Agriculture is the mainstay of the Sahel economy and has a significant contribution to employment. Agriculture consumes more than 70% of freshwater resources, globally, this figure could be even stronger for the Sahel. This clearly shows the need for more sustainable ecological water management in agriculture, while also trying to address the livelihoods of the vast number of people employed in this sector.

ESAWM is a framework that combines the disciplines of the integrated landscape approach and markets for development in order to reach a food secure Sahel that safeguards its wetland resources.

In this session we will present the ESAWM framework and then engage with practitioners in Mali and Ethiopia. We will demonstrate how we use low-cost, high-tech monitoring solutions to be able to manage the water resource and assess the impact of interventions. In Mali we will show smallholder farmers that produce their own organic pesticides, resulting in higher income. In Ethiopia we will show how we work together with farmers and government to establish buffer zones around lakes in order to safeguard wetland resources. We will conclude and discuss on the successes and challenges faced by implementing the principles and practices of the ESAWM.

source

By admin