An agropastoral season with heterogeneous crop growth stages, requires close monitoring
From 8 to 10 September 2014, was held in Banjul, The Gambia, the regional consultation on the mid-term assessment of the agropastoral season and the 2014-2015 agricultural and food prospects. This meeting comes within the framework of the operation of the Regional Device for Prevention and Management of Food Crises (PREGEC) in the Sahel and West Africa. At the end of the meeting, participants made the following observations:
In preparation of the agro-pastoral season, countries have made significant investments through the establishment of inputs (seeds, fertilizers, pesticides) and agricultural materials to improve production.
In general, the rains in June and July were unequally distributed in time and within the region with long dry sequences. They were early in the Sudan area and late in the northern and western area of Sahel. The significant rainfall observed from the Last ten days of July, intensified in August causing floods followed by damage in some areas, particularly in Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Niger. Seasonal total rainfalls are inferior or equivalent to those of 2013 and globally inferior to the normal (inter-annual average 1981 to2010). However, quantities of above-normal rainfall were recorded in the southern Gulf of Guinea and in parts of the Sahel (western Burkina Faso, southwestern Mali, West and south-central Niger and Sudanese region of Chad). Hydro logically, major rivers had low flows at the beginning of the rainy season and a slow evolution given the observed rainfall conditions. From July 2014, they reached levels close to the ten year average, but still lower than those of 2013.The filling level of dams and other surface water points is developing favorably since August. Continued rainfall until mid-October could mean good availability of water for counter season. Agricultural production
On crop conditions, delays and replanting were recorded in Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Gambia, Guinea Bissau, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal and Chad. The resumption of rains from the last ten days of July has favoured the development of crops in satisfactory water conditions. Continued rains in September and October could provide residual moisture allowing rain fed crops full maturity, but with lower returns than normal in the Sahel. At the end of August, the phonological stages of crops are very heterogeneous and range from emergence to maturity according to countries and communities due to poor spatial and temporal distribution of rains. However, crops are being harvested in some Sudanese and Gulf of Guinea areas.
