WaPOR trainings in four French speaking Sahelian countries

In the framework of the FAO Multidisciplinary Fund “Improving land and water productivity in the Sudano-Sahelian belt” project, a WaPOR training was held from 22 to 24 September in Saly, Senegal. This was the last of a series of four, of which two were held online on 17-19 August for GIS experts from Mali and on 24-26 August from Chad, while the capacity development could be enjoyed in presence in Senegal last week and in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso on 10-12 August 2021. Collaboration with the FAO Animal Production and Health Division to the trainings in Burkina Faso and Mali ensured synergies with another FAO multidisciplinary project “Strengthening resilience of pastoralists and agro-pastoralists in the Sahel through innovative tools and improved data”. The support of the FAO offices was crucial for the good organization of these events and their compliance with local security rules in the four countries. A national consultation was carried out as part of these trainings in each of the four countries to identify potential applications using WaPOR data, in particular in other domains than irrigated agriculture; some of which will now be selected for co-development with regional partners.