Analysis of Potential Value Chains for Scaling up Climate-Smart Agriculture in West Africa

Despite the development of several CSA options and their positive gains, their wide scale adoption remains a challenge. Integrating the value chain analysis into the Climate-Smart Village (CSV) - Agricultural Research for Development (AR4D) approach sounds positioning as an effective approach for upscaling of CSA

Assessment of the use of Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) approach by farmers to manage climate risk in Mali and Senegal

Recently, a new approach to extension and climate information services, namely Participatory Integrated Climate Services for Agriculture (PICSA) has been developed. PICSA makes use of historical climate records,participatory decision-making tools and forecasts to help farmers identify and better plan livelihood options that are suited to local climate features and farmers’ own circumstances. This approach was implemented in 2016 in two sites in Senegal and Mali, with 57 and 47 farmers, respectively. At the end of the growing season, these farmers were surveyed to explore their perceptions on the use of the approach. In Senegal and Mali, respectively 97% and 76% of the respondents found the approach ‘very useful’. The approach enabled farmers to make strategic plans long before the season, based on their improved knowledge of local climate features. Moreover,evidence demonstrates that PICSA stimulated farmers to consider and then implement a range of innovations which included: (i) changes in timing of activities such as sowing dates, (ii) implementing soil and water management practices, (iii) selection of crop varieties, (iv) fertiliser management and (v) adaptation of plans for the season (farm size, etc.) to the actual resources available to them. The study also demonstrated the potential of farmer-to-farmer extension in scaling up the approach, which is of great interest especially in the current context of limited extension services in the West African region

A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SEASONAL AND QUIETTIME foF2 DIURNAL VARIATION AT DAKAR AND OUAGADOUGOU STATIONS DURING SOLAR MINIMUM AND MAXIMUM FOR SOLAR CYCLES 21-22

A statistical study of quiet time foF2 diurnal variation of two West Africa stations (Dakar and Ouagadougou) is examined through seasons and during solar minimum and maximum phases. It is shown that during solar minimum and for all seasons both stations foF2 exhibit the same variability with more and less deep trough between 1200 LT and 1400 LT. foF2 profiles are afternoon predominance profiles except during winter and for Dakar station where the profile is morning predominance peak. During solar maximum, foF2 profiles show different behavior only for spring and summer where Dakar foF2 profiles are plateau profile and dome profile, respectively. For these seasons Ouagadougou profiles are morning predominance profile and noon bite out profile, respectively. At daytime there is more ionosphere at Dakar station than Ouagadougou at all seasons and for the solar cycle phases involved

Overview of the Scientific, Political and Financial Landscape of Climate-Smart Agriculture in West Africa

The agricultural sector plays a key role in the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS). As the backbone of the economy, it affects society at many levels since national economies and people’s jobs, incomes and food security depend upon it. Climate change and variability pose a major threat to farmers in the region, which is already experiencing rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns, and increasing extreme events. The ECOWAS has put in place various policy instruments such as the Economic Community of West Africa States Agricultural Policy (ECOWAP) and its derived Regional Agricultural Investment Plan (RAIP) in order to promote a modern and sustainable agriculture based on effective and efficient family farms and the promotion of agricultural enterprises through the involvement of the private sector. Taking stock on member States’ expressed needs, ECOWAS would like to integrate a new type of public policy instruments into the RAIP: instruments for adapting the West-African agriculture to climate change, towards a Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) focusing on adaptation, mitigation and food & nutrition security joint objectives. This book documents and analyses specific features of the scientific, institutional, policy and funding CSA landscape in West Africa. It provides relevant information that could guide the definition of the ECOWAS Framework for CSA Intervention, Funding, Monitoring and Evaluation. Five major agricultural sectors have been covered: crop production, livestock, fisheries, forestry/agroforestry, and water. For each sector, a particular emphasis was given to the current status, the climate projections and likely socio- economic and environmental impacts expected, the bottlenecks to action and suggested next steps for adaptation and mitigation. Actionable messages and recommendations have been directed to ECOWAS stakeholders so as to incentivise CSA in West Africa. Key words: Climate change ; Climate-smart agriculture ; Crop production ; Livestock ; Water resources ; Fisheries ; Forestry ; Agroforestry ; West Afric

Monitoring outcomes of climate smart agricultural options at multiple levels: understanding adoption, synergies and tradeoffs

This framework will support field practitioners in tracking over time, the progress and dynamic changes in adoption of CSA options and their related impacts at household and farm level

Competitiveness Level of Photovoltaic Solar Systems in Ouagadougou (Burkina Faso): Study Based on the Domestic Electric Meters Calibration

The mean cost price of electricity in Burkina Faso at the end of the last quarter of 2012 was 158 FCFA/kWh for a country where more than 46% of the population lives below the national poverty threshold. To look for solution to that problem, the resort to photovoltaic solar energy is justified for that country. The purpose of this study is to promote the integration of both technical and economical surveys in solar energy preliminary projects in Ouagadougou. To reach that, investigations were carried out in some households and attention was paid from the calibration of the domestic electric meters. Energy demands collected within each household allow us to design a corresponding solar kit through optimization rules. An estimate was edited and financial viability study for each household was also carried out thereafter. In this study, only households using the national electricity network calibration meter on their disadvantage favorably answered to all financial indicators and appear as the only one that could profit from such project. This work is helpful to note that photovoltaic solar energy still stays at a primitive level of competitiveness compared to conventional energy resources for small systems in Ouagadougou

Climate Services in Senegal: Media training and field trip report

To demonstrate the success of the Senegal-based project on strengthening the scaling up of climate services, and enhance capacity for regional media to report effectively on climate change issues, CCAFS carried out media training and site visit from 28 to 30 September 2015. This activity was co-led by the CCAFS West Africa team and Coordinating Unit, in collaboration with local partners, and media experts. This report summarized key activities, outputs and outcomes from the visit. Both activities were designed to take advantage of the keen interest reporters are paying to climate change this year to focus their attention on agriculture’s role as a climate solution, especially through ground experiences and successes of CCAFS-led activities in Senegal (climate information services, climate-smart villages, etc.)

Assessing the Climate-Smartness of the West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP): What can we learn from Benin, Guinea, Niger, Togo and Chad projects?

This info note summarizes the findings from participatory assessments of the climate-smartness of World Bank funded West Africa Agricultural Productivity Programme (WAAPP)”. This activity was implemented by CCAFS West Africa regional programme in partnership with CORAF under the Capacitating Stakeholders in Using Climate Information for Enhanced Resilience in the Agricultural Sector in West Africa (CaSCIERA-WA) project to strengthen the capacity of country stakeholders of WAAPP to mainstream and implement CSA in their activities in West Africa

Thermodynamic properties calculation of air – water vapor mixtures thermal plasmas

Knowledge of air-water vapor mixtures thermal plasmas thermodynamic properties is important to estimate theperformances of electrical arc cutting in this gas by a circuit breaker. In this paper, air-water vapor mixtures thermalplasmas thermodynamic properties are calculated in a temperature range from 5000K to 30000K. The calculations arecarried out by supposing local thermodynamic equilibrium at pressure of 1; 5 and 10 atm. The obtained results showthe influence of the water vapor initial proportion but also that of the pressure on these plasmas thermodynamicproperties.Keywords: Mixture; plasma composition; thermal plasma; thermodynamic properties; circuit breakers