{"id":2689,"date":"2023-08-02T13:38:43","date_gmt":"2023-08-02T11:38:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/reunir.u-naziboni.bf\/?p=2689"},"modified":"2023-08-02T13:39:07","modified_gmt":"2023-08-02T11:39:07","slug":"call-for-communication-international-scientific-symposium-on-migration-climate-change-food-security-and-resilience-in-the-sahel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/reunir.u-naziboni.bf\/en\/call-for-communication-international-scientific-symposium-on-migration-climate-change-food-security-and-resilience-in-the-sahel\/","title":{"rendered":"Call for communication | International scientific symposium on: \u201cMIGRATION, CLIMATE CHANGE, FOOD SECURITY AND RESILIENCE IN THE SAHEL\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

Introduction<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Sahel region faces recurrent problems of food and nutritional insecurity, natural resources degradation, climate change, and poverty. The region has seen the sharpest increase in hunger over the last decade, despite the mobilization and intervention of a wide range of actors to provide food aid to the most vulnerable communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In this context, several strategies have been developed by different partners to overcome this situation. Among them, The partnership between World Food Programme (WFP) and Sahelian higher education and research institutions can be consider as successful. Following the many successes achieved, six (6) higher education and research institutions, namely Universit\u00e9 Nazi BONI (Burkina Faso), Universit\u00e9 Gaston BERGER (Senegal), Universit\u00e9 Abdou MOUMOUNI (Niger), Universit\u00e9 Dan Dicko DANKOULODO de Maradi (Niger), Universit\u00e9 de N\u2019Djamena (Chad) and Institut Polytechnique Rural de Formation et de Recherche Appliqu\u00e9e (Mali), decided to join forces as a network. This commitment led to the creation in January 2020 of the \u201cR\u00e9seau des Universit\u00e9s du Sahel pour la R\u00e9silience (REUNIR)\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

REUNIR aims to be a framework and active network of resilience, food and nutritional security, climate change and natural disasters in the Sahel. Initially composed of six (6) universities, REUNIR will have grown, by 2023, to 11 universities, with the addition of \u201cUniversity de Fada N\u2019Gourma (Burkina Faso), Universit\u00e9 de S\u00e9gou (Mali), Universit\u00e9 de Diffa (Niger), Universit\u00e9 Amadou Moctar Mbow (Senegal) and Universit\u00e9 de Ab\u00e9ch\u00e9 (Chad).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In line with its objectives and as part of the implementation of its 2023 action plan, REUNIR will organize an international scientific symposium on \u201cMigration, Climate Change, Food Security and Resilience\u201d at <\/strong>the Dan Dicko Dankoulodo University in Maradi, Niger, in November 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This symposium has been organized to discuss and to exchange on the major challenges undermining the development process and the importance of building the resilience of Sahelian communities and ecosystems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I. Background and rationale for the symposium<\/mark><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The Sahelian region is characterized by spatiotemporal disparities in climatic characteristics that affect livelihoods, particularly agroforestry and fisheries production. This is due to the fact that Sahelian countries are of almost permanent situation of extreme vulnerability, linked to droughts, pest attacks, ongoing land degradation and progressive desertification of the natural environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the past few decades, the Sahel region has seen a sharp increase in the number of food-insecure people. More than 6 million children under the age of 5 are considered malnourished. The human development index for Sahelian countries is among the lowest in the world, and poverty levels are very high, with low female participation in economic activities and poor access to basic social services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Beyond food issues, other social challenges, such as increasing insecurity migration as well as the large number of refugees and internally displaced people, are having a negative impact on the Sahel. Growing insecurity as a result of worsening conflict situations in the Sahel associated with half a million internally displaced people, is jeopardizing the livelihoods of Sahelian communities. The key challenges affecting the Sahel are outlined below.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  • Migration<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

    Migration is defined as the movement of people from their usual living environment to new horizons. It can be family or individual, temporary or permanent, occupational, forced or voluntary, and looking for a better life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Migration issues are currently the subject of debate at all levels. It is estimated that some 8.4 million migrants leave West Africa for various destinations, mainly Europe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Various sources now consider sub-Saharan Africa to be particularly vulnerable to climate change and its various impacts (IPCC, 2014). The effects of climate change, in the form of erratic rainfall, degradation of agricultural land, drying up of ponds and disappearance of vegetation cover, are at the root of the massive displacement of populations to areas where they can carry out their activities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Migration, especially in the Sahel, is of major concern, with the both internal and cross-border mass forced migrations intensifying the main causes of which are insecurity, famine, extreme poverty, etc.. For more than a decade, the Sahel region has been plagued by growing insecurity linked to the actions of terrorist groups operating in the sub- region, and to intercommunal conflicts (between farmers-herders).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    Van der Land et al. <\/em>(2018) highlighted the importance of circular migration and the impact of remittances on adaptive capacities and resilience in West Africa. Environmental factors are therefore not the only variables to be considered in the decision to migrate. Therefore, Research must consider broader approaches that take into account the heterogeneity of West African contexts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      \n
    • Food and nutritional security<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n

      For about four decades, extreme climatic conditions have continuously pushed millions of people across sub-Saharan Africa into acute food insecurity. Climate-induced shocks to the food system now occur about every 2 years, and in some places are almost permanent. Under these conditions, farms in these countries or regions have no chance of recovering from the shocks. This means that we need to invest in the resilience of communities and ecosystems to overcome food shocks more quickly.. According to the United Nations, up to 65% of productive land in Africa is degraded, and 45% is affected by desertification. Desertification reduces soil fertility and the amount of land available for grazing. In a joint statement at the annual meeting of the Network for Food Crisis Prevention in West Africa (RPCA) held in Lom\u00e9 in December 2022, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), the United Nations Children\u2019s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP) sounded the alarm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      These organizations pointed out that the number of people suffering from hunger in West and Central Africa will reach more than 48 million, including 9 million children, by the end of 2023 if urgent and sustainable solutions are not found. According to the latest results of the Harmonized Framework for Food Security Analysis, over 35 million people (including 6.7 million children) in the Sahelian region, or around 8% of the estimated population, are currently unable to meet their basic food and nutritional needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      It\u2019s not enough for people to have access to food; they also need a nutritionally balanced diet, especially for children aged 0 to 5. Acute malnutrition is often widespread in these countries. The causes are social, cultural and behavioral, but this malnutrition is exacerbated by the growing and widespread insecurity in Sahelian countries. To meet this challenge, it is essential to mobilize scientific expertise to support the development strategies of these countries.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

      In addition, African countries in general, and those in the Sahel in particular, are affected by global shocks that undermine food systems, including volatile commodity markets, increases in energy and fertilizer prices, disruptions into international trade, and the ongoing events in Ukraine. These shocks have led to sharp increases in food prices across the region, exacerbating food insecurity as inflation strains poor household incomes and threatens community resilience. All indicators point to the urgent need to find sustainable solutions to ensure that future generations have productive land to meet their needs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n