Due to a low number of topographic obstacles in West Africa, a nearly free air circulation exists over the continent, which leads to a strongly latitudinal dependency of the climate. As a general rule the average temperature increases and rainfall decreases from the south to the north.

However, farmers in the Sudanian and Sahelian bioclimatic zones complain about shorter rainy seasons and more variable and unpredictable rainfall during the last decades. If they are asked for possible responses to cope with this problem, they argue to introduce shorter duration varieties.

Experience has shown, that farmers often only work with one or two varieties of a crop and a limited number of crops, the latter being gender specific. The low number of varieties is, among other reasons, due to a lack of knowledge how to conserve a variety of an allogamous crop like pearl millet.

These are the problems CODE-WA addresses. It helps farmers to introduce new varieties. It gives advice how to conserve these varieties. And it introduces new crops in order to create new income possibilities. Decisions which varieties and crops to introduce are taken by the farmers themselves.

The major assumptions behind this approach is, that farmers can better respond to climate variability, if they have a greater choice with regard to crops and crop varieties. To give an example, a farmer who has only one pearl millet variety cannot respond to the onset of the rainy season. Farmers having several varieties with different duration at their disposal can reduce the risk of crop failure by choosing the adequate one, i.e. a short duration one if the rainy season starts late.

Logical consequences of this approach are that farmers need to be educated with respect to basic breeding strategies and that the seed sector needs to be developed, since farmers themselves can only conserve a limited number of varieties.                                                    LH