Farmers in Senegal’s Saloum Delta are successfully combating rising sea levels by reviving centuries-old earthen dikes, demonstrating how indigenous agricultural techniques can outperform modern infrastructure in climate adaptation.
The restoration project, backed by the African Climate Foundation, has reclaimed more than 500 hectares of rice-growing land in the UNESCO World Heritage site, which spans 145,811 hectares along Senegal’s coast.
Dr. Mabouba Diagne, and the Minister of the Environment and Ecological Transition, Professor Daouda Ngom.
Traditional earthen dikes, known locally as part of the “diola system,” use hollow tree trunks as sluices embedded at various levels to control water flow. These structures have proven more effective and significantly less expensive than concrete barriers in managing saltwater intrusion, which affects 1.7 million hectares of Senegal’s 3.8 million hectares of cultivable land.
“The porous nature of earthen structures allows for better drainage compared to impermeable concrete barriers,” says Dr. Mamadou Diop, lead researcher at the Senegalese Agricultural Research Institute. “This is crucial during heavy rainfall or flood events.”
The project’s success comes as Senegal grapples with severe environmental challenges. Between 1980 and 2010, the country lost nearly a quarter of its mangroves due to droughts, wood harvesting, and infrastructure development, according to the International Institute for Sustainable Development.
Local agricultural cooperatives have played a central role in the restoration effort. The West Africa Competitiveness Support Programme has established 29 new or modernized cooperatives representing over 1,700 farmers, combining traditional knowledge with modern soil rehabilitation techniques.
Results have been impressive. In restored areas using the Sahel 108 rice variety, yields have reached 6.17 tonnes per hectare, according to research published in the Scientific Research Publishing journal.
The initiative aligns with Senegal’s National Adaptation Plan for climate change in the agricultural sector, adopted in April 2025 with support from the UN Food and Agriculture Organization and the UN Development Programme. Agriculture employs 60 percent of Senegal’s workforce and remains highly vulnerable to climate impacts.
International support for such adaptation efforts has grown. In June 2023, Senegal secured a $2.7bn Just Energy Transition Partnership with G7 countries, part of which supports climate-resilient agriculture.
The success in the Saloum Delta offers valuable lessons for other coastal regions facing similar challenges. Traditional knowledge, combined with modern climate finance mechanisms, presents a cost-effective alternative to expensive concrete infrastructure projects that can cost millions of dollars.
“This project demonstrates how indigenous agricultural practices, refined over centuries, can offer sophisticated solutions to modern climate challenges,” says Dr. Fatou Sall, director of climate adaptation at the African Climate Foundation.
For the Saloum Delta’s farming communities, the restoration of traditional dikes represents more than just agricultural recovery. It validates centuries of accumulated expertise in coastal agriculture and offers a sustainable path forward as climate pressures intensify.
The project’s emphasis on combining cultural heritage with environmental protection has caught the attention of international development agencies. According to the Green Climate Fund, such community-led approaches are increasingly seen as crucial for successful climate adaptation in vulnerable coastal regions.
As Senegal continues to face agricultural challenges from climate change, with more than 2.5 million people at risk of food insecurity according to the Global Center on Adaptation, the success of traditional dike restoration provides a promising model for broader application across West Africa’s coastal regions.
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