WASCAL: West African Science Service Center on Climate and ... · GIS and Remote Sensing Unit Data Centre HPC environment . Climate and ... Land degradation and rehabilitation. Efficient

West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use

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 socio-ecological landscapes, and attaining sustainable agricultural production and food security


● Climate science ● Biophysical & socioeconomic studies ● GIS & Remote sensing ● Data infrastructure

Services Provision

Research

Training and Capacity building

Three pillars of WASCAL

● Climate ● Environmental

● 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

West African Science Service Center on Climate Change and Adapted Land Use 10

Meso-scale watersheds: Core Research Program (2013-2017)

Burkina Faso Ghana Benin


11

Regional interdisciplinary observation networks


Climate change scenarios in West Africa (CORDEX)

Sylla et al. (2016), Springer book chapter ISBN: 978-3-319-31497-6 Sylla et al. 2017, in preparation

Mean Precip change in 1.5oC and 2

oC warmer World (i.e.

COP21 agreem.)


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. R

emote

Sensing of E

nvironment 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 FP1.

Services Provision

FP2. Resilient Socio-Ecological

Landscapes

FP3. Sustainable Intensification for Food Security

FP4. Climate Modelling and

Seasonal Forecasting

- 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

- CoA 1.1 Climate Services for Informed Decision Making - CoA 1.2 Environmental Services for Improved and Productive Land Use Systems

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Land degradation and rehabilitation

Efficient network for data collection

Biodiversity loss and carbon sequestration

Sustainable agriculture and food security

Climate change and variability

Impact studies and risk assessment

Socio-economics and policy

Sustainable climate database

Score of top regional research priorities


Pathway to service delivery

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

By 2021:

Climate and Environmental

Services


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! [email protected]

Documents

WASCAL: West African Science Service Center on Climate and ... · GIS and Remote Sensing Unit Data Centre HPC environment . Climate and ... Land degradation and rehabilitation. Efficient