Crop-livestock-climate nexus: intensification pathways under different climate realizations in the Sahel, West Africa

Competition between crops and livestock farming systems escalates due to changing land use patterns driven by climate change in the Sahel of West Africa’s, particularly the Volta and Niger River basins. This study demonstrates the practical implications of sustainable intensification pathways under different climate realizations that illustrate the synergies of the crop-livestock-climate nexus in reducing the negative impacts of climatic extreme events in the Sahel of West Africa. Integrated crop-livestock experimental designs were conducted during the 2018-2022 rainy seasons across Burkina Faso, Ghana, Mali, and Niger and covering 80 pilot farms across these countries. These pilot sites were grouped into intensive and extensive sets. The intensive pilot sites implemented Fisher block experiments under natural conditions, with multiple treatments involving the use of digestate from biodigesters. The extensive sites employed a randomized complete block design with treatment involving compost from pits/surfaces. To support these experimental designs, a customized agroclimatic information package was provided to the farmers in the pilot sites. The package included sub-seasonal-to-seasonal forecasts and agricultural advisory of how the climate information can be used efficiently (i.e., Technical itinerary). Results indicate that amendments significantly impacted soil nutrient levels, with compost from pits exhibiting superior carbon storage despite recorded weather extremes. Organic fertilization increases nitrogen content, compensating for plant nitrogen exports. Furthermore, digestate-based and pit compost effectively enhance soil fertility in terms of carbon, phosphorus, and nitrogen. Crop production also showed marked improvements, particularly in treatments receiving organic amendments and micro-doses of chemical fertilizers, although variations between sites were evident. Hence, two basic intensification pathways were identified that emphasize using crop residues, composts, and agroclimatic information advisory systems, presenting scalable solutions for sustainable agricultural development and climate resilience in the Sahel region. Integrating biodigester technology, composting, and micro-dosing practices provides short and medium-term benefits, including improved soil health, enhanced water retention, and greater resilience to climate extremes. This sustainable approach is scalable and also addresses waste management and emission reduction, aligning with climate-smart practices. To promote such mixed farming systems agricultural policies must include awareness campaigns about these pathways, subsidies for the biodigester technology, and technical training to farmers in the Sahel region.