Ex-ante mapping of favorable zones for disseminating climate-smart-agriculture technologies: a case study in West Africa

This communication presents a pilot exercise aiming to map areas in West Africa suitable for the adoption of four potentially climate-smart technologies: intercropping cereals and cowpea, agroforestry, mulching, and fodder crops (Mucuna). This mapping considers biophysical (eg. soil, rainfall, temperature), socio-technical (eg. animal and human densities) and institutional variables (policy documents) to define “unfavorable”, “more or less favorable” or “very favorable” zones for the adoption of these technologies. It shows that few zones are considered “very favorable” for the four practices considered. Mulching could be feasible in the largest area while cultivating Mucuna had the most limited area of feasibility. While the area in which the agroforestry technology could be feasible is extensive, no "very favorable" zone was identified. This illustrates the complexity of technology adoption processes. Nonetheless, by delineating areas where synergies exist or not between these different biophysical, socio-technical and institutional dimensions, it is possible to define differentiated strategies for the transition towards climate-smart agriculture (CSA). The limitations of the method are presented along with its possible uses, particularly to guide decision-making by development actors seeking to expand CSA in sub-Saharan Africa.