UPSCALERS

The countries in West Africa sharing Volta and Niger Basins are among the poorest countries in the world and this region is also characterized by population migration, political instability and a strong poverty gradient from the south and north along with increasing tension between crop and livestock-based farming systems. Moreover, in the face of new climate challenges, sustainable smallholder needs to include climate-smart, site-specific practices combining crop and livestock productions. 

Therefore, Integrated Assessment Modeling is required to assess the potentials and constraints of crop-livestock systems at the farm scale and to identify the most suitable systems depending on biophysical and socio-economic site conditions at the regional scale while taking into account the perspectives of local stakeholders to cope with climate constraints and economic variability. In this context, UPSCALERS project is aiming to contribute innovative research guidance in positioning smallholder farming as an asset for food security. The major objective of UPSCALERS project is, therefore, to provide research guidance on the optimum use of soil water, land, livestock and climate information in smallholder farming systems to increase cereal/legume productions (millet, maize, rice, and cowpea) and improve land resilience for sustainable agriculture. This project will be located in the upper Niger basin and northern Volta basin. The transect will include a pilot farm in the rural communities of San and Segou (Mali), Dedougou, Ouagadougou, Bogande and Ouahigouya (Burkina Faso).