• Water scarcity and quality degradation: the Wendou Diabirou pond retains water for only 3–4 months and deteriorates rapidly without regulated management.
• High pressure from livestock: with the pond serving ~3,000 sedentary and transhumant cattle.
• Land degradation and erosion: requiring ecological restoration around the pond and productivity improvements in the perimeter.
• Limited agricultural land: with only 3 ha currently cultivated and high dependence on the solar‑pumped borehole.
• Need for improved water governance: especially around the pond’s shared uses for livestock and agriculture.
• Socio‑economic vulnerability: with women’s groups relying on the perimeter for income and training.

The Living Lab integrates agroecology, renewable energy, and ecosystem restoration through a WEFE Nexus approach.

Water management & natural infrastructure:
• Promote the pond as natural infrastructure for rainfall storage, flood mitigation, and groundwater recharge.
• Experiment with infiltration trenches, vegetated buffer zones, and bank protection to improve water retention and reduce silting.
• Improve regulated use of pond water to extend its availability and quality.

Sustainable food production:
• Extend the agroecological perimeter from 3 ha to 7 ha, linking it directly to pond water and the borehole’s solar pumping system.
• Diversify crops and strengthen agro‑sylvo‑pastoral practices.
• Enhance food security and economic opportunities for women and youth.

Renewable energy use: reinforce the existing solar energy system, enabling:
• Efficient irrigation methods.
• Powering training and community spaces.
• Testing new productive energy uses.

Ecological restoration:
• Reforest and stabilize pond banks using local species.
• Reduce evaporation and sand encroachment.
• Strengthen biodiversity corridors for Sahelian flora and fauna.

Co‑design & learning space:
• Develop the site as a platform for innovation, demonstration, and co‑design with local communities.
• Provide continuous learning and applied research in agroforestry, water management, and restoration practices.

Stakeholder Collaboration: stakeholders include local communities and women’s groups, technical services and municipal authorities, and TRANS‑SAHARA consortium partners.

Impacts from the Senegal Living Lab will be documented as implementation progresses.