A Review of Land‐ and Water‐ Management Technologies for Resilient Agriculture in the Sahel: Insights from Climate Analogues in Sub‐Saharan Africa

In sub-Saharan Africa, land degradation and climate change threaten food security by reducing soil productivity and water availability. Soil and water conservation (SWC) technologies can restore soil health, enhance moisture retention, and support crop growth under adverse conditions. This review identifies SWC technologies applied in climatically similar African regions with the aim of informing adoption in Senegal, particularly in Sédhiou and Tambacounda regions. Using K-means clustering on 19 WorldClim bioclimatic variables, 35 comparable countries were identified, of which 17 met inclusion criteria based on data availability and ≥60% climatic similarity. Around 85 technologies were reviewed, including water harvesting, soil-moisture conservation, and erosion control, assessed for their compatibility across rainfall patterns, and land gradients and uses. The review highlights 12 successful technologies across Africa with high potential for cross-border transfer and upscaling in Senegal’s agroecological context. While countries such as Burkina Faso, Kenya, and Malawi lead in technology adoption and diversity, Senegal lags behind due to institutional gaps, limited funding, and weak extension systems. The findings highlight the importance of site-specific water management for improving soil conservation, biodiversity protection, climate adaptation, and food security, and emphasize the need for policy integration, stakeholder empowerment, private-sector engagement, and cross-border learning to accelerate adoption.