Challenges

Considering the natural conditions of the Sahel region and inspired by the Brazilian Cisterns Programme, the issue of water storage became a priority for the development of the region in the 2010s. Millions of families, especially in the poorest households, struggle against climatic shocks: every year, populations are exposed to the risks of water scarcity. Climate change is a catalyser of irregular rainfall, periodic droughts and eventual floods, conditions that also make the Sahel an inadequate space for agricultural activities.

Toward a Solution

The initiative One Million Cisterns for the Sahel seeks to enable Sahel populations to access safe drinking water, manage surpluses to use for agricultural needs and improve their families’ resilience. The project is currently being piloted in Niger and Senegal and aims for rollout in five additional pilot countries: Burkina Faso, Cabo Verde, Chad, the Gambia and Mali, with the potential for extension across the entire region.

The methodology involves an integrated approach, with water management, climate-smart agriculture, agroecology principles, capacity-building, gender empowerment and cash transfer. The aim is to sustain the needs of local communities in the long term, providing clean water in the dry seasons and promoting the adoption of food security practices. The main elements of the programme are as follows: (a) ensuring better access to clean water during the dry season through these harvesting and storage systems, which are aimed at collecting water during the rainy season – June to October – for use during the dry season – November to May; (b) providing agroecological inputs in consultation with local communities and adapted to local conditions, with vegetable production used for self-consumption and sales, seeking to improve nutrition levels and incomes; (c) communities participating in the construction of cisterns through cash-for-work activities and the use of local materials; and (d) training of local communities in the construction, use and maintenance of cisterns, thus becoming qualified for civil construction works, infrastructure maintenance and good water management techniques.

The One Million Cisterns for the Sahel initiative is inspired by Brazil’s Cisterns Programme, implemented by the Government of Brazil and promoted by Articulação no Semiárido Brasileiro. The project is organized and facilitated by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), with the exchange of experiences between the Government of Brazil and African counterparts and among African countries themselves, enabling common problems to be overcome through the application of concerted solutions. The FAO programme is still being implemented, aiming to reach millions of people in vulnerable situations. To date, the four components are being put into practice simultaneously.  

With an integrated approach bringing together multiple actors, the programme involves the governments of the Sahel region as well as local communities, with training for empowerment as a central component. This raises awareness of the social problem and facilitates the spill-over of outcomes, thereby facilitating the engagement of donors and agencies in the implementation of the programme.