This presentation was made by Dr. Issa Ouédraogo Coordinator project CINSERE/USAID/CCAFS West Africa at the WASCAL Science Symposium, 19-21 June 2018, Tang Palace Hotel, Accra, Ghana

1. Climate Information Services for a
Resilient Agriculture: Experiences
and Lessons Learnt in Senegal
Ouedraogo I., Diouf NS., Ouedraogo M. Ndiaye O. and Zougmore R.
Mail: i.ouedraogo@cgiar.org
WASCAL SCIENCE SYMPOSIUM, 19 – 21 June 2018, Accra, Ghana

2. OVERVIEW OF THE PRESENTATION
• Background
• Objectives
• Methodology
• Results
• Challenges

3. BACKGROUND – OBJECTIVES – METHODOLOGY – RESULTS - CHALLENGES
Rainfall Temperature
+ =
Agriculture
Climate information
services (CIS)
 shifts in the onset of rainfall
 frequent and longer dry
spells
 Decreased length of growing
season
 Yield reduction and crop loss

4. To explore how the experiences and lessons learnt in Senegal
can guide CIS uptake beyond the country
- Understand the approaches used to successfully introduce CIS
use in the country
- Understand the use that the CIS have been subjected to
- Explore the impacts of CIS use on crop yield performance
BACKGROUND – OBJECTIVES – METHODOLOGY – RESULTS - CHALLENGES

5. • Literature consultation
• Stakeholder consultation (project managers, service providers,
users)
• Interviews with CIS users at different stages of the production
BACKGROUND – OBJECTIVES – METHODOLOGY – RESULTS - CHALLENGES

6. Participatory approaches used with the various stakeholders to
build the trust between CIS producers and users
 Stakeholder consultation that led to the identification of the needs
(CIS and communication channels)
 Training of users to understand CIS and use it effectively
 Application of the PICSA approach
BACKGROUND – OBJECTIVES – METHODOLOGY – RESULTS - CHALLENGES

7. Participatory approaches used with the various stakeholders to
build the trust between CIS producers and users
 Identification of CIS needs
BACKGROUND – OBJECTIVES – METHODOLOGY – RESULTS - CHALLENGES
Rank Requested CIS Timing Frequency Spatial resolution
Agricultural sector
1 Seasonal forecast May-June Once a year Local and regional
2 Onset date May Once a year Local and regional
3 Cessation date May Once a year Local and regional
4 Optimal sowing date May - June Once a year Local and regional
5 Daily rain forecast May - Sept Daily Local and regional
6 False start May - June When relevant Local and regional
7 Cumulative rainfall May - Sept Decadal Local and regional
8 Dry spells May - Sept Decadal Local and regional
9 Wet spells May - Sept Decadal Local and regional
10 Moisture May - Sept Decadal Local and regional
11 Temperature forecast May - Sept Daily Local and regional
12 Wind forecast May - Sept Daily Local and regional
13 ETP May - Sept Decadal Local and regional
14 Insolation May - Sept Daily Local and regional
15 Off-season rains Sept - Oct When relevant Local and regional
16 On-farm forecast May - Sept Daily Local
Livestock management sector
1 Fodder availability Year-round Decadal Regional and national
2 Water resource availability Year-round Decadal Regional and national
3 Potential lightning zones May - Sept Daily Local
4 Potential diseases occurrence zones Year-round Decadal Regional and national
5 Transhumance corridors Year-round Decadal Regional and national
Fisheries sector
1 High swell forecast Year-round daily Costal zones
2 High tides forecast Year-round daily Costal zones
3 Visibility forecast Year-round daily Costal zones
4 Wind forecast Year-round daily Costal zones
5 Potential lightning zones Year-round daily Costal zones
6 Sea Surface Temperature Year-round daily Costal zones
CIS requested
CIS produced

8. Participatory approaches used with the various stakeholders to
build the trust between CIS producers and users
 Identification of the communication channels
BACKGROUND – OBJECTIVES – METHODOLOGY – RESULTS - CHALLENGES

9. Participatory approaches used with the various stakeholders to
build the trust between CIS producers and users
 Training of users to understand CIS and use it effectively
BACKGROUND – OBJECTIVES – METHODOLOGY – RESULTS - CHALLENGES

10. Participatory approaches used with the various stakeholders to
build the trust between CIS producers and users
 Application of the PICSA approach
PICSA, a decision-making tool used to help producers make appropriate
decisions based on historical and local weather and meteorological data. It
also considers crop, livestock and other locally relevant livelihood options.
BACKGROUND – OBJECTIVES – METHODOLOGY – RESULTS - CHALLENGES

11. CIS diffused are used to inform producers’ daily decision-making
BACKGROUND – OBJECTIVES – METHODOLOGY – RESULTS - CHALLENGES
Types of CIS use at the onset of the season

12. CIS diffused have contributed to improve the performance of crop
yield
BACKGROUND – OBJECTIVES – METHODOLOGY – RESULTS - CHALLENGES
Value chain Area (ha) Yield (T/ha)
Average Yield/
Network T/ha) Performance
Rainfed rice 18,6 2,04 1,36 49%
Maize 32,64 2,68 1,92 40%
Millet 15,58 1,48 1,27 16%

13. So far, in Senegal, …
BACKGROUND – OBJECTIVES – METHODOLOGY – RESULTS - CHALLENGES
CIS needed vs produced
 Farmers (11/16)
 Livestock breeders (0/5)
 Fishermen (5/6)
Access to CIS
• 7.5 million producers (82,000 via SMS and Voice
messaging)
Use of CIS
 4.5 million producers (65,000 vis SMS and Voice
messaging)
Understanding of the usability of CIS
• 90,000 producers directly trained

14. There are couple of challenges, if unchecked, could undermine
the long-terms sustainability of the CIS delivery and use:
• Lack of secure sources for bearing the cost of the CIS production, diffusion
and the training of the users
• Complexity of producing missing needed CIS by producers
• Limited existing policy enabling environment for large-scale CIS adoption
• Difficulties to get private sectors involved in the CIS production and training
on CIS use
BACKGROUND – OBJECTIVES – METHODOLOGY – RESULTS - CHALLENGES

15. Key messages
• The use of participatory approaches is essential for engaging farmers in the
CIS uptake
• The feedbacks from the users are crucial for improving the quality of the
services
• A proper policy-enabling environment is a pre-condition for upscaling CIS
use
BACKGROUND – OBJECTIVES – METHODOLOGY – RESULTS - CHALLENGES

16. Thank you!