WASCAL: West African Science Service Center on Climate and Adapted Land Use Devising resilient and productive land uses through capacity building, research and services provision Jérôme E. Tondoh, Director of Research WASCAL Competence Center Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
Establishment of WASCAL Initiation by German Government (September 2009) Agreement between Germany and ten West African Countries (March 2013) Confirmation of WASCAL s constitution by ECOWAS Secretary General (June 2013)
Vision To be a regionally recognized science-based service provision center for West Africa, which contributes significantly to enhance agricultural production and improve the livelihoods of populations under Climate Change and Variability
Mandates Significantly improve the climate change research infrastructure and capacity in West Africa Formulate and carry out demand-driven research with development-oriented outcomes for the WASCAL Member States Generate sound, evidence-based knowledge and information, and devise decision-making tools and other software Provide policy information and support for developing climate and environmental risk management, building resilient socioecological landscapes, and attaining sustainable agricultural production and food security
Three pillars of WASCAL Services Provision Climate Environmental Research Climate science Biophysical & socioeconomic studies GIS & Remote sensing Data infrastructure Training and Capacity building Graduate studies In-house training Capacity strengthening
Training and Capacity Building 10 graduate studies programs (PhD, MSc) in 10 leading West African Universities
WASCAL Graduate Studies Program: key asset Since 2013: 146 students graduated 112 students in the pipeline
Research and Service Provision: WASCAL Competence Center, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso A knowledge and data hub to strengthen regional research capacity in West Africa
Research structure RC1: Climate Change and Variability RC2: Hydrology and Water Resources Management RC3: Sustainable Land Use and Agriculture RC4: Institutions, Governance and Socio-economics RC5: Ecosystem Change and Ecosystem Services RC6: Impact Analysis and Risk Assessment. Observation network GIS and Remote Sensing Unit Data Centre HPC environment Climate and environmental services
Meso-scale watersheds: Core Research Program (2013-2017) Burkina Faso Ghana Benin 10
11 Regional interdisciplinary observation networks
Climate change scenarios in West Africa (CORDEX) o o Mean Precip change in 1.5 C and 2 C warmer World (i.e. COP21 agreem.) Sylla et al. (2016), Springer book chapter ISBN: 978-3-319-31497-6 Sylla et al. 2017, in preparation
Significant (20%) reduction of maize yield by 2030 Current NPK inputs unchanged Population increases as predicted by FAO Current (2000) agricultural regions expand outwards Land use expansion!
Land cover map using multisensorial mapping (250 m) Gassner et al. 2015. Remote Sensing of Environment 164, 282-297
Farm ponds are smart technologies to cope with water scarcity in West Africa Impact of long dry spells: decrease in food production at 25% drop in household income at 23% Supplemental irrigation to secure food production: 5% increase in farmers net incomes higher gains during dry years 30% food production increase Sanfo et al. (2017). Agricultural Systems 152, 80-89
New strategic research plan (2018-2021) Outcomes of the participatory consultations in ECOWAS member states Sustainable climate database Socio-economics and policy Impact studies and risk assessment Climate change and variability Sustainable agriculture and food security Biodiversity loss and carbon sequestration Efficient network for data collection Land degradation and rehabilitation 3 3 4 5 6 6 7 11 0 2 4 6 8 10 12 Score of top regional research priorities FP1. Services Provision FP2. Resilient Socio-Ecological Landscapes FP3. Sustainable Intensification for Food Security FP4. Climate Modelling and Seasonal Forecasting WASCAL Multidisciplinary Observation Networks and Multi-stakeholders Innovation Platforms across West Africa - CoA 1.1 Climate Services for Informed Decision Making - CoA 1.2 Environmental Services for Improved and Productive Land Use Systems - CoA 2.1 Biodiversity and Ecosystems Services - CoA 2.2 Scaling up/out Resilient Governance Models - CoA 3.1 Scaling up/out Improved Water and Nutrient Use Efficiency Practices - CoA 3.2 Scaling up/out Integrated Crop and Livestock Production Systems - CoA 4.1 Climate Monitoring and Prediction - CoA 4.2 Improved Seasonal Forecasting of Extremes
Pathway to service delivery By 2021: Climate and Environmental Services WASCAL Core Research Program: 2013-2017 WASCAL Research Action Plan 2017-2021 Resilient Socio-Ecological Landscapes Sustainable Intensification for Food Security Climate Modelling and Seasonal Forecasting
Potential climate-led services Seasonal monitoring of water bodies and wet land Information on climate and environmental risks Climate change profile, irrigation potential and crop suitability under 1.5 o C and 2 o C warming scenarios Land degradation index map and the economic cost of degraded lands West Africa Climate Change Knowledge Dissemination Platform Biodiversity and carbon stocks profile under climate change scenarios
Thank you! tondoh.e@wascal.org