Permanent Interstate Committee for Drougth control in the Sahel

AGRHYMET Regional Centre

Bénin Burkina Faso Cap Vert Côte d’Ivoire Gambie Guinée Guinée Bissau Mali Mauritanie Niger Sénégal Tchad Togo

General Presentation

Information and training for the Sahel and West Africa

July 2016

Centre Régional AGRHYMETBP. 11011, Niamey, Niger; Tel: +227 20 31 53 16; Fax: +227 20 31 54 35

E-Mail: admin@agrhymet.ne ; Web Site: www.agrhymet.neTwitter: https://twitter.com/agrhymetinfos, Facebook: centreregionalagrhymet.cra

CONTENT

Administrative structure.................................................................... 3

Main activities ................................................................................. 3

Information production activities ....................................................

4

Training activities ............................................................................ 6

Research ........................................................................................ 8

Technical support.............................................................................. 9

Expertise of AGRHYMET Regional Centre................................... 10

Innovative projects of AGRHYMET Regional Centre..................... 12

Major achievements......................................................................... 13

Support to National components..................................................... 13

International cooperation ............................................................... 14

AGRHYMET Regional Centre awards........................................... 15

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The Regional Centre of Agro-Hydro-Meteorology (AGRHYMET) is a specialized institution of the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel (CILSS). CILSS is an Intergovernmental organization created on 12 September 1973. Currently, it counts thirteen (13) Member States: Benin, Burkina Faso, Cape-Verde, Côte d’Ivoire, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Chad and Togo.

Its mission consists of conducting research in food security issues and controlling drought and desertification effects for a new ecological balance in the Sahel.

AGRHYMET Regional Centre was created on 20 December 1974. It is an Interstate Institution with a legal status and a financial autonomy with its Headquarter in Niamey. It is led by a, Director General who manages:

- Three (3) Departments: The Research and Information Department (DIR), Research and Training Department (DFR), and Technical Support Department (DAT)- Five (5) transversal units : the Administration, Finance and Accounting (UAFC), the Communication, Information and Documentation Unit (UCID), the Human Resource Management Unit (UGRH), the Monitoring and Evaluation Unit (USE) and the Scientific Coordination Unit (UCS).

In the fulfillment of his duties, the Director General is supported by a technical assistant.

The AGRHYMET Regional Centre

Administrative structure

Main activities

- Collection, processing and dissemination of information on food security, market access, natural resource management, water and desertification control and climate change in the Sahel and West Africa;

- The development of decision support tools to meet the requirement for Sahelian and West African populations development;

- Strengthening of technical capacities through training and transfer of tools, methods and know-how adapted to Sahelian and West African countries in the fields of climatology, agro-meteorology, hydrology, crop protection, geomoatics and remote sensing.

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Information production activities

AGRHYMET Regional Centre makes available some reliable and relevant information products in the following domains:

- Food Security; - Desertification Control; - Water Management; - Market access; - Climate change.

The scientific and technical information are the results of processing and analysis of ground-observed data combined with satellite remote sensing data (MODIS, SPOT, METEOSAT and MSG). This information is made available to the different users into map format, bulletin and thematic data base.

Maps

- Vegetation Index;- Monitoring rivers and water ponds;- Rainfall estimates;- Estimated yields;- Successful sowing dates;- Administrative unit maps; - At risk zones;- Assessment and monitoring of fodder and vegetal biomass

Bulletins- Growing season monitoring Monthly Bulletin;- Decision-support Special Bulletin;- Regional summary;- Special desert Locust bulletin.

Monitoring and analysis tool- Crop Monitoring, Pastoral Monitoring, Phytosanitary Monitoring;- Climate and Hydrological data management.

Services

- On-the-job training on the following themes: Remote sensing, Geographic Information System (GIS), Geomatic etc. - Study and advisories on ecology and environment related questions- Field consultancy- Soil analysis, - Hydrological and phytosanitary analysis, etc...

- Agricultural Producer;- National Development companies;- International organizations;- Cooperation agencies;- Non Governmental Organizations;- Training schools;- Governmental services;- Consultancy firms, etc.

Targets

Products and services

AGRHYMET Monthly bulletin Special bulletin on climate seasonal forecast 2016

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DATA ACQUISITION/COLLECTION

DATA ARCHIVING AND MANAGEMENT

DEVELOPMENT OF PRODUCTS

DISSEMINATIONON-THE-JOB TRAINING

National components

The information mechanism of AGRHYMET Regional Centre: a scientific and technical information source that is reliable and useful geared toward the sustainable

development of the sub-region

Satellite

Satellite reception/processing chain

Classification of the Cadre Harmonisé Map

Map on bushfires

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Training activities

Trainings organized by the AGRHYMET Regional Centre are designed based on a professional reference frame adapted to the African environment

They are in line with the visions of policy-makers, technical and financial partners and actors who are involved in finding sustainable and relevant solutions to reach food security, water control, address desertification

Trainings are conducted by trainers of AGRHYMET Regional Centre who are graduated from renowned African, European or American universities. They have proven experience in the field of food security, water management, desertification control, and climate change.

AGRHYMET faculty members during a graduation ceremony

2014 Masters Groups

They allow all trainees to acquire the theoretical knowledge and practical skills in the following training programs:

Master Program :

- Master in Climate Change and Sustainable Development - Master in Sustainable Protection of crops and Environment - Master in Sustainable land Management - Master in Food and Nutrition Security - Master in Integrated Water Resource Management and Environment

Engineering and Higher Technician Program

Courses are delivered in the following fields:- Crop protection - Hydrology - Agro-Meteorology- Instruments and Micro-computing

Graduate education

Practical session in the phytopathology laboratory

Hydrology students on Niger River

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Short term Trainings They contribute to strengthening the scientific and technical knowledge of the Sahelian and West African technical staff of all levels consisting of short training sessions not leading to a degree.

Over 6000 technical staff from CILSS countries and other Regions of Africa have participated in these short training courses keeping their knowledge level abreast in the following thematic fields:

• Integration of climate change in policies and budgets• Integrated Water Resources Management• Integrated management of Cereal crops, market gardening,

leguminous, industrial crops and orchards• Protection of stocked foodstuff and seeds • Integrated management of locust and crop pests• Maintenance of meteorological automatic stations• Mastering the CISCO CCNA Discovery systems• Data base management• Geographic Information System• Remote sensing, etc.

Short term trainings are organized in different options :

• Specializedindividualtrainingondemand• GroupTraining:TheARCproposestrainingmodulestopotentialusers (Public services, Private sector)• On-the-jobtraining

Trainees field practice session

Overview of the documentation Centre

The targeted applicants to these trainings programs are students and professionals in agriculture, crop protection, rural engineering, meteorology, hydrology, computer science and environment

Since its creation, AGRHYMET Regional Centre has trained over 1300 graduates who are now employed at Ministeries, non-governmental organizations, Development projects and the private sector.

It has an effective technological potential and adequate infrastructure to conduct the training activities. They consist of:

• Sevenlaboratories(bioCarbone,molecularbiology, agricultural zoology, hydrology, phytopharmacy, electronics) and a language laboratory• Sixairconditionedclassrooms• A120seatsAmphitheatreequippedwithinterpretation material• Aconferenceroom• AdocumentationCentre• AnAgro-meteorologicalparkcomposedofanautomatic meteorological station• Threecomputerrooms• Oneinsectarium• Astudentdormitory,etc.

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Research

The AGRHYMET Regional Centre has been increasingly involved in research to further stimulate its experts to keep abreast of the technological advancements, leading among other results to the improvement of professional trainings quality.

Experts of AGRHYMET Regional Centre are engaged internally and also in partnership with their colleagues from other higher education Institutions of the North and the South, in technical and scientific activities related to the intervention area of ARC including the new challenges of the 3rd millennium in terms of sustainable Development, biotechnology and climate change

In the area of information activities, AGRHYMET is involved in the search for new tools and concept that could lead to finding efficient and sustainable solutions in food security, water management, desertification control and climate change. Research activities have often led to the publication of articles in the international scientific journals, technical and communication documents at international conferences.

These research activities are presented, to the Pedagogical and Scientific Council for review.

Analysis of tomato roots in the biomolecular laboratory

Locust breeding in the insectarium some test on the green pepper disease

Analysis of biomass sample in the biocarbon laboratory

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Technical support

Technical information provided by AGRHYMET Regional Centre is produced from tabular and spatial data. This information is disseminated to the CILSS member states and to the International Community in real time through the telecommunication equipments managed by the Technical Support Department.

As for the technical support, AGRHYMET Regional Centre assists in the following areas:

- Production of data useful in operational and /or strategic needs;- Setting up a national data bank system for AGRHYMET National Component(ANC) which is similar to the one that exists at the ARC;- Data base transfer to ANC;- Support to the ANC by the transfer of tools and methods for the collection, management, processing and valorization of data- Participation at the installation of new tools and the organization of in situ trainings;- Setting up AGRHYMET stations in the ANC that have the entire tools and applications developed by ARC- Support to the ANC in implementing the computer maintenance plan and telecommunication which contribute to the ARC activities - Development and improvement of software in accordance with ARC activities- Keeping abreast with the technological advancement and the development of new methods, applications, and data base in the area of computer science and electronic, etc

Internally, the ARC technical support is mainly concerned with:

- Coordination of the maintenance activities of the ARC computer system- Management and control of all the entire network and internet systems- Assistance to the Departments and Units in the development of methodologies, applications and computer products - Coordination and management of the satellite reception systems at ARC- Development of extraction, synthesis and data display interfaces addressing CILSS expressed needs- Centralization of the ARC data- Improving the flow, exchange and dissemination of data to all users through appropriate media (CDROMS, FTP, Web portal, etc.)- The coordination of the entire activities of the valorization of the AGRHYMET Regional Centre domain, etc.- Coordination of the entire activities related to the development of AGRHYMET Regional Centre’s domain, etc.

Diagram of the ARC’s data base CILSS platform on climate change and sustainable land management

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The expertise of the ARC

Qualified staffConsolidated by over 40 years of experience, the AGRHYMET Regional Centre know-how in terms of information, production of operational knowledge and training grants the Centre a key role at regional and international levels in the search for sustainable solutions for the welfare of Sahelian and West Africans populations,

Experts of AGRHYMET Regional Centre have excellent professional experience and contribute through training activities, research and scientific publications to the reinforcement of Africans’ capacities in the area of food security, water management, and desertification control

The qualified technical staff of ARC of about sixty experts in the areas of entomology, phytopathology, nematology, hydrology, agro meteorology, agronomy, climatology, phytopharmacy, popularization, information system, computer science, statistics, rural economy, market, electronic, remote sensing, communication, multimedia, internet, project management, etc

- Professional training: agronomy, crop protection, water resource management, agro-meteorology, computer science;

- Management of data bank;-Software engineering;- Geographic Information System: natural resources mapping,- Remote sensing: interpretation of images, diachronic study of resources, mapping...;- Hydrological modeling, study/ analysis of watersheds and hydro-agricultural planning,

steering of the irrigation- modeling crop systems;-modeling plant irrigation system;- Mathematics modeling and digital simulation;- Diagnosis of the phytosanitary problems;- Monitoring-evaluation and management of projects;- Design of communication material (leaflets, posters, flyers.)

Specific area of competence

AGRHYMET, a confirmed expertize with over 40 years of experiences

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High performance equipment and modern infrastructures

AGRHYMET Regional Centre has high performance technologies and appropriate infrastructures to conduct its activities and organize among others workshops and symposia of regional and international scope. These include :

- A 130 rooms Student dormitory with a space dedicated to internet communication; - A 120-seat Amphitheatre- 8 classrooms- 3 computer rooms fully equipped - A Visio-conference room - A guest house - A telecommunication room consisting of 8 servers for the management of data bank, a NOAA recep tion station, a direct MSG reception station- A documentation Centre- 6 laboratories: Phytopathology, Phytopharmacy/Ecotoxicology, agricultural Zoology, Electronic Bio Carbone and Bimolecular;- A language laboratory- A park dedicated to didactic agro-meteorology, equipped with classic instruments and an automatic meteorological station - A hydrologic park with various hydrometric and geophysics equipment (ADCP, Resistivimeter, ZODIAC, etc.) and a technological platform (hydrometric) located at the Niger River bank in Niamey;- An experimental sixty hectares large piece of land of composed of two irrigable per aspersion, gra vity irrigation, drop per drop, and 1, 4 ha of orchard.- An insectarium- An arboretum.

Administrative building

NEW INFRASTRUCTURES

Renewed and equipped Amphitheatre Renewed and equipped Telecommunication room

Guest house

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The ECOWAS Agriculture Regional Information System (ECOAGRIS)

Sponsored by the European Union at 18 million Euros, the objective of ECOAGRIS is to strengthen and integrate the information systems at different local, national and regional scales. With a duration of 54 months, this project aims at addressing the information needs to monitor food and nutrition situations, analyze vulnerability, support decision-making in order to anticipate food and nutrition crises and better target the intervention areas

Monitoring for Environment and Security in Africa (MESA)

Sponsored by the European Union at 2, 5 million Euros, the overall objective of the MESA project is to improve the Environmental monitoring capacities of regional and national institutions of the CILSS-ECOWAS region. It is more specifically about a better use of earth observation data for an enhanced water control, and a more efficient agriculture and livestock management.

Institutional Support to African Climate Institutions project (ISACIP/AfriClimServ)

This project of continental scope is funded by the African Development Bank at 30 million US for 3 years. The project aims at strengthening the forecasting capacities of the African climate Centre: the African Centre for Meteorological Applications to Development (ACMAD), AGRHYMET Regional Centre, the forecasting and climatologic Application Centre IGAD (ICPAC) and the Drought Monitoring Centre (DMC).

Support Project to Climate change adaptation by the improvement of climate information (ACCIC / DANIDA)

This two years regional project is funded by the Danish cooperation at 3, 6 million Euros. Its strategic objective is to “support climate adaptation strategies in West Africa by making available scientific quality data”.

Global Climate Change Alliance (AMCC or GCCA)

Also sponsored by the European Union totaling 4 million Euros for 48 months, GCCA is an initiative that is shared between the European Union and the ACP countries which are the most exposed to climate change effects. For our region, the objective is to support the CILSS/ECOWAS member countries to address climate change in implementing priority adaptation and mitigation actions in order to reduce sustainably poverty of the most vulnerable populations.

Food Security Thematic Program (FSTP): section 3 / Regional Program of Sustainable Land Management and climate change adaptation in the Sahel and West Africa (PR-GDT).

This program totaling 13,25 million Euros and for a period of 60 months is co-funded by the European Union, the Global French Environment Facility (FGEF) and the Research Centre for International Development (CRDI). The objective is to create the technical, political and strategic conditions, for a sustainable land management contributing to the climate change adaptation of the Sahelian and West African populations

Climate change adaptation program in the water and agricultural sector (FFEM/AOC).

This project is funded by the Global French Environment Facility (FGEF) totaling 1, 2 million Euros. For a period of 60 months, the objective of this project is to strengthen the capacities of the West African countries in order to address climate change. It includes the development of a web knowledge exchange platform, production of knowledge, implementation of innovative pilot projects, support to climate change training and support to the integration of climate dimension in the sectorial policies.

The ARC innovating projects

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The major achievements

• TrainingoftechnicalstafffromtheSahelianandWestAfricancountriesintheareasoffoodsecurity,water management, desertification control and climate change• TrainingofjuniorandseniorclimatenegotiatorsofWestAfrica;• Trainingofnationaltechnicalstaffonintegrationofclimatechangeinpoliciesandbudgets;• DesigninganddisseminationofaspecialCOPbulletintonegotiatorsanddecision-makers;• Assistance to CILSS/ECOWASmember countries in designing and implementing the Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs)• TrainingonscalingClimateSmartAgriculturetechniques;• CapitalizinglowcarbonadaptationpracticesinWestAfricaintheAgro-sylvo-pastoralsector;• TrainingofprojectownersofCleanDevelopmentMechanism(CDM);• Settingupaplatformfordisseminationandsharingofexperienceandknowledgeonclimatechange;• PublicationofthreeAtlasonclimatechangeintheSahel;• OrganizationofclimateseasonalforecastforSudano-SahelianandGulfofGuineacountries• Productionofdocumentsonclimate,risksinagricultureandclimatechangeadaptation;• MonitoringhouseholdvulnerabilityandzonesatriskoffoodinsecurityintheSahelandWestAfricaespecially as part of the “Cadre Harmonisé” mechanism;• Agro-meteorologicalandhydrologicalmonitoringatregionallevel;• Monitoringofcrops,pasturesandbushfires;• Settinguparegionalhydrologicalandmeteorologicaldatabanksystem;• Maintenanceofmeteorologicalinstrumentsandelectronicequipment• Settingupaninformationsystemonmarkets• SupporttotheMultidisciplinaryWorkingGroupbythetransferofmethodologiesandanalysestoolsonfood security and natural resource management;• Settingupanearlywarningsystem;• Improvement ofmanagement and data access and climatologic, hydrologic and agricultural information (CLIDATA, information charter …)• Designingandformulationofbiopesticides«Greenmuscle»;• DisseminationofclimateinformationbytheAGROMETTOOLBOX,etc;• UsingtheWebextoimprovecommunicationwithcountriestomonitortheagro-sylvo-pastoralcampaign

Support to national components AGRHYMET Regional Centre has representatives in the CILSS /ECOWAS member countries called AGRHYMET National Components (ANC). The ANC are composed of the technical services from the governments (agriculture, livestock, meteorology, management and protection of waters and forests, crop protection, hydraulic, environment) and representatives and the civil society (NGOs). The ANC are key relay for collection, processing and diffusion of information that are developed at AGRHYMET Regional Centre.

AGRHYMET Regional Centre provides the ANC with satellite images (NDVI, rainfall field), of regional information on food security, natural resource management, desertification control, water management and environment

Furthermore, AGRHYMET has contributed in training many Sahelian technical staff in the area of agro-meteorology, hydrology, crop protection, computer science, data processing and maintenance of meteorological and hydrological equipment

In return, the ANC provide field data useful in refining the monitoring and evaluation of the Sahelian and West African region (meteorological, pastorals, hydrological, data etc.). The composition of the ANC has change in a sensible way during the last few years with the participation to the agricultural services (plant production, agricultural statistics, crop protection, extension) as part of the multidisciplinary working group activities (GTP).

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International Cooperation

AGRHYMET Regional Centre’s research and training activities are conducted with the support and the trust of its financial partners: the CILSS member states, USAID, the European Union, the African Development Bank, the World Bank, the French Cooperation and the Danish cooperation (DANIDA).

AGRHYMET Regional Centre conducts various cooperation activities in the area of Development and Research:

• IntegrationofresearchanddevelopmentpolessuchasthePlatformfortheRegionalInstitutionsforDevelopment and Meteorology (PIREM) composed of AGRHYMET Regional Centre, ICRISAT, ABN/NBA, ACMAD, EAMAC and CRESA.• openingtootherregionalinstitutionsandotherAfricancountriesinordertosharetheexperienceacquiredinthe area of training and information on food security, water management, desertification control and climate change• EstablishingpartnershipagreementswithotherinstitutionsofAfricaandotherregionsoftheWorld

AGRHYMET Regional Centre recognitions

Recognition of the AGRHYMET Regional Centre degrees by CAMES

Centre of Excellence of UEMOA

Recognized by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as a meteorological training Centre

Designated as member of the CORDEX network (sponsored by the Global Climate Research Program) whose objective is to set up a coordinated international framework for the improvement of climate change projections for a use in climate impact and adaptation study.

Designated as the implementation Centre of the West African component for a number of continental projects (AMESD, MESA, SCARDA)

Designated to host the mirror data base for the AMMA international Program

Member of the Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie (AUF) and the SIFEE

Member of the CISCO academy for the computer networks

Overview of the communications support material of the AGRHYMET Regional Centre

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Centre Régional AGRHYMETBP. 11011, Niamey, Niger; Tel: +227 20 31 53 16; Fax: +227 20 31 54 35

E-Mail: admin@agrhymet.ne ; Web Site: www.agrhymet.neTwitter: https://twitter.com/agrhymetinfos, Facebook: centreregionalagrhymet.cra

Design : AG

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