Community Resilience: Integrating Local Approaches into Senegal's Climate Change Adaptation Agenda

The document examines the integration of locally-led adaptation (LLA) into Senegal's climate strategy, specifically focusing on the alignment between community-driven initiatives and the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). Through case studies in agriculture, coastal zones, and health, the research demonstrates that while local actions are often consistent with national priorities, they are hindered by a lack of government recognition, limited technical capacity, and poor access to climate finance. The paper argues for a shift from top-down approaches to a model that empowers local communities to ensure sustainable and effective climate resilience.

• Senegal faces significant structural barriers to implementing climate action, including poor integration of climate risks in sectoral planning, inequalities in climate finance access, and a lack of a performance monitoring framework such as a Monitoring, Reporting, Verifying (MRV) system.
• The government of Senegal requires approximately $14.5 billion in climate funds to implement its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) by 2030.
• In Daga Birame, women farmers implemented climate-smart agriculture through capacity building and climate information services, resulting in improved agricultural yields and the co-benefit of using solar energy for homes and borehole water.
• The REVARD initiative on Dionewar island utilized 'Epis Maltais Savard' (Maltese groins) and reforestation to combat coastal erosion, achieving a beach gain of 2.6 meters and reducing fishing-related disaster risks.
• In Widou Thiéngoly, the community established an Early Warning System (EWS) and promoted bioclimatic architecture to mitigate health risks from heat waves, which can reach temperatures of 46 to 48°C.
• Despite the alignment of local initiatives with the NDC, there is a systemic disconnect where local participants are often unaware of national policies, and the central government provides limited recognition or financial support for endogenous practices.

APA

Sy, I. (2024). Community Resilience: Integrating Local Approaches into Senegal's Climate Change Adaptation Agenda. Africa Policy Research Institute. https://afripoli.org/community-resilience-integrating-local-approaches-into-senegals-climate-change-adaptation-agenda

Chicago

Sy, Ibrahima. Community Resilience: Integrating Local Approaches into Senegal's Climate Change Adaptation Agenda. Africa Policy Research Institute, 2024. https://afripoli.org/community-resilience-integrating-local-approaches-into-senegals-climate-change-adaptation-agenda.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Sy |first1=Ibrahima |title=Community Resilience: Integrating Local Approaches into Senegal's Climate Change Adaptation Agenda |publisher=Africa Policy Research Institute |date=6 February 2024 |url=https://afripoli.org/community-resilience-integrating-local-approaches-into-senegals-climate-change-adaptation-agenda |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{sy2024community, author = {Sy, Ibrahima}, title = {{Community Resilience: Integrating Local Approaches into Senegal's Climate Change Adaptation Agenda}}, institution = {Africa Policy Research Institute}, year = {2024}, month = feb, url = {https://afripoli.org/community-resilience-integrating-local-approaches-into-senegals-climate-change-adaptation-agenda}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }