Chapter 7
A Framework for IWRM
in the Water-Energy-Food Nexus
for the Senegal River Delta
Mor Talla Sall, Penda Diop, Joost Wellens, Mamoune Seck,
and Jean Louis Chopart
Abstract The Delta of the Senegal River is a complex ecosystem that serves as
a source for various uses of fresh water: fishing, agriculture, grazing, ecotourism
and drinking water. Climate variability and change lead to changes in the hydrological regime that impact the activities of both populations and ecosystems. Faced
with this vulnerability, agricultural models must be improved to achieve integrated
and sustainable water resource use. A Water-Energy-Food nexus approach is being
implemented by the Senegalese Sugar Company (CSS), which produces irrigated
sugar cane crops (11,000 ha). A milling by-product, bagasse (420 megatons/year), is
used for power production, replacing fossil fuel and realizing the reduction of CO 2
emissions by 43,000 tons/year. The current annual production of energy from bagasse
allows the plant to reduce fossil fuels by 61 megatons/year and also provides energy
for irrigation at CSS and surrounding smallholder fields. Next steps at CSS are to:
(i) transfer 28 GWh/year from CSS into the national electric network; (ii) explore
the feasibility of using high fiber energy cane cropped by smallholders on poor soils
surrounding CSS farmland to be used for electricity production when bagasse stock
is exhausted; (iii) promote small power station projects to run on high fiber and
rustic sugarcane varieties cropped by smallholders for local electricity production
in villages where electricity is not available. It is anticipated that this integrated
approach will contribute to a reduction in climate change effects.
Keywords Senegal river delta · Climate change · Agricultural water · Bagasse ·
Energy crop
M. T. Sall (B) · M. Seck
Senegalese Sugar Company, Richard-Toll, Senegal
e-mail: mortalla.sall@css.sn
M. T. Sall · J. Wellens
University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
M. T. Sall · P. Diop
Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal
J. L. Chopart
AgerConsult, Montpellier, France
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Diop et al. (eds.), Climate Change and Water Resources in Africa,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61225-2_7
145
A Framework for IWRM
in the Water-Energy-Food Nexus
for the Senegal River Delta
Mor Talla Sall, Penda Diop, Joost Wellens, Mamoune Seck,
and Jean Louis Chopart
Abstract The Delta of the Senegal River is a complex ecosystem that serves as
a source for various uses of fresh water: fishing, agriculture, grazing, ecotourism
and drinking water. Climate variability and change lead to changes in the hydrological regime that impact the activities of both populations and ecosystems. Faced
with this vulnerability, agricultural models must be improved to achieve integrated
and sustainable water resource use. A Water-Energy-Food nexus approach is being
implemented by the Senegalese Sugar Company (CSS), which produces irrigated
sugar cane crops (11,000 ha). A milling by-product, bagasse (420 megatons/year), is
used for power production, replacing fossil fuel and realizing the reduction of CO 2
emissions by 43,000 tons/year. The current annual production of energy from bagasse
allows the plant to reduce fossil fuels by 61 megatons/year and also provides energy
for irrigation at CSS and surrounding smallholder fields. Next steps at CSS are to:
(i) transfer 28 GWh/year from CSS into the national electric network; (ii) explore
the feasibility of using high fiber energy cane cropped by smallholders on poor soils
surrounding CSS farmland to be used for electricity production when bagasse stock
is exhausted; (iii) promote small power station projects to run on high fiber and
rustic sugarcane varieties cropped by smallholders for local electricity production
in villages where electricity is not available. It is anticipated that this integrated
approach will contribute to a reduction in climate change effects.
Keywords Senegal river delta · Climate change · Agricultural water · Bagasse ·
Energy crop
M. T. Sall (B) · M. Seck
Senegalese Sugar Company, Richard-Toll, Senegal
e-mail: mortalla.sall@css.sn
M. T. Sall · J. Wellens
University of Liege, Liege, Belgium
M. T. Sall · P. Diop
Anta Diop University, Dakar, Senegal
J. L. Chopart
AgerConsult, Montpellier, France
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2021
S. Diop et al. (eds.), Climate Change and Water Resources in Africa,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-61225-2_7
145