and partner Reform Support Project (PSS). 32 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL Stakeholder Stakeholder & Contact Specific role of the Role of Category Person Role stakeholder related to stakeholder linked Phone, Email, Website, Address GGW to GGW Financial GIZ – (funding from German Supports land tenure security Not known. Not known. & strategic Federal Ministry for Economic among the rural population and partner Cooperation and Development is very involved with developing (BMZ). a sustainable electricity supply, through the deployment of renewable energy and the promotion of energy efficiency measures to reach progressive decarbonisation involved in Regreening Africa. INGO IUCN Undertook a biodiversity status Involvement in GGW Ongoing monitoring of the GGW “Biodiversity and Alliance. of and update of the GGW: managing nature for Focus on biodiversity. biodiversity status sustainable development in the of GGW. Sahel” (2017). Multilateral CIFOR-ICRAF Data Science and Applied Involvement in GGW CIFOR-ICRAF partner Catherine Dembele Learning Lab at World Alliance, inclusion can play a further CGIAR Agroforestry unit has of Regreening Africa role in reinforcing spearheaded the development of activities as part of the investments in the the Regreening App. GGW achievements. practice of ANR (NGOs, projects), of the parcels set aside and of the land under local conventions and promoting POAs. Multilateral Alliance for Bioversity Focal point for ClimBeR in Involvement in GGW The Governance 4 partner M. Issa Ouedraogo Senegal: Alliance, potential Resilience, (G4R) CGIAR 1. Risk management in inclusion of GGW in project focus on agriculture and development next ClimBer cycle. climate resilience of digital agri-advisories offers possible strong co-benefits 2. Climate security to the GGW and 3. Policy in discussing with 4. Multi-scale Governance. Mr Ouedraogo, possible linkages between ClimBer and the GGW were explored. Multilateral International Livestock research Drives CGIAR Initiative on Involvement in GGW Focus of LAC partner Institute (ILRI) Livestock and Climate (LAC) Alliance, potential is relevant to CGIAR - working with public and inclusion of GGW in GGW (Improving private actors to identify existing project activities. local capacities, solutions and to co-create and developing digital deliver innovations that help services Improving producers, businesses and the enabling policy governments adapt livestock environment). agri-food systems to climate change and reduce GHG. Also leader of AICCRA-Senegal, which builds on existing scientific and educational networks in Senegal and across West Africa to enhance the capacity of public institutions and private enterprise to deliver climate information services and climate-smart agriculture along value chains vital to the Senegalese economy. COUNTRY REVIEW 33 Stakeholder Stakeholder & Contact Specific role of the Role of Category Person Role stakeholder related to stakeholder linked Phone, Email, Website, Address GGW to GGW Multilateral UNDP Supports the Government Direct support to GGW, GGW project partner with mainstreaming Climate technical support. funding – technical change into local planning of assistance with local municipalities. UNDP developing plans has reportedly played a part in that facilitate the reshaping Senegal’s approach strengthening of to the GGW with an « integrated their governance approach. for participatory management of the environment. Multilateral UNEP The GEF, through UNEP, has Being part of GGW GGW project partner committed to supporting the Alliance. funding. APGMV Member States in Direct support to GGW, establishing their baseline technical support. situation. Multilateral IFAD Involved in several programmes Being part of GGW GGW project partner Liza Leclerc related to climate change Alliance. funding. resilience and agricultural development. Multilateral FAO Provides technical support to Being part of GGW Funding has been partner Patrice Savadogo the Agency and offered training Alliance. solicited to fund on accessing funds from the a resilience focus GGF Direct support to GGW, project in the GGW technical support. perimeter (status unknown). Multilateral WFP Implementing agency of the Being part of GGW Not known. partner Building the climate resilience Alliance. of food insecure smallholder farmers through integrated Food security focus. management of climate risk (R4). INGOs World Vision All organisations are involved in Inclusion in GGW Implementation Oxfam the Regreening Africa project. platform, recognitions support. Enhanced of its projects as being surface area under CARE World Vision has committed with part of the GGW. SLM for the GGW. Catholic Relief Services ministries and national networks to institutionalise ANR and other Support with sustainable land use practices. institutionalising ANR. INGO SOS Sahel The NGO has been actively Inclusion in GGW Implementation Jean-Marc Garreau involved in the GGW, having platform, recognitions support. taken part in identifying GGW of its projects as being champions and has together part of the GGW. Enhanced surface with the 1t.org platform. area under SLM for SOS Sahel has also signed a the GGW. partnership agreement with the Pan-African Agency for Food Security to strengthen collaboration between governments & CSOs. It also runs the GGW partners’ platform. Private Moroccan Office Cherifien des Features among key partners to Business opportunities Not known. sector Phosphates (OCO) the agency – modern equipment and philanthropic to improve planting was interventions. sourced from the OCP (cross check with agency) maybe with support from the Mohammed VI Foundation accompanies the agency. Through this partnership, they have acquired new technologies such a solar powered shovel tractor to plant trees. 34 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL 4 Land restoration and climate change initiatives 4.1 Land degradation, land neutrality The Emergency Community Development Programme and land restoration (PUDC) (2015-2018) was a UNDP-implemented national programme, focusing especially on the Ferlo Although not always strictly located within the GGW area of the GGW, which entailed the construction intervention zones, a number of transboundary of tracks and support for agricultural development, programmes and projects exist to support the including the diversification of activity systems. implementation of the GGW initiative at the regional level. The GGW in Senegal overlaps with a number of The Combating Desertification by Supporting these global and regional restoration initiatives. Pastoralism in the Ferlo project (2016-2020) was In as much as an attempt was made here to classify funded and implemented by the French Fund for projects according to a main theme, the reality is the Global Environment and French Development that many projects linked to the GGW have a multi- Agency. This project aimed to improve the sectoral focus. management of pastoral resources in the Ferlo region and in the Senegal River Valley, and to fight Projects explicitly linked to the GGW against desertification through the provision of (completed): services (animal health, environmental information), the creation of infrastructure, and support for The TerrAfrica Partnership is a coalition-based pastoralists. partnership created in 2005 by the World Bank. TerrAfrica was established to combat land The Inclusive and Sustainable Development Project degradation by increasing the scale, efficiency, and for Agribusiness in Senegal (PDIDAS) (2014-2021) effectiveness of investments in SLM. The programme was implemented by the Ministry of Agriculture. has provided US$1 billion in development funding Through this project equipment was funded with – including US$150 million from GEF and US$580 a loan from the World Bank to the tune of US$80 million from the International Development million. This financing targeted medium and small Association. NEPAD-AUDA is the Secretary to this producers, salaried workers and small independent partnership. farmers in the GGW zone with the aim of improving the uptake of agricultural technologies, secure land The Action Against Desertification Programme (2014 tenure rights, and to restore forests. – 2019), funded by the EU and FAO, targets the GGW intervention area and focuses on the creation The Sahel and West Africa Programme in the Support of reforestation plots, the restoration of land using of the GGW Initiative (SAWAP) (2012-2019) was anti-erosion techniques and the development of a programmatic approach developed by the World market gardening plots through to the creation of Bank using US$100 million of GEF resources on the small hydraulic installations. top of US$1.2 billion IDA resources for 12 Sahelian countries, including Senegal and Mali. A review of The Local Environmental Coalition for a Green Union the project concluded that they have surpassed their Front (FLEUVE) (2014–2018) was implemented by initial cumulative targets establishing 1.6 million ha UNCCD and financed by the European Commission. of sustainable land and water management practices FLEUVE targeted the GGW intervention area in across the 12 countries, with success stories Senegal and four other GGW countries and aimed particularly in Ethiopia, Niger, Nigeria, and Sudan. to strengthen the capacities of local communities to The positive effect of the SAWAP was demonstrated help boost investments in land restoration and create for rangelands in Senegal (where the programme employment opportunities through green jobs. It was focused on the development of inclusive commercial co-implemented by CARI and members of ReSaD, agriculture and SLM practices in project areas. RADDO and Drynet. COUNTRY REVIEW 35 Current projects which are explicitly linked to the GGW: Scaling-Up Resilience in Africa’s GGW (SURAGGWA) (2021- 2030): implemented by a regional coordinating body (FAO with the Pan- African Agency of the GGW) and specialised regional and national agencies and NGOs. Working in Burkina Faso, Chad, Djibouti, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Nigeria, Senegal, SURRAGWA aims to remove barriers to heightened resilience and greater mitigation in these countries through: 1. scaling-up of successful restoration practices with native species; 2. supporting the development of climate-resilient, low-emission value chains of non-timber forest products in support of vulnerable communities’ livelihoods, and 3. strengthening the GGW’s regional and national institutions. The proposed project aims to restore 2 million ha of degraded drylands by 2030. The Building Resilience through Innovation Communication and Knowledge Services (BRICKS) project: This is a six-year regional knowledge and monitoring hub. This US$4.6 million project supported the SAWAP, as well as financing country operations and related partner-supported activities that together contribute to the regions and clients’ GGW priorities. The project aimed at improving accessibility of best practices and monitoring information within the SAWAP portfolio on SLM. The project contributed to improved ecosystem and people’s resilience and the countries’ efforts towards poverty reduction, food security and SLM. It established an M&E system for the SAWAP programme, which include indicators such as change in vegetation cover, change in carbon accumulation rates in biomass and soils, additional land brought under SLM, institutions with increased adaptive capacities to reduce risks and address climate change. Boosting Restoration, Income, Development, Generating Ecosystem Services (BRIDGES), a project that contributes to the GGW and will work in synergy with the Action Against Desertification project. In Senegal the FAO is supporting the consolidation of projects legacy of the AAD through this BRIDGES project. The GGW initiative Ten-Year Priority Investment Plan (2020 –2030) being rolled out in the GGW intervention area in Senegal and other GGW countries. The plan is 20% funded and implemented by states, local authorities and national private sector, with 80% accounted for by foreign direct investments and financing. The main expected Photo: ©Kelvin Trautman | Regreening Africa 36 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL results and impacts include land restoration and The Communities Regreen the Sahel (2018-2027) development; biodiversity conservation; integrated project, implemented in Burkina Faso, Niger and management of water resources; management of Senegal, focuses on supporting agricultural and climate and ecological impacts and risks; capacity fodder production through the introduction of trees building; resilient economic development and in livestock breeding and farming areas through ANR. security. The expected results are the restoration of 200 000 ha and an increase in agricultural production, food Harnessing the GGW for a Sustainable and Resilient security, biodiversity preservation and the incomes Sahel (implementation start in 2020), implemented of households involved in the regreening process. by UNEP Terrestrial Ecosystems Unit in collaboration The project is implemented by Enda Energy, in with National Great Green Wall Agencies, Pan- partnership with IED Afrique and DOB Ecology. African Agency of GGW, the UNCCD Global Mechanism, and the UNEP Africa Office. This project Inclusive Green Financing Initiative (IGREENFIN I): is funded by GEF. Greening Agricultural Banks and the Financial Sector to Foster Climate Resilient, Low Emission Smallholder The Africa Integrated Climate Risk Management Agriculture in the GGW Countries (Phase I). This Programme was announced in late 2021 as a US$143 cross-cutting programme, funded by the GCF, with million investment programme aimed at supporting a US$100 million investment, focuses on enhancing vulnerable Sahelian populations adapt to climate access to credit and technical assistance for local change, with a wide-reaching plan to restore farmers, farmers’ organisations, cooperatives and degraded land and provide CIS and agricultural micro- and small-scale enterprises. This will help insurance. The programme is funded by the GCF. It them implement climate-resilient and low-emission will operate in seven countries: Burkina Faso, Chad, agriculture and agroforestry. This programme covers The Gambia, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Senegal 11 countries in the GGW, in addition to Côte d’Ivoire (where it is implemented by the MEDD). Through and Ghana. this programme, IFAD will work with the African Development Bank, the World Food Programme and The Prevention of Conflict and Resilience of Cross- the African Risk Capacity Group to address climate- border Food Systems in Africa (PCR-SAT) is a €3 related agriculture risks. million project funded by the Minka Peace and Resilience Fund, launched in 2022. The project aims “Closing the gaps in the GGW,” a programme to sustainably strengthen the resilience of food implemented by IUCN and UNEP, and funded by GEF systems in communities in two cross-border areas in GGW 11 countries. One of the global objectives through collaborative management of the plant is to review and analyse the existing set of SLM protein potential of agro-silvo-pastoral resources indicators to improve policies and practices of SLM. and economic development initiatives. The aim is to prevent and mitigate conflicts linked to the Large-Scale Assessment of Land Degradation to anthropogenic and/or climatic impact on natural Guide Future Investments in SLM in the GGW resources by strengthening the resilience of food countries (2019 to 2024) funded by the GEF Trust systems through support for the plant protein sector, Fund to the tune of US$5.6 million, and executed thus also contributing to the implementation of the by CILSS / AGRHYMET through SERVIR West Africa Plant Protein Development Initiative launched at the Programme, with the goal of improving scientific 6th EU-AU Summit. The project will operate in the evidence supporting SLM in the GGW region. Mauritania-Senegal cross-border area, as well as the Intervening primarily in Burkina Faso, Ethiopia, Mali-Senegal cross-border area. Niger and Senegal, the project aims to assess tools and methodologies available to conduct Resilience and Intensive Reforestation Project for scientific assessment of the ecological impacts of the Safeguarding of Territories and Ecosystems in land degradation and SLM practices, as well as Senegal (RIPOSTES) (2021-2025), funded by the monitoring and knowledge management. The focus GEF and EU, with €6 million, is being implemented is on aiding the countries to use existing platforms by FAO, and is framed as the continuity of the Action and establish the coordinating mechanisms, build Against Desertification (AAD) programme. The technical capacities, and information dissemination project aims to reduce soil erosion in Senegal by strategies. Partners involved include the European 34-30% and to improve forest cover. The project will Space Agency (making available the EO4SD Climate cover the eco-geographic zones of the groundnut platform), the Sahara and Sahel Observatory (OSS), basin (Fatick and Kaffrine regions) and silvo-pastoral Lund University Centre for Sustainability Studies, regions (Louga and Matam). The project aims to National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the strengthen the adaptive capacities of communities Institut de Recherche pour le Dévelopement and the in the face of climate change and mitigate its effects European Space Agency (DHI/GRAS and SISTEMA). on land and ecosystems. ASERGMV is responsible for the project, which will create eco-villages and green cities. RIPOSTES seeks to capitalise on the COUNTRY REVIEW 37 knowledge acquired thus far with regards to the Restoration and Monitoring of Degraded Land implementation of the GGW. in the Groundnut Basin of the Saloum Delta, is a A project being carried out by the Observatoire $US970,000 project (2022-2024) funded by the Homme-Milieux de Tessékéré focuses on the India, Brazil and South Africa Facility for Poverty Ferlo populations in the GGW intervention area. and Hunger Alleviation (IBSA Fund), with the The funding of the foundation stems from the implementation support of UNESCO. The project’s Klorane Foundation, University Cheikh Anta Diop main objective is to restore degraded lands in the and the French Centre Nationale de la Recherche important World Heritage Site and Biosphere Reserve Scientifique (CNRS) and the Total Foundation. of Delta Saloum. The OHMT has been studying complexity of Sahel ecosystems. It has been working on the production and centralisation of data, carrying out individual Land Degradation Neutrality for Biodiversity or collective research projects (funding of theses, Conservation, Food Security and Resilient Livelihoods hosting of students, scientific publications); and in the Peanut Basin and Eastern Senegal, (2021- supported the organisation of an annual reforestation 2026), is a GEF-funded project (US$5 million) that camp. will be executed by the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Economy’s National Institute of Pedology (INP). The project will demonstrate the LDN approach in The ASERGMV entered into a partnership with the Peanut Basin and Eastern Senegal for biodiversity the Programme for the Inclusive and Sustainable conservation and delivery of ecosystem services to Development of Agriculture in Senegal (PDIDAS), achieving food security and livelihood resilience. The a project that intervenes in nine communes in the project will seek to create an enabling environment regions of Saint Louis and Louga and in 41 villages. for large-scale SLM dissemination and targets 12 000 A framework agreement was signed with PDIDAS for ha under reduced or reversed degradation. the following activities: • The demarcation and signposting of eight Increasing the Resilience of Ecosystems and classified forests in the region of Saint-Louis Communities through the Restoration of the in order to avoid any encroachment by the Productive Basis of Salinized Lands. This US$8 million populations and the agro-industrialists installed project (2020-2024), funded by the GCF, focuses on in the zone; strengthening the capacity to develop desalinisation and land management plans, raise awareness of the • The construction of three nurseries, two in the threat of salinisation, and improve knowledge by Saint-Louis region and one in the Louga region; creating maps and a real-time database of salinized • land. It includes activities to reduce the impacts of The production of 800 000 seedlings of about 10 salinisation, including the construction of small dams species; and artificial basins, large ponds, anti-salt works, • Capacity building of actors grouped in the and the use of drip irrigation. Biological measures Intervillages Association; will include reforestation, protection of soils against • erosion, mangrove restoration, promotion of bio- The establishment of 40 000 ha of land saline agriculture, and the use of natural phosphate, degradation defences; and manures, and composts to improve soil fertility. • The development of nine development and management plans. Regreening Africa (2017-2022) is a partnership between CARE International, Secours Catholique, Ecosystem-based adaptation for resilient natural GIZ, ICRAF, Oxfam, Sahel Eco and World Vision. resources and agro-pastoral communities in the The majority of funding comes from the EU, which Ferlo Biosphere Reserve and Plateau of Thies (2021- accounts US$21 million of a total US$24.7 million. 2026), is funded by GEF and implemented by UNDP. The main objective is to improve livelihoods and food The project aims to reach a total of 310 000 direct security and strengthen resilience of smallholder beneficiaries and support the direct restoration of farmers to climate change by restoring ecosystem forest and rangelands over 5 000 ha. The project services, including through agroforestry. It aims aims to ensure that 245 000 ha of land in the Wildlife to reverse land degradation on 1 million ha in Reserve of Ferlo Nord and the Wildlife Reserve of eight countries Africa. In Senegal, the project is Ferlo Sud, and the protected Forest of Thies will implemented by World Vision and ICRAF, where it be put under improved sustainable management to targets the adoption of regreening practices by at maintain adaptive ecosystem services in the context least 50 000 households on at least 100 000 ha of of climate change. The programme will also include land. a climate-resilient green infrastructure component (i.e., well-managed forests, natural earth berms, Initiative to Combat Desertification to Build weirs, basins). Resilience to Climate Change in the Sahel and Horn of Africa (IACD) (2016-2022). Supported by the UNCCD and the Japanese International 38 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL Photo: ©Kelvin Trautman | Regreening Africa Cooperation Agency, IACD aims to make countries Scaling up Climate Ambition on Land Use and and communities resilient to climate change by Agriculture through Nationally Determined promoting measures to combat desertification Contributions and National Adaptation Plans and to draw international attention to the issue. It (SCALA). Senegal is one of 12 countries where the covers seven countries in the Sahel (Burkina Faso, FAO-supported SCALA project will be implemented, Cameroon, Chad, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and working with the Ministry of Environment and Nigeria) and seven countries in the Horn of Africa Sustainable Development and the Ministry of (Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, Somalia and Agriculture. It is to be implemented with the Sudan). To achieve its ambitions, the IACD plans technical support of UNDP and the FAO, by drawing to establish networks between these countries to on the learning from the programme “Integrating share and promote good practices in combating Agriculture into National Adaptations Plans”, desertification, and to improve access to funding for financed by IKI. The Inception report for the 5-year combating desertification. The GGW-I can capitalise project was released in May 2022. The programme on the lessons learnt from this regional project. focuses on fostering stakeholder commitments to build institutional, financial and technical The Food Security Support Project in the Regions of capacities and foster transformation actions such as Louga, Matam and Kaffrine (PASA LMK) (2013-2023), agroecology, improving crop varieties, agroforestry a programme implemented and funded by the Global and the importance of operationalizing the concept Agriculture and Food Security Programme and the of agri-preneurship. It also aims to support the African Development Fund. Supported with a US$40 Government of Senegal in accessing sustainable million grant and implemented by the Ministry of solutions, by considering cross-cutting issues and Planning and Finance, with a focus on the regions of promoting synergies between ongoing initiatives. The Louga, Matam and Kaffrine, the project involves the CNCR was involved in the conception of the project. following activities: 1. Support for the development of 2 110 ha of land Regional Pastoralism Support Project (PRAPS) through water control (1 600 ha of lowland, 450 (Phase II) (2022–2027), funded by the World ha of irrigation areas, and 60 ha of gardens); Bank, with the aim to improve access to essential productive assets, services, and markets for 2. Establishment of 25 pastoral units around eight pastoralists and agro-pastoralists in selected new and 10 rehabilitated boreholes; transborder areas and along transhumance axes 3. Construction of various kinds of buildings (18 across six Sahel countries. At the regional level, farm buildings, 30 inoculation centres, 25 fodder the project is implemented by CILSS, which also storage sheds, 120 goat/sheep barns, and 60 ensures overall coordination under the political poultry houses); leadership of ECOWAS and WAEMU. At the national level, it is implemented by the ministries of livestock 4. Construction of 120 km of rural roads; and or rural development in each of the six beneficiary 5. countries. In Senegal, the loan was awarded to the Training and organisation of more than 30 000 Ministry of Finance and Budget, and the focus is on producers. the regions of Saint Louis region; Matam, Louga, Kaffrine, Tambacounda. It targets pastoralists and agro-pastoralists distributed among 24 400 pastoral households. COUNTRY REVIEW 39 The “Programme d’Appui à la Transition The Agriculture and Livestock Competitiveness Agroécologique” (PATAE), is funded by the French Programme for Results (PCAE-PforR) (2021-2025) Development Agency to the tune of €8.2 million. It is a US$150 million project designed by the World aims to support organisations in the implementation Bank Group, IFAD, and the Government of Senegal to of innovative agro-ecological projects to improve reduce rural poverty and improve people’s food and food and nutritional security in West Africa. It further nutrition security in the poorest regions of Senegal. aims to stimulate the development of innovative The programme aims to enhance the productivity and practices that optimise the mobilisation of ecological market access of priority commodity value chains processes in the field of agricultural production and and livestock. Stakeholders include smallholders, food and nutritional security in the ECOWAS zone. cooperatives, research and development agencies, traders, processors, and exporters. FAIR Sahel (2020-2023), a project coordinated by CIRAD and co-funded to the tune of €9 million The Rural Youth Agri-primeur Support Project by the EU and FDA. It aims to bring together 10 (Agrijeunes Tekki Ndawñi) (2019-25) is a US$83 European and West African partners for four years to million project, funded by the AfDB and implemented conduct activities in Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal by IFAD. It aims is to create a rural transformation to support a transition to agroecology. Activities will initiative targeting rural youth who have been be carried out at three levels: excluded from the wealth creation process due to a 1. The communities, based on the experiences of lack of productive and innovative jobs in the agro- the producers themselves and the contributions silvo-pastoral and fisheries sectors. Its aim is to of research and development actors, to define enable them to become agricultural entrepreneurs. new production methods and techniques; The project seeks to promote the social and occupational inclusion of youth in family farms and 2. Regional institutions (producers’ federations, profitable ventures that will create income and local authorities, market and commodity chain decent, sustainable jobs in agro-silvo-pastoral and companies, local research, training institutes and fisheries value chains. The project will benefit 150 NGOs), using foresight tools (workshops, role- 000 rural young people. Among this group, 45 000 playing games), all the actors collectively explore young people (50% of whom will be female) will the conditions for the emergence of tomorrow’s be integrated into or receive support to start up agroecology: access to commodity chains, access a sustainable profitable activity in the agro-silvo- to seeds, mechanisation, specialised technical pastoral and fisheries value chains. The project will support, training; and be implemented across four agroecological zones in 3. At the national and intra-Sahelian levels, Senegal: the Niayes region, the groundnut basin, the advocacy work aims to achieve convergence silvopastoral zone and lower and middle Casamance with other similar initiatives, but above all (not GGW areas). political support from governments. The aim is to perpetuate and extend the agro-ecological The Projet de Développement de la Productivité transition of systems. et de la Diversification Agricole dans les Zones Arides du Mali (PDAZAM) is funded by IDA. It aims The Promoting Innovative Finance and Community to strengthen the resilience of poor and vulnerable Based Adaptation in Communes Surrounding households and to enable government institutions Community Natural Reserves (Ferlo, NiokoloKoba, to strengthen their capacity in terms of agricultural Senegal River Bas Delta & Saloum Delta), Senegal planning, supporting agricultural sector productivity is a US$5.4 million GEF project that seeks to create and household resilience. In November 2022, the financial incentives to cover the incremental costs World Bank has approved an additional IDA credit of of climate change adaptation and support capacity US$30 million to support this project. building for vulnerable households and community groups to build holistic responses to climate change. The Support to Agricultural Development and Rural The initiative aims to assist Senegal to pursue a Entrepreneurship Programme - Phase II (2018-2024) transformational pathway towards resilience. In the is a US$75 million project implemented by IFAD, with long term it will empower local institutions to provide co-funding from the OPEC Fund for International adaptation services to vulnerable communities. Development, to contribute to reducing poverty for women, young people and men living in the The Agricultural Value Chain Resilience Support programme area by integrating them with profitable, project (PARFA), (2015-2021) a GEF-6 project, co- diversified value chains that are resilient to climate financed by IFAD and UNIDO, with a goal to improve change. The development objective is to sustainably the incomes and livelihoods of poor farm families in improve the food security and incomes of smallholder Senegal’s groundnut basin, and includes actions in crop and livestock farmers and to create permanent, livestock value chains (not in the GGW area). well-paying jobs for rural people, particularly women and young people. 40 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL FERLO-LAIT 2020-2022, implemented by the PPZS 2. Strengthening the capacity of the private sector research consortium, is the continuity of the EU- and civil society to influence policy formulation, funded LeapAgri Africa Milk project, with a territorial implementation and evaluation. IPAR is a local approach to the dairy sector around the Ferlo. The partner. main goal is to support the emergence of dairies on the margins of the Ferlo through various projects (PRAPS, ENDA). The aim is to characterise the AT PLANNING STAGE relationships between these dairies, their suppliers DUNDI FERLO (2023-2026) is a project funded and the silvo-pastoral zone. The Ferlo milk project by WeForest (Belgium NGO) focusing on the is also intended to repeat the market access survey development of innovative reforestation options in of Niassanté farmers and to update the territorial the GGW area. dynamics around boreholes. SUSTAIN Sahel: Synergistic Use and Protection of Natural Resources for Rural Livelihoods through 4.2 Climate Change Systematic Integration of Crops, Shrubs and Livestock in the Sahel - 2020-2024. Funded by the Recent research by ILRI found that, of the total EU, the project aims to strengthen the resilience amount of climate funding allocated for the livestock and intensification potential of smallholder farming in Senegal between 2015 and 2022, only 39% was systems in the face of climate change, through allocated to the livestock sector as the main target, scalable innovations on the integration of crops, the remaining of 61% was allocated to the agricultural shrubs and livestock. The project partners are both sector, with a component for the livestock sector European and African partners in a consortium (2022b:46). Most of this was World Bank funding coordinated by FiBL (Switzerland). (95%) for phases 1 and 2 of the Regional Support Project for Pastoralism in the Sahel, and a small Building the Climate Resilience of Food Insecure contribution from the French Development Agency Smallholder Farmers through Integrated Management (AFD) and the NGO Elevage Sans Frontières. of Climate Risk. This is a US$ 10 million ISDGCF project (2020- 2024), with a focus on risk-reduction Strengthening Agricultural Adaptation (SAGA) activities such as water and soil conservation funded by the Government of Quebec and measures, increased water availability, livelihood implemented by FAO and a range of partners on the diversification and training on climate-resilient ground focuses on reinforcing adaptation planning practices, complemented by risk transfer through a for food security and nutrition in Senegal which has weather index insurance programme that will transfer increasingly suffered from climate change impacts. risk to the international market. Through training and community-based participatory approaches, the project has reached more than The Health & Territories project, signed between 1300 beneficiaries and is implementing a broad CIRAD and AFD, and launched in 2021. It is co- range of initiatives from gender-sensitive Farmer funded by the AFD and the EU’s DeSIRA programme, Field Schools, market gardens, agroforestry and with a budget of €6 million, the project aims to rainwater harvesting to beekeeping activities and the revolutionise integrated approaches to health production of energy-efficient vegetable charcoal. by linking them to the agro-ecological transition The programme is proving catalytic in adopting a framework. Coordinated by CIRAD, this five-year “new” approach to GGW projects, that are far more project will develop its activities in four countries: community based. The CNCR was recently involved Senegal, Benin, Laos and Cambodia. in the conception of the project. They are part of the community-based natural resource management and soil health component of the SAGA project. The Feed the Future Senegal Agricultural Policy and intervention is implemented in the Nyaé region and in Reform Support Project (PSS), is a five-year project, the central north zone. These projects are thought out with US$15 million funded by USAID, that aims by the communities. to improve the business environment for inclusive growth in the agricultural sector. The project aims to strengthen Senegal’s agricultural and food policy and Landscapes for our Future: Reforestation and reforms. resilience to protect Senegal’s territories and The project interventions are carried out through two ecosystems is a GEF funded project implemented components: by the ASRGM with technical support from the FAO, municipalities, private sector and non-governmental 1. Strengthening the existing processes of policy organisations, aiming to improve the resilience formulation, implementation and evaluation of of communities to the impacts of climate change Senegal; through participatory and sustainable management COUNTRY REVIEW 41 of land and ecosystems. The project will be implemented across two eco-geographic zones of Senegal: a silvo-pastoral zone in the north, where the GGW is being built, and a groundnut basin in central and western Senegal. Mainstreaming ecosystem-based approaches to climate-resilient rural livelihoods in vulnerable rural areas through the farmer field school methodology (2015-2021), is a GEF funded project, implemented by the MAER, the MAEDD and ANACIM with FAO support. The projects sought to promote 1. The adoption of agroclimatic information, innovations and best practices for climate change adaptation by agro-silvo-pastoral producers, 2. Increasing household incomes, agropastoral productivity APFS have increased due to the implementation of climate adaptation practices and the use of agrometeorological information; and 3. Specific strategies for building climate change resilience are refined and piloted in agropastoral systems and scaled up, including the optimal use of genetic resources as well as dryland farming in the three agroecological zones targeted by the project. The project was subject of a Good Practice Brief: Strengthening Climate Resilience through People-centred Approaches which highlights how the resilience of people to climate change was enhanced by the project by building the capacity of communities and women through two innovative, people-centred approaches, namely the Farmer Field Schools and Dimitra Clubs. The Down to Earth: Territorial Approach to Climate Change (TACC) is part of a partnership between the United Nations and sub-national governments for fostering climate friendly development at the sub- national level. This partnership is a collaborative effort involving UNDP, UNEP and 8 associations of regions. CASSECS 2019-2023 - The CASSECS project is an ongoing project, funded by the EU, on the impact of livestock on climate change in CILSS countries. The overall objective of the project is to provide the CILSS countries with emission factors and reference data that will enable them to better establish the seasonal and annual carbon balance of agro-silvo- pastoral ecosystems and thus correctly fulfil their commitments in the implementation of the Paris Agreement. Among the project objectives are a focus on training and strengthening the skills of the technical services of the CILLS member states, local and international NGOs and livestock breeders’ associations. Photo: ©Kelvin Trautman | Regreening Africa 42 THE GREAT GREEN WALL INITIATIVE IN SENEGAL Promotion of Climate-Smart Agriculture in West AT PLANNING STAGE Africa (2020-2023). Senegal is part of this project, Fair carbon: a research project still at the final stage initiated by ECOWAS in collaboration with the West of conception, to be funded by the EU and being African Development Bank (BOAD), to support led by IRD and involving the PPZS, with a possible the implementation of the ECOWAP/SADC AIC start in 2023. The project will focus on assessing soil Intervention Framework by providing a mechanism carbon in the GGW area. for consultation, coordination, convergence and monitoring of the various initiatives. 4.3 Major Environmental Agreements or R4 Rural Resilience is a USAID-funded project that Commitments has been implemented by WFP since 2011. The Senegal is signatory to the three Rio Conventions second phase is starting now with GCF support. for biological diversity, climate change and the fight Building the climate resilience of food insecure against desertification, as well as a number of other smallholder farmers through integrated management agreements and commitments reflected below: of climate risk (R4) (2016-2024). This project is aimed at increasing the resilience of vulnerable households • The Bonn Challenge5 in Senegal to climate-related risks through better . risk management, water and soil conservation. These • The New York Declaration on Forests6. activities are complemented by risk transfer through a • The African Forest Landscape Restoration weather index insurance programme that will transfer Initiative (AFR100)7 launched in 2015. risk to the international market and provide farmers • The UNCCD Land Degradation Neutrality by 2030. with compensation in case of climate shocks in 5 regions of Senegal. The CNAAS is involved. • The African Resilient Landscapes Initiative8. • The UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration (2021- 2030)9. Promotion of Climate-Friendly Cooking: Kenya and Senegal (2018-2022): A GEF-funded project that aims to accelerate the growth of ICS markets Senegal has also adhered to international in Senegal and significantly increase the level and conventions on the elimination of specific ozone quality of ICS production and sales, particularly in depleting substances (for example the Vienna remote rural areas. The intended outcome is to triple Convention, the Montreal Protocol and the Kigali annual ICS production and sales by project end Amendment) and has set national targets, and and achieve a six-fold increase by 2030, thereby instruments to reach the elimination objectives. supporting Senegal to reach their NDC targets. The AICCRA programme is scaling CCAFS’ CIS and CSA innovations in different African countries including Senegal. ISRA/CERAAS, ANCAR, ANACIM, Jokalante are some of the partners (ClimBer 2022) 5. A global effort to restore 150 Mha of deforested and degraded land by 2020 launched by IUCN and Government of Germany in 2011. 6. Voluntary international declaration to halt global deforestation, endorsed at the UN Climate which during a 2014 Summit extended the Bonn pledge. 7. A regional, country-led land restoration effort in Africa to accelerate progress towards SDGs and the Paris Agreement; 30 African countries, 12 financial partners (including BMZ,WB, WRI, IUCN, FAO, etc.), 28 technical partners. 8. Launched 2015 by NEPAD, WRI and WB, ARLI focuses on integrated landscape management for adaptation & mitigation. It is implemented through the African Landscapes Action Plan 9. GGW is one of the flagships programmes of the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration. COUNTRAYP RPEENVIDEIWX 1 43 Bibliography Ba. 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