The role agro-ecology plays in dealing with the food and climate crises, by enhancing local biodiversity and natural resource conservation, is increasingly clear. It responds to the triple challenge facing the agriculture sector: poverty eradication, increased productivity, and sustainability. However, West Africa and the Sahel lack sufficient national and subregional data on agro-ecology; and this hinders the implementation of policies to support systems for applying the best solutions for soil conservation, biodiversity, water and community empowerment at the local level. To support agro-ecological transition initiatives, the project was tasked with developing a ten-year programme to promote agro-ecology in West Africa and the Sahel, involving ten of the region’s countries.