Climatic resilience of agroecological intensification (AEI) practices across semi-arid West Africa

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Abstract Agroecology is widely promoted to address the environmental impacts of intensive farming and support the UN Sustainable Development Goals. However, in semi-arid West Africa, the potential of agroecological intensification (AEI) to improve food security remains contested due to severe climate variability, soil degradation, and structural barriers like limited input access and weak extension services. This study assessed the effects of key AEI practices—including legume rotations, dual-purpose sorghum varieties, manure application, and crop residue retention—on the resilience and sustainability of cropping systems under weather variability. Using the scientific impact assessment and modeling platform for advanced crop and ecosystem management framework, we conducted continuous 10-year simulations (2006–2015) across study sites in Mali, Burkina Faso, and Senegal, capturing weather variability via a large climate ensemble. Results showed that simulated cereal yields in monocropping and rotation systems were similar in deep soils, but rotations outperformed monocropping in shallow soils. Organic amendments increased yields under all conditions, with the highest yields occurring under manure application in Burkina Faso and for grain-only sorghum in Mali. Yield variability was generally higher with manure application than with residue retention. Residue retention improved dual-purpose variety yields in Senegal and Mali, whereas omitting organic inputs consistently increased the risk of crop failure. Soil organic carbon accumulation trends were inconsistent across regions, and nitrogen leaching was higher in shallow soils. Overall, while these findings highlight the potential of AEI, they must be validated by site-specific experimentation that accounts for economic returns, labor constraints, and pest and disease dynamics.

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