Final Recommendations to Policy Makers

As the SustainSahel project concludes, a final set of policy recommendations has been developed to support the creation of enabling conditions for agroecological transitions in the Sahel.

Figure 1. Sustain Sahel Policy Event.

Figure 2. Policy recommendations.

Figure 3. Policy recommendations.

Figure 4. Final Sustain Sahel meeting.

Developed through cross-country working groups involving representatives from different project partners, the recommendations reflect field experience and dialogue with farmers, researchers, and extension actors across Burkina Faso, Mali, and Senegal. They focus on actionable measures for policy makers, such as strengthening land and tree tenure, decentralizing funding, and supporting farmer-led extension systems, to promote resilient and sustainable agro-silvo-pastoral systems.

The recommendations are based on findings from national research institutions, IER and IPR/IFRA (Mali), UNB and INERA (Burkina Faso), CSE (Senegal), ISRA (Senegal), FiBL (Switzerland), U-HOH and Uni Kassel (Germany), in partnership with CIRAD, IRD, and local producer groups.

→ Final Recommendations to Farmers here
→ Final Recommendations to Researchers here

Recommendations at regional level (ECOWAS, UEMOA, CILSS, CORAF, etc.)

Promote the harmonisation of regional agroecological policies.

Develop a common reference framework on agroecology, integrating indigenous (Faidherbia, Guiera, Piliostigma) and exotic (Gliricidia, Leucaena) woody species into agro-silvo-pastoral production systems.

Support regional training and technology transfer programmes.

Develop regional training and knowledge-sharing platforms, particularly for practices such as mulching, composting and shrub integration.

Support large-scale action research.

Fund multi-site participatory research based on successful pilot approaches from the SustainSahel project, integrating indicators of resilience, productivity and adoption.

Recommendations at national level (governments, sectoral ministries)

Integrate agroecology/agroforestry into agricultural and environmental policies

Officially recognise effective agroecological/agroforestry practices (mulching, composting, fertilising shrubs) in programmes supporting resilient agriculture.

Further promote policies for individual and community set-aside and fallow land to improve fodder production, soil fertility and biodiversity through the presence of trees.

Revise regulatory frameworks to secure smallholder initiatives

Revise forest and land codes to recognise farmers' rights to the trees they plant on their farms.

Encourage the application and ownership of the content of the reformed forest code through appropriate mechanisms or provisions (local agreements/charters) translated into the appropriate languages.

Support the supply of agroecological inputs.

Develop a supply chain for plant material (shrub seedlings, composting tools), in particular by subsidizing community nurseries.

Strengthen agroecological and agroforestry extension with leading farmers.

Establish a national system of trained farmer leaders as a lever for scaling up proven practices (1 leader reaching 20 to 40 producers).

Recommendations at the local level (local authorities, decentralised services, NGOs, farmer organizations)

Support the implementation of local agroecological transition plans.

Integrate agroecology and agroforestry into local development plans and local authority budgets, based on the results of the SustainSahel project.

Promote farmers' knowledge and local woody species.

Organize farmers' innovation fairs, field demonstrations and exchanges between communities on species such as Guiera senegalensis and Faidherbia albida.

Create local learning frameworks.

Set up agroecological farmer training fields (CEPA) to strengthen collective learning and the practice of techniques such as mulching and biomass management.

Target concrete constraints to adoption.

Implement local funds to support the agroecological transition, enabling the overcoming of barriers related to financing, labour or inputs.

Conclusion

In conclusion, these recommendations call for concrete, level-specific action to accelerate agroecology and agroforestry practices in the Sahel. Regionally, aligning ECOWAS, UEMOA, CILSS, and CORAF policies around a shared agroecology and agroforestry framework, while supporting large-scale participatory research, will create the foundation for cross-border impact. At the national level, securing farmers' tree tenure, revising forest and land codes, and establishing supply chains for seedlings and composting tools are critical for scaling these practices. Locally, integrating agroecology and agroforestry into development plans, financing transition funds, and strengthening farmer-to-farmer extension through trained leaders will ensure that policies translate into real adoption. Together, these measures directly address barriers of tenure, inputs, funding, and knowledge-sharing, creating the enabling environment for resilient, productive, and biodiverse agro-silvo-pastoral systems driven by farmers themselves.