Closing Declaration of the Sahel Ecovillage Festival (Eco-Fest) held in Lahel (Senegal) and Loboudou (Mauritania) from February 15 to 18, 2025.

We, Senegalese, Mauritanians and members of foreign delegations (United States, Guinea, Spain, France, Norway and Germany) have worked hand in hand to organize and ensure the success of this festival.

The Sahel Ecovillage Festival is an initiative of the Réseau pour l’Émergence et le Développement des Écovillages du Sahel (REDES), the Association de Développement Communautaire (ADC) Salayel and the Réseau Mauritanien des Écovillages (REMEV), under the respective leadership of Dr. Ousmane Aly Pame, Aboubacri Hamet Ly and Moctar Aliou Sow. This event highlights more than 10 years of commitment to the ecological, economic and socio-cultural development of the Sahel.

The theme of the festival was “Sahelian solutions to global challenges”. The main objective was to reflect on the Sahel’s major challenges, such as biodiversity, climate change, climate migration, food sovereignty and the commitment of women and young people.

                          Noting: 

Several major issues having been raised by the participants and experts present including:

1. Lack of drinking water and irrigation systems

• Limited access to drinking water and agricultural irrigation.
• Low use of water retention and filtration techniques.

2. 2. Poor soil management

• Impoverishment of farmland due to unsustainable practices.
• Excessive use of chemical fertilizers harmful to soil biodiversity.
• Lack of crop rotation and soil conservation techniques.

3. Desertification

• Rapid advancement of the desert, endangering arable land.
• Deforestation and lack of vegetation to slow erosion.
• Insufficient local reforestation initiatives.

4. Health problems

• Diseases linked to the consumption of non-potable water and the abusive use of pesticides and chemicals in agriculture.
• Malnutrition due to reduced agricultural production.
• Insufficient healthcare infrastructure in rural areas.

5. Weak education systems

• Lack and unbalanced distribution of school infrastructures.
• Lack of vocational training structures
• Absence of local languages and cultures in formal education systems.

6. Energy dependency

• Heavy dependence on costly and polluting fossil fuels.
• Poor access to renewable energy solutions

7. Exodus of young people

• Lack of local employment and entrepreneurial opportunities.
• Insufficient training and support structures for professional integration.
• Mass migration of young people to Europe via often suicidal routes (ocean, desert).

8. Gender inequalities

• Difficult access for women to land and economic resources.
• Lack of support for women’s entrepreneurial initiatives.
• Low awareness of women’s rights and empowerment.

.                                      Recommend:

1. Rational water management and purification
   • Promotion of water filtration and recycling systems.
   • Development of more efficient irrigation techniques (e.g. drip irrigation, retention basins).
   • Raising awareness of responsible water use.

2. Transition to agroecology

• Adoption of soil-friendly farming practices (composting, crop rotation, agroforestry).
• Encourage the cultivation of drought-resistant plants.
• Reducing the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers.
• Creation of a grain bank and reproducible organic seeds.

3. Empowerment of local populations

• Training farmers in agroecological practices and sustainable resource management.
• Support for local economic development initiatives.
• Creation of employment opportunities in the ecological and sustainable agriculture sectors.

4. The creation of cooperatives, MSEs and small family farms

• Support for the creation of agricultural and craft cooperatives.
• Facilitated access to financing (micro-credit and other) and markets for small local producers.
• Strengthen solidarity networks between villages.

5. Improvement of educational facilities

• Creation of schools in villages and hamlets
• Promoting local languages, cultures and eco-citizenship in schools
• Transforming schools into eco-sites to accelerate the ecological transition of neighborhoods and villages.

– 6. The implementation of strategies to combat the mass exodus of young people

• Encourage the training of young people and the creation of sustainable jobs adapted to local realities.
• Develop programs to support youth entrepreneurship.
• Raise awareness of the dangers of clandestine migration and promote local economic alternatives to keep young people on their land.

7. Promotion of energy autonomy

• Installation of solar systems, bio-energy and ecological construction to reduce dependence on fossil fuels.
• Encourage local initiatives to produce renewable energy.
• Raising awareness and providing training in the use of clean energy.

8. Promotion of gender equality

• Equitable access to land and resources for women.
• Facilitate access to micro-credit for women’s initiatives.
• Awareness-raising and training for women’s economic emancipation (fruit, vegetable and cereal packaging and processing center).
• Encouraging women-led projects and strengthening their participation in local decision-making.

9. Implementation of the cross-border Ecovillage hub

• Practical training for stakeholders in ecovillage design
• Ongoing training in permaculture, beekeeping and fish farming
• Twinning with northern ecovillages for cultural exchanges and transfers of clean, adapted technologies

                               Congratulate

– The ministerial, administrative, security and university authorities of Mauritania and Senegal

– REDES Ambassadors, Lead Vocal of Dande Lenol Baaba Maal and the Khalife of the Omarian Family Thierno Madani Tall, for their crucial support and unfailing commitment to the regeneration of the region’s and the world’s natural and socio-cultural ecosystems.

– The local populations of the two respective countries for their great mobilization.

– The partners: SOS Environnement (Senegal), Ecolyco (Senegal), Harambe House, HBCU Green Funds (USA), Los Portales (Spain), Ecologie Universelle (France), YAKA (France), and Georg Hansen (Norway) and Walking the Land Africa, Water Unity & Youth Evolution (Guinea Conakry & USA), Context Institute (USA), Heilhaus (Germany), Gaia Education.

Conclusion:

The festival raised participants’ awareness of the Sahel’s crucial issues and enabled them to discuss sustainable solutions. It is essential to continue these efforts by strengthening cooperation between Mauritania and Senegal, local players, international organizations and the populations concerned, in order to ensure a more resilient future for the region, social reconciliation and strengthening of the community fabric.