Story

The ARTSAgroecology for Resilient Territories in SenegalThe project itself: action-research 2023-2026. project unfolded in a Senegal going through a period of intense political turbulence. Between 2023 and 2024, the country experienced a tense electoral cycle, the imprisonment and then release of key political figures, demonstrations across major urban areas - including Bignona and Mbour which are central to the project - and finally, in March 2024, the arrival in office of a new regime led by former political prisoners and opposition leaders Bassirou Diomaye Faye (President) and Ousmane Sonko (Prime Minister).

The new government has put food sovereignty and the agroecological transition among its strategic priorities. Yet national agricultural policies continue to favour a modernised, productivist approach, as recent declarations from the Ministry of Agriculture suggest. For ARTS this context is both a window of opportunity - generating actionable knowledge for the early years of this administration - and a challenge: maintaining a long-term systemic transformation vision against short-term coping strategies imposed by economic pressure.

Civil society, through the DyTAELLocal Agroecological Transition PlatformCitizen-led multi-stakeholder platform at the territory level (Bignona, Mbour). (Dynamique pour une Transition Agroécologique Locale) and its national counterpart DyTAESSenegalese Agroecological Transition PlatformNational network linking the local DyTAELs and carrying agroecology advocacy in Senegal., has continued to expand and decentralise its agenda. It is within this momentum that ARTS achieved most of its expected outcomes while opening new long-term perspectives - notably via the acquisition of two complementary initiatives funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSFSwiss National Science Foundation) and the Liechtenstein Development Service (LED).

Agroecology in Senegal is gaining traction but remains fragmented. Isolated successes existed, yet they lack coordination, visibility, and political weight. Many initiatives operate in silos, disconnected from broader territorial dynamics. Advocacy efforts are limited, and policy change still remains insufficient to agroecological approaches.

In this context, the project claims that a meaningful agroecological transition requires a shift from the plot level to the territorial level. By embedding agroecology within territorial systems, linking actors, natural resources, governance frameworks, and social justice, it could become a lever for reducing poverty and systemic risk. This required not only technical innovation, but also new forms of collective action, institutional support, and narrative framing.

Since its launch, the project has contributed tangible outputs and systemic insights. A geo-referenced database of agroecological actors and initiatives for the project's two living labs was made publicly available. The project supported the establishment and capacity-building of multi-stakeholder platforms for agroecological transition (DyTAELs). These processes anchor agroecology in real-world governance and planning frameworks.

The ARTS project is grounded in a transformative research approach, in which researchers are not positioned as external observers but participate directly in the dynamics of agroecological transition. Research agendas are co-designed - first within the consortium, and then with stakeholders through our close involvement in the DyTAEL platforms. These actor-led spaces serve as the main interface for structuring knowledge production and exchange in both territories.

Mechanisms for dissemination are embedded throughout the project. Research results are regularly shared with DyTAEL members and local stakeholders during workshops, restitutions, and strategy sessions. Some outputs are directly handed over to these actors, such as the georeferenced initiative mapping tool and database, as well as the territorial diagnostics and foresight reports. These resources are being used by the platforms to support local planning, dialogue, and action.

To ensure that potential beneficiaries can meaningfully engage with the research, we rely on inclusive, participatory co-creation tools. The theatre forum method is a powerful example. It brings together farmers, women, youth, and local leaders not just to react to findings, but to co-create stories and scenarios that reflect their realities. These performances serve both as a space for dialogue and a medium for communicating complexity in accessible ways.

Popular media engagement through local and national press, television, and radio has further increased visibility. We are now working to translate research findings into concrete positioning papers that will help DyTAEL platforms sharpen their advocacy.

Challenges. The diagnostic phase took longer than expected - due to the complexity of the transdisciplinary ATFSAgroecology-based Territorialised Food SystemARTS's conceptual frame, in five axes of transformation. framework and the initial underestimation of research assistants needed. We secured additional resources and found creative ways to expand the team and expedite this phase. The pre-electoral turbulence also required postponing several field activities and multi-stakeholder events.

On communication, despite a growing volume of high-quality content and many more outputs expected in Year 3, we still lack an effective communication strategy to ensure visibility and uptake. Many materials remain underexploited. Closing that gap by building a focused strategy connecting our content with the right audiences and platforms is a Year 3 priority.

Opportunities. The rise of a new government with a reformative agenda represents a key opportunity. Our contributions to the National Strategy for Agroecology and Organic Agriculture in Senegal, through territorial consultations, open a direct channel for living-lab lessons to flow up to the national level. Several spin-offs have already been acquired:

• AgroVoices SNF Agora · GIUB

  Agroecology multimedia studio, podcasts and audiovisual productions with award-winning Senegalese and Swiss filmmakers.

• Bey Diiwaan -

  Advocacy spin-off ensuring continuity of agroecological advocacy strategy beyond the ARTS project.

• AgroAI -

  Artificial intelligence project for territorial agroecology.

The project was co-designed through long and intensive discussions among all partners, involving extensive bilateral and inclusive online work sessions, multiple validation rounds of the project document (which was first written in French to allow everyone's contribution), and a joint presentation to the selection committee. The project is designed to maintain some level of flexibility to allow multi-stakeholder processes to influence the research agenda post-project start.

Project partners ENDA PRONATEnvironment and Development in Africa - Natural Protection of TerritoriesSenegalese NGO, pioneer of West African agroecology. and IPARAgricultural and Rural Foresight InitiativeSenegalese think tank on agricultural and rural policy. are deeply engaged with food system stakeholders at various levels. With the GIUBInstitute of Geography, University of Bern team's significant presence in Senegal - where two of three scientists reside nearly full-time - we ensure ongoing stakeholder interaction from all project partners.

Responsibilities are clearly defined and organized into work packages led by respective partners, fostering a collaborative approach. Data collection and analysis primarily support the collective actions of stakeholders in the transition process, making findings accessible (within confidentiality limits) in open access. Results extend beyond academic publications, reaching the public via multimedia, artistic outputs, policy discussions, and collective actions.

To ensure sustainability, we have been actively seeking additional funding opportunities and collaborating with local researchers, activists, and practitioners to establish CREATES - a research, education, and action center focused on socioecological transition based in the Mbour living lab.

Section to be completed with the SOR4D panel's recommendations following the Y2 report and how they have been taken into account in Year 3.

ARTS communication activities are described in detail in the dedicated sections of this site: Videos, Theatre, and Publications.

Highlights include: the Jambaars of Agroecology portraits, the 5-episode long-format podcast series produced by AgroVoices, the national photo competition Les Gardiennes du Vivant at the Dak'Art Biennale, the forum theatre play Terre de toutes les convoitises touring regional festivals, and the project's presence at the Lausanne festival.