1. Introduction

Country Senegal lies in West Africa and is therefore placed in the West Africa region (Vovk Korže 2009, 2013). For this part of Africa, we find country diversity, showed in all physically-geographical characteristics (like climate, amount of water, vegetation) and the manner of life, e.g. cultivation habits. Namely, the western part of the Senegal, where we find big port city Dakar has around 600 mm of precipitation and average year temperatures around 30 degrees Celsius, while the northern part of Senegal lies in so-called Sahel layer (http://www.our-africa.org/senegal/climate-agriculture). Sahel layer is a pass between Sahara and savanna, where there are extremely high temperatures, around 40 degrees Celsius, very little precipitation; under 400 mm yearly with long dry periods in between. The most pleasant area of the country for people to live in is the Southern part of Senegal, where there are 600 mm of precipitation yearly and temperatures between 18-26 degrees. A big problem in Senegal is spreading of the desert from North to South, which decreases cultivating lands. With this purpose Senegal entered project “Green walls”, that is a project of foresting Sahel layer and flows from Senegal to Sudan in 15 km in width and 7.000 km in length. They are planting acacia, resistant to drought and usable in agriculture for biomass as well in food production (http://www.rtvslo.si/okolje/novice/bo-zeleni-zid-ustavil-saharo-in-revscino/208788).

Country Senegal has the increase of self-sufficiency as a mayor goal in their country plan since 2009, but until now they have not yet succeeded. That is why they sent some of their government representatives to visit Slovenia with wish to see some good examples of self-sufficiency approach, so that they can start to farm within the families in local levels and therefore increase the food production by bottom-up approach (not only by laws but with examples on the spot, that have to be cheap, feasible and especially long-term.) The biggest problem in the country is the lack of knowledge, so they decided that they could establish polygon for self-sufficiency in the municipality Gandiaye (central part of Senegal), that would enable getting the experience and knowledge from the area of food production in greenhouses, rainfall collecting, droplet irrigation and taking care of the soil. Very urgently they need cold stores for produced vegetable, solar energy systems for electricity and collectors for the precipitation surface water, planting of additional trees to prevent desert spreading and settling of sustainable living systems where yurts belong to. Representatives of the Senegal country were very interested, especially for simple solutions of self-sufficiency (picture 1), that can be used on the level of families.

Picture 1. Chiefs of Kaolack area from Senegal, visiting Educational polygon for self-sufficiency in Dole (Photo: Ivica Ličen, 2017)

2. Literature Review

With a purpose to approach systematically to the transfer of knowledge, we connected with representatives of municipality Gandiaye, area Kaolock, as well with the centre for international help and development in Ljubljana (CMSR). Centre supports the development of the poorer areas with financial support, so that helps to invest with financial additions of 50% amount, the other half must be paid by the country where the project is placed. In project cooperates International Centre for Ecoremediation of the Faculty of Arts, University of Maribor (https://www.facebook.com/Mednarodni-center-za-ERM-213538409072451/) and Zavod most, the connection of Europe and Africa (http://www.bizi.si/ZAVOD-MOST-POVEZAVE-EVROPA-AFRIKA-PTUJ/).

Chiefs of area Kaolock have in 2017 visited Educational polygon for self-sufficiency for a few times; their goal was to establish such learning-educational polygon for gaining direct knowledge. Since we have direct experience with the planning and leading of self-sufficiency systems, we prepared a project to the Senegal representatives. In the project, we joined the experience and new knowledge from the area of ecoremediation and agroecology and placed them into the selected area. Especially necessary is sustainable water management, from collecting to saving it underground, due to huge evapotranspiration, as well as cleaning and reusing it. Particular emphasis must be put in the area of keeping the farming land fertile due to the wind erosion and droughts, which is why the mayor concern will be placed on organic carbon, by which we enrich the soil. For such a result, all biomass will be composted for the purposes of reuse and covering of soil will be used with the purpose to decrease the evaporation of water from the soil. Reforesting in Senegal will be a part of a wider initiative Green layer, that is already taking place in Africa. Senegal was the first country inside the initiative that started the initiative, and it already sews the results. According to the UN Organization for Food and Agriculture (FAO), they have planted 27.000 hectares of exhausted land with 11 million trees. Not to repeat the mistake and to plant new species to this environment, the groups of agronomists, botanists and pedologists carefully selected the right species to plant (focus group data, 2017). Most of the planted trees are a species of acacia Senegalia Senegal, that next to the good influence brings economic value, since her gumi, from the dried juice trunk, is used for medical purposes, mostly with the gums and throat protection, its fruit is used to feed the cattle. The purpose of the initiative is also to change the wrong understanding of the desert spreading, since it is not changing the green areas into the sandy ones, but it is degradation of the floor in dry areas as a consequence of various factors – from human approaches to delicate ecosystems to deforestation and climate changes (focus group data).

Ecological awakening in Africa has begun, and there are many initiatives because of the threatening climate changes that will hit Africa the most. They would like to be prepared to save ecosystemic characteristics of their nature (Delo, 4.10.2016). In the past, they have destroyed water flows, soil and increase erosion with reckless approaches. Today we have a strong influence of twenty-seven African countries governments, to start immediate adaptation to the climate changes in Africa with the programme Adaption of African agriculture or short AAA. Aim of this initiative is to start greening the African soil and to get some funds for doing so. Development of African farming should become a leading theme. Because of the global warming could fast-forwarding changes from the shortage of water and spreading of the deserts increased and endangered millions of small farmers, which can cause catastrophic conditions and hunger within. Up to 2050, the number of people in Africa will grow to 2, 5 billion people and since the hunger increase is urgent to take action immediately (Delo, 4.10. 2016). Nowadays suffer from hunger in Africa, around 20% of people, and that number is going to raise. Chiefs of regions are very aware of that fact and are now mayor initiators of the project realisation (focus group data). With self-sufficient polygon, we will in future encourage local communities to self-sufficiency and spread to the other continents where also live poor, who lack knowledge of sustainable development of life.

In Senegal is especially water of great importance, that is why the Senegal representatives were very interested to see and learn about the simple water supply systems (Picture 2).

Picture 2. Water sources are in Senegal of great value, especially simple, for family use (photo Ivica Ličen)

Self-sufficiency polygon Gandiaye will be an example of the eco-village – ecologically designed community which will base on reuse and circle economy with an emphasis on food production, sustainable water use and sun energy as well as land management, which will enable transferring the farms into sustainable forms. The direct consequence will be strengthening of the environmental ingredients in the direction of sustainability, immunity and more various uses, which will increase the self-sufficiency in the area of Gandiaye and transfer of this knowledge into the regional level. Sustainability of the project will also be in the fact that municipality Gandiaye will be connected into the Global ecovillage network (http://www.gvnetwork.com/en) and by doing so strengthen the transfer of knowledge and experience in between sustainable neighbourhoods. Project polygon for self-sufficiency Gandiaye is based on the Agenda 2030 for sustainable development. (https://0x9.me/wBeyI).

Urgently necessary is to decrease end to eliminate poverty, inequality, protect the environment and to connect generations. That is why we put in the front transfer of knowledge into the practice and with it enlarging of the prosperity and food safety for all people. Agenda 2030 for sustainable development on balanced way connects three dimensions of sustainable development – economic, social and environmental; they are intertwined through 17 aims of sustainable development, which will have to be realised until 2030. A project of learning polygon for self-sufficiency was also presented to the Geography students in Maribor, and the representatives of Zavod Most Afrika were invited as well the representative of the Senegal country. We wish to include students into a project like this since we educate them in subject Africa and Asia, about the challenges of those two continents and enable them the possibility of direct cooperation with the University of Gandiaye. Self-sufficient polygon in Senegal will be positioned in the vicinity of their university, which will add more options to develop new knowledge and transfer them into the society.

3. Methodology

Original data about the self-sufficiency in Senegal, especially in municipality Gandiaye were achieved directly by meetings with regional country representatives from Senegal and by meetings with the regional representative from Senegal between April 2017 and December 2017. During the period of preparing this project for self-sufficiency in Senegal, we communicated by the e-mail connection with the University of Gandiaye (web page http://www.univ-zig.sn/).

Direct information about the needs of municipality Gandiaye about objects, technical solutions, land cultivating and water collection were gained on two example excursions, where they saw an example of good practice in Educational polygon for self-sufficiency in Dole (http://www.ipvo.si/poligon-dole). On the base of cooperation with Zavod most Evropa – Afrika we formed focus group from five regional representatives of Senegal country, who covered next areas: education (2 representatives), farming (2 representatives), marketing and politics (1 representative). With questions, we gained important answers from those representatives and considered them in the plans for the project of learning polygon of self-sufficiency in Senegal.

Basic Research Questions were:

How do you understand the term self-sufficiency?

What is your experience with food production and sustainable buildings?

What problems do you face in the area of self-sufficiency?

On which areas do you need help?

Why would you like to develop self-sufficiency?

Answers to those questions are included in this paper in the chapter results and discussion

We additionally cooperated with representatives from Gandiaye university as well with the representative of Senegal in Slovenia Idrissa Wade, with whom we made structured interview and gathered some additional information and data about needs of the self-sufficient polygon in Senegal. These data, as well, are included in chapter results and discussion.

4. Results and Discussion

Results of the literature examination, focus groups and structured interview are described in the following chapter.

From regional representatives we gathered the information, that they need polygon for self-sufficiency in municipality Gandiaye in the area Kaolack in central Senegal. Size of the municipality is 450 hectares and has 10.000 inhabitants. They have told us, that there is no activity at the moment in the area of self-sufficiency and that there are around 5 million families threatened. People do what they can on their own, which has a consequence of food problem and hunger at the end. Soil is mostly sandy and non-fertile, which disables massive cultivation and farming. Due to huge unemployment, low incomes and poverty, only the minority of people can buy fertilisers for the soil quality improvement. The problem that arises is growing poverty, soil erosion and lack of home-grown food. As much as is possible, people use available chemical fertilisers, but in the long-term, they do damage to the ecosystems and population. At the same time, they face a sociological problem, since the population does not see the solution, do not know and knows no other condition, what means that the trend of degradation is going to continue. This project must be performed so that the trend of environmental degradation and poverty stops. On the other hand, they need this project in order to improve the well-being of people and health issue, as well as to increase the possibility of local food production. They urgently need a gradual, strategic and phase-based approach to the planning and activity performing, that will base on local self-sufficiency and will enable permanent food production for the population on the environment-friendly way.

Focus group representatives confirm that we would activate local people with this project to bigger self-sufficiency and more sustainable relation towards natural sources as well as more sustainable management with water, soil and consequently decrease bad nutrition, develop food independency and with self-sufficient polygon take care for fast education for holistic self-sufficiency of all population.

Regional government representatives see the urgency of the learning polygon in the fact that:

- We could increase sustainable cultivating land and with this decrease erosion, drought and degradation;

- Keep the rainfall and use it for watering during the dry period and by doing so, enable the food production in the areas where this is not possible without watering.

- Replant and sew plants, authentic to Senegal and by doing so, increase biotic potential in the country, urgent for self-sufficiency of the region.

- Build greenhouses and create longer vegetation season, so that people could grow food in lees appropriate period of the year;

- With the use of the cold stores and sun energy collectors create storages for food and therefore create longer lifespan for products.

- The self-sufficient, sustainable community would base on renewable sources, responsible water and soil management and food production, what would increase their food independency, directly influenced their health, created independence with management and development of new knowledge and nevertheless the transfer of this knowledge into the wider region.

We realised that in order to achieve higher food independency of Senegal people we must:

- connect existent knowledge about food production with new technologies with an emphasis on green approaches;

- include various generations into food production and by doing so improve their sociological and financial condition;

- strengthen the responsibility for own soil, water, plants and directly concern for the degraded soils;

- transfer new knowledge from the area of agroecology, permaculture, ecoremediation and biodynamic approaches, that follow the natural cycles and strengthen the tradition of the environment;

- connect universities, other educational institutions and enable the transfer of knowledge, experience and direct cooperation between young with practical activities of the self-sufficient community as with the exchange of digital and theoretical knowledge.

On the base of the focus group answers of their needs, we inserted into the plan of the self-sufficient polygon, the following activities:

- Creation of plans for the establishment of the self-sufficient community Gandiaye on the base of natural, political, cultural and landscape characteristics,

- Spatial placement of sustainable objects like a greenhouse, cold store, wells, yurt as a self-sufficient centre for food, watering systems and green areas (trees, bushes, beams). The plan will be a part of needed spatial documentation, needed for such activities.

They also need:

- Preparation of all technical data for the establishment of the self-sufficient polygon (for all planned activities, will be prepared technical documentation about materials, construction plans and specific issues for layout, which will be the direct base for construction.

- Manual for use and maintenance of technical solutions for self-sufficiency in practice (all solutions will be described in manual for use, where the information for day use, possible problems and solutions as well as specialities will be described. This will be base for long-term operation of the sustainable community).

- The organisation of construction of the self-sufficient community in the municipality Gandiaye (this will be performed with the assistance of students);

- Activation of the information support to the terrain objects for local people (learning polygon will activate self-sufficiency in municipality Gandiaye as an example case of “eco-village” on the base of the circular economy, reuse, green technologies and sustainable approaches, what will be written on the info boards).

According to the need should this project be finished in 2 year time?

By e-mail communication with the representatives of the University of Gandiaye was figured out that such project of learning polygon for self-sufficiency in municipality Gandiaye would importantly influence many things like:

- Decrease of the degradation in the environment, due to sustainable approaches to management with natural resources, which is now quite a problem because of the lack of knowledge and experience;

- Enlargement of the water stock and moderate use of water, which would directly influence the health of the population, since the water is now a huge problem in most of Senegal.

- To increase the cultivating land and use of the sustainable approaches of the cultivation, this would influence a bigger amount of green food and health of people, since there is no enough of such food now.

- To the establishment of sustainable objects like a yurt, cold store, wells and watering systems, that will enable bigger food production, processing of food and conservation and by this longer self-sufficient period.

- Important is also the inclusion of local people, that the knowledge is transferred into village communities and by that directly influence bigger food production;

- Transfer of knowledge would enable the opening of business for food production and by that higher country independence and a higher level of self-sufficiency in

- Re-cultivation of traditional crops, that are less sensible to the weather, will strengthen the adaptation to climate changes, which is urgent today.

According to the findings up to now (Yoshiko Matsumoto – Izadifar) is learning polygon for self-sufficiency in Senegal important because, there will be:

- Reduced negative influences of the weather and by that less soil erosion;

- Increased will be the process of layering organic substances, urgent for the sustainable economy;

- Increased will be the percentage of the water in the ground, which is important for the cultivation;

- Sustainable water management will be strengthened which is of huge importance for food production as well as for human living;

- Vegetation period will be longer, due to the watering and use of the organic matter;

- Environment contamination will be reduced, due to less often use of phytopharmaceuticals and chemical products;

- Land fertility will grow on a long-term base;

- Self-sufficiency will increase due to new knowledge and sustainable approaches.

As sustainable effect of the project we see forming of the new sustainable community Gandiaye, which will be an example of Eco village – ecologically based community basing on reuse and circular economy with an emphasis on food production, sustainable water use and sun energy as well as land management, which will enable transfer of farm into sustainable forms. These expectations match the report Senegal Making Better use of Agribusiness Potential, that assumes a direct consequence of such activities strengthening of environmental elements in the direction of sustainability, resistance and more various use, which will enable the enlargement of self-sufficiency in the area of municipality Gandiaye and transfer of this knowledge on a regional level. Sustainability of the project will also be in the fact that the municipality Gandiaye will be connected into Global ecovillage network (http://www.gvnetwork.com/en) and by doing so, strengthen the transfer of knowledge and experiences in between the sustainable communities.

A project of sustainable community Gandiaye with learning polygon for self-sufficiency is based on Agenda 2030 for sustainable development (Agenda for sustainable development). It is urgent to diminish poverty, inequality, protect the environment and nature and to connect generations. That is why we put in front the transfer of knowledge into practice and by this to increase well-being and food safety for all people. The result of cooperation with the University and focus group was a plan preparation of learning self-sufficiency polygon construction (Picture 3), where we can see the arrangement of objects and land use. In the circular area we would connect cultivation, processing and sale of the products and services; on the other hand, we would educate and transfer this knowledge into other villages. It is important that people can see and learn how to develop their new business within the processing inside the self-sufficiency.

Picture 3. Learning polygon in municipality Gandiaye is based on the example of Educational polygon for self-sufficiency Dole

5. Conclusions

In the cooperation with the representatives of municipality Gandiaye, these were businessmen, education representatives and agriculture representatives; we find out, that the biggest problem in this part of Senegal is lack of knowledge and connection of the theory with practice. Natural conditions enable basic self-sufficiency, but it is necessary to collect water and reuse it for multiple times (by the circular economy system). Therefore, the key movement must be done in this area; education and awareness/information availability performed as the outdoor learning. Our interlocutors know the term of self-sufficiency, but they lack knowledge of transferring it into practice, that is why they need learning polygon for self-sufficiency. Experiences up to know with food production are connected to the growth of rice, truffles and some cereals, while vegetable stays out of reach. Sustainable objects like a yurt, greenhouse, and the cold store could ease self-sufficiency to families during the phase of growth as well as preservation. The majority of problems occur during the storing of the products and with the processing of food, since they do not have the tradition of processing (drying, preserving/pickling, juice making) and doing natural cosmetics oils and spices. They find out that they firstly need support in knowledge transfer. It looks like that they could revive the soil and water by the use of ecoremediation approaches in municipality Gandiaye and therefore enlarge space for cultivation, with permaculture they could adapt to climate changes (keeping the water on the ground, decrease the evaporation, increase biomass).

With agroecological approaches, they could create better cultivation and processing and accelerate connecting, management and exchange of knowledge. Self-sufficiency is becoming a country´s goal, since the hundreds of years-long dependency, especially from France, brought them to lack of knowledge, own practices and innovations, that is why they look up to other countries and want to transfer the knowledge. Senegal representative in Slovenia Idrissa Wade claims, that is urgently to help local people, since they face hunger, many do not have the money to buy food and often it is not available. That is why the learning polygon for self-sufficiency would, therefore, support the efforts of regional chiefs for fast transfer of knowledge into practice. Since we have an example of good practice in Slovenia is such transfer of knowledge quite a challenge for scientists, students and the local environment.

Sources

Focus group data:

Group was made of five Senegal representatives with whom we performed a discussion with questions. Their answers were included into this article. We had two meeting of focus group in September 2017. Answers were connected in combined in the article.

Structured interview by Idrissa Wade, representative of Senegal in Slovenia:

Structured interview performed at the beginning of the plan preparation for learning polygon for self-sufficiency of Senegal in April 6th 2017, during the preparation of project in September 30th 2017 and by the presentation of the project in Maribor on December 14th 2017.