MONITORING AND SOIL AMENDMENTS FOR AND MANAGEMENT:

A PILOT PROJECT IN THE KAFFRINE REGION OF

BI-ANNUAL REPORT

Submission Date: October 30, 2019

Agreement Number: 720FDA18GR00100 Activity Start Date and End Date: August 16, 2018 – August 15, 2020 AOR: Mr. Joseph Dever AO: Ms. Artaveya J. Carter

Submitted by: Alana Burnham, Community Outreach Specialist Arizona State University PO Box 878009 Tempe, AZ 85287 Tel: 480-727-8137 Email: [email protected]

Disclaimer: This report was made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development, Office of Disaster Foreign Assistance (USAID/OFDA). The contents of this report are the sole responsibility of Arizona State University and the Global Locust Initiative and do not necessarily reflect the views of USAID or the United States Government.

1 Table of Contents

1. PROJECT Overview/Summary ...... 2 1.1 Acronyms and Abbreviations ...... 4 1.2 Background and Project Description ...... 5 1.3 Summary of Results to Date ...... 6

2. Activity Implementation Progress ...... 7 2.1 Progress Narrative ...... 7 2.2 Implementation Challenges ...... 9 2.3 Project Management Update ...... 10

3. Planned Activities for Next Reporting Period ...... 10

4. Appendix: Project Photos ...... 11

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1. PROJECT OVERVIEW/SUMMARY

Monitoring and Soil Amendments for Locust and Program Name: Grasshopper Management: A Pilot Project in the Kaffrine Region of Senegal

Activity Start Date And End August 16, 2018 – August 15, 2020 Date:

Name of Prime Implementing Arizona State University Partner:

Agreement Number: 720FDA18GR00100

McGill University; Major Counterpart La Direction de la Protection des Végétaux / Senegal Plant Organizations Protection Directorate; Université de Gaston Berger

Geographic Coverage Senegal (cities and or countries)

Reporting Period: April 1, 2019 to September 30, 2019

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1.1 Acronyms and Abbreviations

ASU Arizona State University COS Community Outreach Specialist DPV La Direction de la Protection des Végétaux (Senegalese Plant Protection Directorate) EWS Early Warning System GLI Global Locust Initiative OSE senegalensis (Senegalese locust) PI Principal Investigator USAID United States Agency for International Development

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1.2 Background and Project Description Background

Much of Senegal is made up of rural farms, many with low productivity and significant annual losses from agricultural risks, such as . The Senegalese locust (Oedaleus senegalensis, OSE) is often cited as the most severe pest in the West African region. In Senegal, locust infestations are second only to drought in damaging agricultural productivity, greatly constraining the food security of rural farmers. Outbreaks have far-reaching consequences, such as greatly lowering the educational attainment of children due to the redirection of household resources. To alleviate human suffering and reduce the social and economic impact of locusts, farmers must have access to long-term solutions for locust monitoring and management.

Many Senegalese farmers lack access to technologies and formalized knowledge networks for improving productivity, including the use of locust biology to inhibit OSE outbreaks. The Senegalese Plant Protection Directorate (DPV) is mandated to help farmers monitor and treat for locusts, but lacks adequate capacity in workers, field vehicles, access to chemical pesticides, and time. It lacks the resources to conduct regular activities, limiting long-term monitoring. In addition, chemical pesticides protect crops from locusts over the short-term, but continued applications are required to prevent re- occurrences, and often there is a mismatch in time between availability of resources and when locusts cause the most severe damage. Many field agents are also personally concerned about extensive synthetic pesticide use, in part because their personal protective equipment is limited and of poor quality, and for the potential environmental externalities. Finally, while individual farmers are the most impacted by locusts, the migratory nature of the pest requires that some management decisions happen at the regional, national, or international levels. While high-level management is effective for treating upsurges, it limits farmers' abilities to control treatment decisions, such as the timing and type of practices employed on their farms.

Project Description

In response to agriculture and food security needs, Global Locust Initiative (GLI) and its partners developed a novel methodology for management of OSE, which is being piloted in villages in the Kaffrine region of Senegal. GLI has an extensive history of research on locust behavior and physiology and has existing partnerships in several rural villages. Kaffrine is also one of the major agricultural regions in Senegal and is the second most significant producer of cereals by tonnage, yet the region is still subject to high levels of food insecurity. The pilot program will help augment productivity in the short term through significant capacity building efforts and the use of soil amendments, and will provide additional understanding of how to use OSE biology for locust abatement in the long-term. This project is implementing a two-part intervention in southeast Senegal:

1. Use fertilizer to improve soils and create unfavorable locust environments. In contrast to many herbivores, locusts prefer and grow faster when eating low nitrogen (i.e. unfertilized) plants. The use of soil fertilization is underutilized as a method for inhibiting locusts, even though it improves crop productivity while helping farmers to reduce their reliance on chemical control via state-level agencies (e.g., the DPV). One hundred farmers in two rural communes in Kaffrine (Gniby) and Fatick (Gossas) are being trained on proper cultivation techniques and have been given fertilizer to apply to their one-hectare millet fields. These fields are being surveyed throughout the project life time for locust activity and potential crop damage. Each farmer has cultivated another one-hectare field without the addition of fertilizer; these are serving as the control. This is the Soil Amendment intervention. 2. Increase scientific capacity for locust monitoring at the village-level. By enhancing local capacity to identify and report locust activity, the project will lead to better forecasting of local OSE population increases. In turn, this information will enable better communication about the risk of locusts between farmers, village-leaders, the DPV, and others to enable timely response in

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advance of the hazard of locusts. Furthermore, it will empower individuals to reduce their reliance on the DPV, and ultimately, the reliance on chemical treatments. Altogether, the process will enable the development of an Early Warning System (EWS) related to OSE for the Kaffrine and Fatick Regions. In total, fifty women in five local communities in Kaffrine and Fatick regions (Nganda, Gniby, Boulel, Mbar, and Gossas) are being trained on identification of OSE and monitoring of grasshopper and locust populations using light traps installed in nearby fields. Two women from each community are also being trained on monitoring and locusts directly in fields.

1.3 Summary of Results to Date

Agriculture and Food Security: Pests and Target Disaggregation Last Reported Current Report Percent of Goal Pesticides Number of people trained in appropriate crop 1 100 100 men1 0 100 100% protection practices [use of soil amendments] Number and percentage of 80; To be 2 hectares protected against N/A 0 0% 80% (80/100) determined2 disease or pest attacks Number and percentage of people practicing 80; To be 3 appropriate crop protection 80 men1 0 0% 80% (80/100) determined2 procedures [use of soil amendments] Number of people trained in locust identification and 50 women; 100 4 150 0 50 women3 33% monitoring practices men (Custom Indicator)

50 women; 100 Cumulative beneficiaries 150 men

1 Because the majority of landholders in Senegal are male, few to no women will qualify as participants in the soil amendment portion of the project. To make the project more gender inclusive, the monitoring groups are comprised of women, and they will be empowered to play important roles in the EWS. 2 Number and percentage of hectares protected and those participants applying crop protection procedures will be evaluated at the end of the growing season, after OSE activity has subsided. 3 Remaining male farmer participants will be trained December 2019, to avoid conflicting with responsibilities during growing and harvesting seasons.

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2. ACTIVITY IMPLEMENTATION PROGRESS

2.1 Progress Narrative

During this phase of the Kaffrine Pilot Program, GLI and its partners have completed the following milestones:

1. Selection of a project name With input from local collaborators, the team chose the name “Bay Sa Waar,” or “Communities for Sustainable Agriculture” in Wolof, the most widely-spoken local language in Senegal. 2. Development of materials adapted to those of limited literacy The Community Outreach Specialist (COS), with assistance from collaborators in Senegal, created pamphlets explaining general information about the project, such as the timeline of activities and criteria for participant selection, to be distributed to partners and participants. The illustrations, accompanied by text in Wolof and French, were designed to reach participants with limited literacy. 3. Recruitment for project design and implementation A new Program Manager, who possesses extensive experience in program management, was recruited to assist GLI in the program management aspects of the award, including award implementation and reporting. A highly experienced postdoctoral researcher was recruited to lead the planning and execution of the Early Warning System. A native speaker of French, she specializes in grasshoppers and locusts, and has a history of research in the Kaffrine region of Senegal. A preeminent Senegalese professor at Université Gaston Berger and locust and grasshopper entomologist was designated to assist with the soil amendment part of the project. He and his students have been managing the plant and locust surveys in the communities participating in the soil amendment project. He has also been lending expertise to relevant trainings on locust and grasshopper identification and management. The former head of the DPV base in Nganda joined the team as an interlocutor. As a well-known expert in pest management, he provides insight into locust control in the rural Kaffrine area and into relevant Senegalese cultures and customs. He serves as the primary liaison between project villages and the rest of the team, monitoring progress and providing updates and contributing to trainings as needed. A local Senegalese technician with experience in pest management, including prior experience working with the DPV, joined the team. She assists with community outreach, project monitoring, and with sample and data collection for the EWS. A team of experienced local enumerators were recruited and trained to conduct the baseline and follow-up surveys. 4. Networking and selection of participants In early May 2019, the Principal Investigator (PI), COS, and postdoctoral researcher traveled to Senegal to meet key partners and recruit project participants. While there, they selected two appropriate communities to participate in the soil amendment intervention (Gossas and Gniby) and five communities to participate in the Early Warning System (Gossas, Gniby, Mbar, Boulel, and Nganda). Communities selected are small, rural towns that cultivate millet and experience

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annual locust outbreaks. They are also somewhat evenly distributed along the North-South migratory path of OSE. The project team met with local politicians and leaders in these communities to clarify the project’s goals and timeline, explain criteria for participant selection, and establish relationships within the community. 5. Completion of baseline survey and report The baseline survey was finalized, which was designed to collect information on knowledge of OSE identification, local management of OSE populations, the DPV’s engagement in the study villages, and local knowledge of any connections between soil fertility and OSE populations. In addition, respondents were asked questions on household demographics; income and assets; land ownership; food insecurity; and access to sanitation systems, potable water, and electricity to assess food insecurity and general well-being. Managed and trained by the survey leader, the interview team was comprised of Kaffrine Red Cross agents. In addition to being fluent in Wolof, these local interviewers were best equipped to handle sensitive topics tactfully due to their insight into the local culture. Both participating community members and a control group were interviewed. The survey consisted of 300 respondents, representing 2526 individuals within their households. Results from this survey were recorded in the baseline report submitted to USAID. 6. Training of 100 soil amendment project participants One-hundred rural farmers in the communities of Gossas and Gniby were trained on management of locusts using soil amendments, proper handling and application of fertilizers, and recommended cultivation techniques for Souna 3 millet. They were also instructed on the project’s design and timeline. These participants are recorded under Indicator 1 (1.3 Summary Results To Date). 7. Purchase and distribution of fertilizer and improved variety millet seeds The COS and local project partners organized the purchase of 32 tons of 15-10-10 and urea fertilizers and improved variety seeds (Souna III Pre-basic) in June and July 2019. Fertilizers were purchased from four local contacts in Kaffrine and distributed to farmers participating in the soil amendment project. Farmers were instructed to apply fertilizers to their treated fields, 15-10-10 immediately after tillering and urea 15 days later. Improved variety millet seeds were sourced from the Senegalese Institute of Agricultural Research (Institut Senegalais de Recherches Agricoles or ISRA) station in Bambey, Senegal. 8. Finalization of light trap design and commissioning of traps The postdoctoral researcher and the interlocutor designed light traps to attract and collect OSE, using readily-available local materials. A local metalworker was hired to procure materials and construct the traps. Fifteen traps were commissioned; two to be placed in each village and five extra traps. 9. Establishment of participatory Early Warning System for Senegalese Grasshopper During early July, the postdoctoral researcher, COS, a representative from the DPV, and the local Senegalese technician trained groups of women in the communities of Gossas, Gniby, Mbar, Boulel, and Nganda on how to identify OSE, monitor their activity using a light trap, and report this activity to the DPV. Women conferred with the project team and political authorities on appropriate locations for the traps, selecting fields based on proximity, ease of access, and cultivation type. Two traps were placed in each community, with one in a fallow field and the remaining in a millet field. Within fields, areas with large trees or areas close to frequented paths or roads were avoided, as locusts are known to prefer open areas with limited human disturbance. Following up on this training, the interlocutor trained two volunteers from each group on how to implement a direct-count survey of locusts. The direct-count is conducted every ten days, while data from the light traps are collected every three days. The groups are currently reporting data to the DPV and will continue through the end of the rainy season, when OSE ceases to be an active threat to agricultural production. To monitor progress and resolve any

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difficulties, members of the Bay Sa Waar team have visited the sites throughout the rainy season, consulting with the women operating the traps as well as relevant community leaders involved in the project’s coordination. Women have also collected locusts samples throughout the rainy season, preserving them in ethanol solution. These samples have been reviewed to ensure they are identifying OSE correctly. 10. Recruitment of collaborators for locust identification and management booklet Several key additions were made to the group developing the locust identification and management booklet. An artist was recruited to design images for the locust identification and management booklet. Clear, explanatory visuals are integral to the publication’s success, as many of the audience are limited in their literacy. Two premier entomology experts, specializing in West African grasshoppers and locusts, were identified to provide insight into the booklet’s content and delivery. The current head of the DPV base in Nganda has also begun collaborating on the publication. 11. Completion of vegetative and locust surveys for the Early Warning System and Soil Amendment Intervention A team led by the Université Gaston Berger Cooperating Professor conducted two rounds of vegetative surveys from July to September, visiting fields of farmers participating in the Soil Amendment Intervention. Results from these surveys will elucidate whether the increasing soil fertility is impacting plant nitrogen content and affecting damage caused by locusts. It will also provide data for Indicator 2. For the Early Warning System, the postdoctoral researcher and the local Senegalese technician carried out vegetative surveys in the fields surrounding the light traps in all five communities. The local technician completed a second round in late September, under remote supervision. In addition, no vehicles were purchased or leased for this project. Geographic Code 937 was followed in all purchases, as per the terms of the award.

2.2 Implementation Challenges

After consultation with local experts and farmer representatives, the Bay Sa Waar team adapted the project’s design to best suit the needs and realities of the communities participating. The original agreement proposed selecting 100 farmers with 4 ha parcels of millet to treat with fertilizer and 100 control farmers who would participate in the trainings, but not treat their fields. However, it became clear it would be logistically challenging for a single farmer to directly compare a treated to a control field and also confusing for control farmers to be trained but then asked not to implement management practices. Moreover, only farmers with a high socio-economic status tend to have fields that are 4 ha or larger in the targeted villages. Therefore, the project was updated to focus on training 100 farmers on OSE management, with each farmer dedicating 1 ha of millet for a control plot and 1 ha of millet for a treatment plot to apply fertilizer. The targets for all indicators were adjusted accordingly, as detailed in the baseline report.

The team determined that purchasing millet seeds for farmers participating in the Soil Amendment Intervention would be necessary. Though the project hopes to benefit farmers of lower socio-economic status, it would be difficult to convince participants of limited means to devote their seeds to an experimental project. Offering seeds provided a good incentive and allowed less affluent, more risk- adverse farmers to participate. Furthermore, by providing uniform seeds to all participating farmers and instructing them on precise methods of application and cultivation, it will reduce variations in yield and growth due to quality of seeds and variations in technique. A reliable high-yield, nutritious cultivar (Pre- basic Souna III) was selected in order to provide farmers with quality seeds that they could save after harvest. Saved seeds can be replanted or sold the next rainy season, thus improving the genetic pool of millet available in the region and decreasing producers’ reliance on outside seed sources. In addition, Souna III millet is well-adapted to area’s climate and widely known amongst farmers.

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The timeline for the Soil Amendment Intervention was also adjusted. Originally planned for a late July start, the farmer trainings were conducted in late June, allowing farmers to plant before the intense rains began. Early planting enables crops to take advantage of every rainfall event, significantly increasing yield and improving resiliency to locust and grasshopper attack. Furthermore, demanding farmers wait until after the first rains to sow would possibly limit the number of farmers able to participate; many would not feel comfortable waiting and would sow before they received their training or their seeds. However, due to changes in climate making precipitation less frequent and more unpredictable, the early-planted millet died soon after sowing. After an initial heavy rainfall, there was a short, atypical drought, killing a large proportion of the newly sprouted millet. The team responded quickly by repurchasing seeds, which farmers were able to replant in areas of their fields where the millet had died. Despite this setback, the project is still progressing well, and farmers are due to harvest their millet in October to November.

2.3 Project Management Update

Because of quick action and adaption to the challenges listed above, changes will not adversely affect the success of the project. Though indicator targets have been altered slightly to fit changes in project design, the objectives of the project remain the same.

3. PLANNED ACTIVITIES FOR NEXT REPORTING PERIOD

In the coming months, GLI and its partners will implement many key project steps, listed as follows:

October 2019

• Continue development of locust identification, monitoring, and management booklet

• Begin illustrations for booklet • Conduct vegetative and locust surveys

• Continued monitoring and management of the EWS

November 2019

• Progression of locust identification, monitoring, and management booklet • Completion of illustrations for booklet • Design of monitoring and reporting plan • Conduct vegetative and locust surveys • Continued monitoring and management of the EWS

December 2019

• Travel to Senegal

• Dissemination of project results to participating communities

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• Training of 100 Soil Amendment Intervention participants on locust identification and management

• Focus-group discussions on project successes and challenges • Translation of booklet content

January – February 2019

• Finalization of booklet and printing • Implementation of post-project survey • Stakeholder meeting and training in Gossas, Senegal • Follow-up surveys • Evaluation of project & final collection of indicator data

4. APPENDIX: PROJECT PHOTOS

4.1 Preliminary community meeting in Gniby

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4.2 Project interlocuter lecturing at Soil Amendment Intervention training

4.3 Attendees of Soil Amendment Intervention training in Gossas

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4.4 Soil Amendment Intervention training team

4.5 Distribution of improved variety millet seeds

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4.6 Training of women for Early Warning System in Gossas

4.7 Local Senegalese technician demonstrating identification of OSE

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4.8 Postdoctoral researcher explaining how to identify OSE males vs. females

4.9 Installation of light trap in Mbar

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4.10 OSE Sample collection by participant in Gniby

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