Conservation Farming Activities Boost Crop Yields for Senegalese Cereal Producers

In Senegal, a Feed the Future campaign aims to increase cereal production for farmers across four regional departments while enhancing sustainable agricultural practices.

To measure the effectiveness of conservation farming techniques, Feed the Future conducted an estimation and comparison of 2011 agricultural yields of maize, millet and sorghum grown both with and without conservation farming techniques. 

The comparison demonstrated substantial yield increases across the regional departments of Kaolack, Tambacounda, Fatick, and Kédougou. For example, maize yield increases were 71 percent in Fatick, 49 percent in Kaolack, 26 percent in Tambacounda, and 25 percent in Kédougou. In these four departments, conservation farming techniques resulted in a total production increase of 1,400 tons of maize, 726 tons of millet, and 116 tons of sorghum.

This cereals campaign is part of Feed the Future’s investment in major Senegalese value chains, with the ultimate goal of reducing poverty and malnutrition.