| Summary: | Climate variability and change are challenges for rainfed agriculture in the Sahel. The objective of this study was to identify and prioritize agroclimatic risks, their impacts and adaptive strategies through community perception and analysis of observed data. A survey of 361 household heads from 12 villages was conducted in the Sahelian and Sahelo-sudanian areas of Niger. Precipitation and wind data from 2 weather stations were analyzed. The results show that communities are aware of the existence of agro-climatic risks, including early cessation of the rainy season, early season sand winds, and dry spells that are the most frequent and most severe weather events. The perceptions on winds and dry spells agree with the results of the analysis of observed data, whereas in the case of early cessation of the rainy season, analysis of the observed data reveals a return to a better situation, which remains non-perceptible by the communities, due to the high intra- and inter-annual variability. The immediate impacts are loss of seedlings and crops and the development of crop pests. These impacts in turn lead to animal weakness and food insecurity. Although they develop adaptation strategies such as improved crop varieties and water conservation and soil protection/restoration techniques, communities seem to be overwhelmed by the phenomenon. In the short term, the proposed adaptation strategies to the risks identified by the communities will help to cope with the effects of variability and climate change on rainfed agriculture in the Sahel.
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