31
Oct

Fruit trees (Wassadou Dépot, Senegal), February 2023

Fruit trees provide food and some even have medicinal properties. They are much appreciated by the villagers, but because of the poor state of the soil and the lack of water, many of these trees had disappeared. Thanks to the village well, the people of Wassadou Depot have been able to replant several of them.     We have grafted

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31
Oct

The difficulties faced by villagers (Banzana, Mali), February 2023

Because of climate change, villagers are facing difficulties that affect their crops, their food and financial security and their quality of life. In this report, they talk about these difficulties: the lack of rain, the drought, the poor condition of the land, but also the roaming of animals, which can completely destroy crops.   “I grow rice and okra in

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23
Oct

The songs of agricultural work in Mali, February 2023

The villagers taking part in the Watigueleya Kele programme have collected a number of songs that accompany farm work. More or less recent, they punctuate the collective work, encourage the workers and sometimes express their concerns and hopes.   Song (Bouillagui) waxati kigné ono soxano dema hakheti sou iwa soukho teni noxo: soxé ni gollè mounafante nia   kha khotenie,

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19
Oct

Adapting crops to climate change (Bougarila, Mali), February 2023

Climate change and the adverse effects that go with it mean that farmers have to adapt their crops to get through the lean seasons. The lean season is the period before the next harvest when food supplies from the previous season run out. Drought and increased climatic hazards mean that stocks are depleted more quickly, making people more vulnerable to

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18
Oct

Wintering and preparations for wintering (Banzana, Mali), February 2023

Wintering (the rainy season) is an important period in agricultural activity, when the rains invigorate the fields and make them fertile. Unfortunately, because of climate change and irregular and decreasing rainfall, crops suffer from drought, producing poor harvests that do not allow farmers to make a living. Faced with these difficulties, villagers have had to adapt their farming practices in

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14
Sep

Fonio harvest (Bandafassi, Senegal), February 2023

The change in rainfall at Bandafassi is a crucial issue in terms of climate resilience, particularly in terms of adapting the sowing calendar. Fonio is sown according to anticipated rainfall, which sometimes turns out to be wrong, with significant effects on yield. This video shows the different stages in the fonio harvest in our villages. This is the harvesting of

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12
Sep

The cutting of the roast tree (Bougarila, Mali), February 2023

Deforestation exacerbates the effects of climate change, and impacts people’s food security (reduced access to fruit). However, in the short term, cutting down trees provides essential services to local communities, particularly for construction. To avoid having to cut down the roast tree, whose fruit is edible and which grows slowly, the villagers of Bougarila have turned to another species for

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11
Sep

Praise for the fastest grower (Bossoko, Guinea), February 2023

In collective cultures, we celebrate the hero among all the men in the village, the one who works the fastest and the best. He is the hero of the day. At home, in the evening, the reward for the hero is the head of the ram that has been killed for the community. The head is handed over to him,

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17
Aug

The Carapa procera, Guinea, July 2023

The West-African indigenous tree, Carapa procera has multiple properties with huge potential for increasing rural communities’ climate resilience. The oil of Carapa procera nuts are notably used in traditional medicine and for cosmetics. In Upper Guinea, Carapa procera is also used as a wildfire breaker solution. Wildfire reduction is crucial to increase food security, biodiversity and habitat protection and sustain

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9
Aug

Protecting a palm tree in Bouillagui (Mali), February 2023

This report is about our classified forest. It’s a very important forest for us in Bouillagui, covering an area of more than 15 km. It is home to a palm tree specie known as the “rônier”. This is the most useful tree in Boullagui, with the trunks used for construction (roofing) and the branches used to make baskets. Around thirty

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