This document discusses increasing climate information services for smallholder farmers in Senegal. It notes that agriculture in Senegal is mainly rain-fed, with lack of nutrient-rich soil, population growth, and land degradation posing challenges. Around 20 million people in the Sahel region are affected by food insecurity. Providing climate information services can help farmers evaluate risk and make decisions about their crops. The document examines work done in the Kaffrine region of Senegal, finding that access to climate information services drastically increased and climate information is now seen as an important input. Yields also increased. Considerations include ensuring an "information environment" exists and assessing indigenous climate knowledge.

1. Increasing climate information services for
smallholder Farmers in the Sahel:
The Case of Senegal
September 24, 2015 (FAO, 2015)
By: Whitney M. Turientine (UF), Irving Chan-Gomez (UF), Ya Cor Ndione (UCAD)

2. Mainly rain-fed agriculture
Context:TheSahel
Lack of nutrient-rich soil
Population growth
Land degradation
(FAO, 2015)

3. “About 20 million people are still affected
by food insecurity in the Sahel and are
likely to see their situation deteriorate
rapidly in 2015” (FAO, 2015)
Concern:FoodSecurity
(FAO, 2015)(FAO, 2015)

4. ClimateInformationServices
(CGIAR, 2013)
“Effective dissemination of climate
information can help farmers to evaluate
risk at the household level, in order to
make critical decisions about their crops”
(McOmber et. al, 2013)

5. Reference Site in Kaffrine, Senegal
KAFFRINE
(CGIAR, 2013)

6. ImpactsofCCAFS’work
Drastic increase in people
accessing CIS
Increase in short-cycle varieties
Climate information now seen as input
(CGIAR, 2013; Lo &
Dieng, 2015)
Increase in Yields

7. hingstoConsider…
“Information Environment” must exist
(Jost, 2013)
In-depth assessment of indigenous
climate knowledge key
Gender dimension of climate and
ag knowledge

8. References
CCAFS. 2015. The impact of Climate Information Services in Senegal. CCAFS Outcome Study No. 3. Copenhagen.
CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture and Food Security (CCAFS).
FAO. 2012. 2012 Strategic Document, Version 2: Response Plan addressing the food and nutrition crisis in the Sahel.
Food Security and Nutrition Working Group. Inter Agency Standing Committee (IASC), Dakar, Senegal.
FAO. 2015. FAO in Emergencies: Crisis in the Sahel. http://www.fao.org/emergencies/crisis/sahel/en/.
Jost, Christine. 2013. CGIAR Research Program on Climate Change, Agriculture, and Food Security (CCAFS). CCAFS
Working Paper no. 41.
Lo, Henri Mathieu and Mbaye Dieng. 2015. Impact Assessment of Communication Seasonal Climate Forecasts in
Kaffrine, Diourbel, Louga, Thies and Fatick (Niakahar) Regions in Senegal: Final Report for CCAFS West Africa Regional
Program.