GCA Leads Locally Led Adaptation Efforts in Senegal River Valley
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otterdam, the Netherlands, 13 February 2024 – The Global Center on Adaptation (GCA), in partnership with Innovation, Environment, and Development (IED) Afrique and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), has launched a major initiative to advance locally led adaptation in the Senegal River Valley (SRV). The region, which spans the borders of Senegal and Mauritania, faces some of the world’s most severe climate threats—including erratic rainfall, droughts, floods, rising sea levels, encroaching desertification, and salinization of soils and waters—that directly impact traditional agriculture and livestock production.
Working under the World Bank’s SRV Development and Resilience Project, GCA will guide the integration of locally led adaptation methodologies into the project’s Operational Manual for community sub-projects, while building capacity among government officials in project management and implementation units. This support is expected to benefit 622,668 people, including farmers, pastoralists and fisherfolk and particularly youth, women, and displaced persons, by ensuring that community leaders play a central role in identifying, implementing, and monitoring climate adaptation solutions. With an investment value influenced by GCA of USD$195 million, the project will run from 2024 to 2029 and aims to deliver decentralized decision-making on adaptation funding, integration of adaptation into development efforts, and community-based monitoring of resilience-building initiatives.
Senegal and Mauritania both rank among the poorest countries globally, with 38 percent and 28 percent of their respective populations living in severe poverty. In the SRV’s predominantly rural economy, where agriculture and livestock are key livelihoods, climate stresses have aggravated a rise in forced migration to cities, intensified malnutrition, and increased the incidence of epidemics and environmental shocks. Urban centers in the region have become especially vulnerable to flash floods due to inadequate drainage systems, uncontrolled urban growth, and the occupation of wetlands. In this fragile context, GCA’s support emphasizes the need to give local communities ownership of adaptation and development decisions, enabling them to draw upon shared resources while reinforcing social cohesion and mitigating conflicts that arise from heightened competition over cultivable land.
The policy environment in both countries provides a foundation for these locally driven approaches. Senegal has created institutions such as the Local Development Agency and integrated resilience-building activities into its Plan for an Emerging Senegal, but it still needs clearer frameworks for incorporating local knowledge into national policy. Mauritania’s National Integrated Program for Decentralization, Local Development, and Employment promotes governance reforms aimed at devolution. As chair of the Permanent Interstate Committee for Drought Control in the Sahel, Mauritania plays a critical role in regional cooperation on climate adaptation, while both countries are involved in the Great Green Wall Initiative to reclaim arable land in the Sahel region.
This effort demonstrates GCA’s commitment to strengthening resilience in one of the world’s most fragile and climate-impacted regions. By centering adaptation planning on local realities, the project empowers communities to manage resources collaboratively, mitigate conflict, and reduce the drivers of forced displacement. As the initiative progresses, GCA will work closely with its partners to ensure that investments in climate resilience also promote inclusive economic development, protect vulnerable populations, and foster sustainable growth throughout the Senegal River Valley.
