Page 40 - 80 YEARS OF VOLUNTEER IMPACT WITH FAO

Climate resilience Adaptation in action: Responding to climate change

Théo Martin

SUPPORTING SENEGALESE FARMERS

THROUGH FIELD SCHOOLS

Senegal is particularly affected by declining rainfall and rising
temperatures. Seasons are shifting, with increasingly irregular
rainfall patterns, which adds to the challenge of meeting the
needs of a growing population.

As a trained agronomist, I worked with FAO in Senegal to help
reduce farmers’ vulnerability to climate change. I contributed
36 to the Global Environment Facility project, which promotes
the "farmer-field-school" approach, an outdoor learning model
where farmers receive hands-on, practical training to adapt to
changing climate conditions. I regularly joined field visits and
trainings in peanut-growing areas and cotton fields, gaining
deeper insights into sylvo-pastoral agriculture and participatory
training methods.

My main role focused on monitoring and evaluation, developing
a method to assess whether the project was being implemented
effectively. Using tools such as geomatics, rural sociology
and statistics, I worked to understand the living conditions of
Théo Martin during a fact-finding mission to support the planting of vegetables in the peanut
growing basin as part of the Farmer-Field-School and Climate Resilience Project. [FAO, 2017] farmers and measure the project’s impact on their lives.

Working in a rich learning environment, I had the opportunity to
collaborate with producer collectives, NGOs, and government
structures. I was part of a highly experienced, multidisciplinary
team and learned a great deal alongside my Senegalese
colleagues. Above all, it was the human dimension that made
my UN Volunteer experience truly meaningful.