CARI took part in COP16 Riyadh in December. Accompanied by its partners GTD, RADDO and ReSaD , CARI’s aim was to bring the voice of civil society to the international negotiations on sustainable land management in drylands. Several side events were organised for the occasion.
Securing food systems in North Africa: prospects for supporting the deployment of agroecology in public policies
The first side event, organised in collaboration with the Association Citoyenneté et Développement Durable (ACDD, Tunisia), focused on “Securing food systems in North Africa: prospects for supporting the deployment of agroecology in public policies”.
Organised as part of the NATAE project and the MEDAE network, this side event aimed to (i) provide background and context on North African agriculture and the challenges it faces, (ii) present the results of a cross-sectoral study on public policies in North Africa and (iii) hear the views of different types of stakeholder on the prospects for developing agroecology in the region.
The first presentation was given by Ms Ndeye Fatou MAR, Director of the Land & Biodiversity Department at the Sahara and Sahel Observatory, who spoke about the major challenges facing agriculture and food systems in North Africa, and in particular the drought-related issues. The presentation also provided a brief overview of the work being carried out by the OSS in response to these challenges.
A second presentation by Jérôme Enjalbert, Programme Officer at CARI, summarised the main findings and lessons learned from a cross-cutting analysis of public policies (agricultural, environmental, commercial, financial, health and nutrition) in North Africa, carried out as part of the NATAE project. The presentation highlighted the lack of consideration given to agroecology in the region’s national policies, and also looked at how local players perceive the concept of agroecology.
Finally, a round-table discussion moderated by Patrice Burger, Chairman of CARI, gave the floor to a diverse panel of players including : M. Mohamed Brik (farmer and president of the El Argoub association, Algeria), Abdelbacet Hamrouni (president of the ACDD association, Tunisia), Saleck Ahmed Cherif (director of studies, programming and cooperation for the Nouakchott region, Mauritania), Sandra Rullière (deputy head of the agriculture, rural development and biodiversity division at the French Development Agency), Ms Ndieye Fatou Mar (Director of the Land & Biodiversity Department at the Sahara and Sahel Observatory)
This side-event will provide an opportunity to make the link between public policies and field experience, and to gain a better understanding of the different rationales of certain types of stakeholder involved in the region’s agro-ecological transition. It was also an opportunity to look back at the recent launch of the MEDAE network, a multi-actor agroecology network in the Mediterranean.
Watch the side event on video (2:37:20 to 4:02:04)
What role can local and regional authorities play in sustainable land management and building people’s resilience to drought?
The second side event looked at the role of local and regional authorities in sustainable land management and the resilience of populations to drought. The objectives of this meeting were both to promote the work of local authorities in sustainable land management and to discuss their role within the UNCCD.
Organised by the GTD in partnership with DANAYA and CARI, the event was attended by 3 stakeholders.
Firstly, Anne Louise Knapnougel from the Metropole of Montpellier presented how the Metropole is implementing a policy of sustainable land management in its area through various types of action at both producer and consumer level. The presentation then went on to explain how the Metropole is incorporating the land issue into its international cooperation, whether in Senegal through a project to reuse wastewater.
Saleck Ahmed Cherif from the Nouakchott Region then went on to present the Region’s action in the sustainable management of natural resources in an arid urban context that is vulnerable to the effects of climate change, with particular emphasis on projects to develop urban agriculture supported by the Region’s partners (EU – Spanish Cooperation) or initiated by local farmers.
Finally, Mamadou Aboulaye Sow presented the work of ENDA PRONAT in implementing the “Dynamique pour une Transition Agroécologique au Sénégal” (DyTAES), a network of producer, consumer and rural women’s organisations, NGOs, research institutions, civil society networks, a network of local elected representatives and businesses, with the aim of promoting the agro-ecological transition in Senegal through advocacy, awareness-raising, experience-sharing and support for areas in transition. Mamadou went on to present the development of DyTAES at local level (DyTAEL), for example in Fatick and Tambacounda.
The session continued with an exchange with the audience to discuss the difficulties that local authorities currently face in implementing their actions: funding, information, training, legislation, etc., but also to discuss how local authorities could be better taken into account within the UNCCD, which now participates in the COPs as civil society. There is currently no accreditation for local authorities as local authorities, which is both a limitation on their action and a lack of recognition of their role, despite the rhetoric.
Anticipating, managing and rebuilding: strategies to support regions facing growing crises
The third and final side event was organised on Monday 5 December by CARI as part of the PASS-LCD project and the preparations for Désertif’actions 2026, to exchange views on the potential and benefits of agro-ecology in tackling crises.
The event kicked off with a presentation of the initial results of the study conducted by CARI on the contribution of agroecology to the resilience of farms and regions, which is based on the results of several studies evaluating the effects of agroecology using methods based on the 10 principles of agroecology (FAO):
- The TAPE tool developed by the FAO,
- The method developed as part of the AVACLIM project coordinated by CARI and implemented with its partners in 7 countries,
- The method developed by the 4 member organisations of the Working Group on Agroecological Transitions (Agrisud International, AVSF, CARI, GRET).
In particular, the presentation highlighted the argument that agroecology makes it possible to reduce the sensitivity of farms to the risks of drought, which is a component of resilience.
To find out more, read the « sécheresse et agroécologie » summary.
Following the introductory presentation, a round-table discussion facilitated by Patrice Burger (Chairman of CARI) gave the floor to representatives of civil society and research:
Mr Richard Ouedraogo (SPONG/ReSaD – Burkina Faso) highlighted the actions taken by SPONG members to help farmers adapt to arid conditions, including the following practices. These include the introduction of crops that consume less water and fertiliser (sesame, soya, orange-fleshed sweet potatoes), which enable communities to have abundant harvests in a short space of time. Richard Ouedraogo also observes that in Burkina Faso, where everything is urgent and a priority (health, roads, etc.), environmental and transitional issues receive less attention. Nevertheless, the government of Burkina Faso is increasingly listening to civil society, which has encouraged the adoption of a strategy for agro-ecological transition.
Mr Ismael Bizo (AJEEC – Niger) spoke about Niger, which has experienced a political and security crisis in recent years, with sanctions in terms of importing agricultural produce, with direct consequences for farming and feeding rural and urban populations. The political crisis has also shown that Niger is highly dependent on imported seeds. Faced with crises, governments are driven by the need to produce large quantities of food quickly. The first reflex is access to fertilisers and more equipment (tractors, etc.), but another reflex is to think about endogenous practices, which could be a solution. At local level, people and local authorities are becoming increasingly aware of this. And Niger is at a turning point in terms of its food sovereignty. On the ground, AJEEC is actively promoting citizen agro-ecology. But we’re thinking about how, at political and local level, we can get the authorities on board in scaling up agroecology. Today, it’s no longer the impact of agroecology that we’re trying to demonstrate, it’s the scaling up of practices that we’re looking for.
Mr Jean-Daniel Cesaro (CIRAD-France) gave his analysis of the challenges of crisis management, to which there are not only institutional responses, but also people’s mobilisation. In Syria, for example, the 2011 crisis also prompted young people to adopt agro-ecology.
Jean-Daniel Cesaro also points out that during or just after a crisis, needs are very short-term. Farmers express a need for more biomass, money and certain substitute inputs. For example, a survey of pastoralists showed that during crises, farmers resort to imported animal feed to maintain their herds. So, while agro-ecology provides long-term responses, in the post-crisis period there is a need to adapt responses to crises with immediately available resources, which may be less agro-ecological. Finally, according to Mr Cesaro, one concept that was not given much prominence at this COP was the territorial approach. Decentralised systems need to be strengthened in order to anticipate and adapt to crises. Extension services (agronomists, veterinarians, foresters, eco-guards, etc.) trained to support farmers and pastoralists with appropriate extension systems are needed at regional level.
