Senegal

An important milestone has just been reached in the implementation of the West Africa Food System Resilience Program (FSRP) in Senegal. A few months after it became operational, the FSRP Management Unit mobilized the implementation structures and various key partners around a workshop from 24 to 25 September in Dakar to work on the agreements and memorandums of understanding that are to provide a framework for the implementation of the activities planned to strengthen the resilience of the food system in the face of climate and economic challenges in Senegal.

This meeting represents a crucial stage in the process of implementing the project in Senegal. It provided an opportunity to share essential information on the origins and objectives of the FSRP, which is designed to ‘Increase preparedness for food insecurity and improve the resilience of food systems in participating countries.

Dr Mouhamadou DIA, National Coordinator of FSRP Senegal, explained the structure and implementation of the project to the FSRP’s implementing structures (SMOs) in Senegal, before emphazising the expected results and impacts, namely the reduction in the number of people suffering from food insecurity and the strengthening of the resilience of food systems.

The FSRP, financed by the World Bank and IFAD, aims to strengthen food security through the modernisation of agricultural practices and the sustainable management of natural resources. To this end, agreements and memorandums of understanding need to be drawn up with the implementing bodies to put in place a structured working framework that will enable efforts to be effectively coordinated with a view to building a more resilient food system in Senegal.

These structures include public and private institutions such as the Agence Nationale d’Aviation Civile et de la Météorologie (ANACIM), the Secrétariat Exécutif du Conseil National de Sécurité Alimentaire (SE-CNSA), the Centre de Suivi Ecologique (CSE), the Direction de l’Horticulture (DHORT), the Direction de l’Agriculture (DA), the Direction de la Protection des Végétaux (DPV), the Institut National de Pédologie (INP) and others.

The programme will also involve academic and research institutions such as the École Nationale Supérieure d’Agriculture (ENSA), and support funds for small and medium-sized agricultural businesses, such as the Fonds National de Recherche sur l’Agriculture et l’Agroalimentaire (FNRAA) and the Fonds d’Appui à la Stabulation (FONSTAB).

An agreement with FONSTAB provides for the funding of 1,268 small-scale sub-projects, including 708 for young people and women, 576 medium-scale sub-projects and 9 large-scale sub-projects, as part of the implementation of activities under sub-component 3.3.

These agreements and protocols, which have been discussed, will formalise and strengthen the collaboration between the FSRP and the SMOs and ensure the effective implementation of actions on the ground. This is therefore an inclusive approach that will ensure the coherence and effectiveness of the actions to be carried out under the FSRP to guarantee food security and the resilience of Senegal’s agricultural system.

As part of the implementation of the multi-phase programmatic approach of the West Africa Food System Resilience Program (FSRP), the World Bank approved on 18 January 2024 a financing of 200 million dollars in support of the third phase of the program (FSRP-3) for Senegal.

This financial support will enable Senegal to join the 7 countries of phase 1 (Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Togo) and phase 2 (Ghana, Sierra Leone and Chad).

Implementation of the FSRP in Senegal will make it possible to strengthen the level of preparedness in the face of food insecurity and improve the resilience of food systems in the country of Teranga. FSRP-3 offers a unique opportunity to remedy the main factors of food insecurity in Senegal and establish the resilience of its food systems. It will make it possible to tackle the factors holding back sustainable production, productivity and competitiveness, while promoting adaptation to and mitigation of climate change.

With more than 600,000 direct beneficiaries – 40% of whom are women – FSRP-3 will help to set up digital advisory services to improve the efficiency of agriculture and the prevention and management of food crises. Beneficiaries include farmers and livestock breeders, small-scale producers and processors, and agricultural micro-entrepreneurs. Financial service providers and public and private institutions will also benefit from the programme.

FSRP in Senegal will help to strengthen capacities for adaptation to climate change and agricultural research systems. The programme will also strengthen the policy environment relating to landscape governance and integrated management to improve food production, the provision of ecosystem services, the protection of biodiversity and the livelihoods of local populations. Support will be provided for the regional food market and trade integration, which will facilitate trade of agricultural products and inputs, both within and across national borders in West Africa.

As in the other FSRP participating countries, the implementation of the programme in Senegal is an opportunity to remove barriers to food trade, invest to improve regional trade and allow the free movement of capital across borders with a view to building the resilience of regional food systems.

Officially launched on 15 June 2022, FSRP with the entry of Senegal thus increases its area of intervention in 8 countries and the number of direct beneficiaries to more than 5 million vulnerable people. This programme, coordinated at regional level by ECOWAS, also involves CILSS and CORAF, and aims to increase preparedness against food insecurity and improve the resilience of food systems in participating countries. It provides a platform for partnerships with many other institutions.