Centre for Action-Research on Ecological and Social Transformations

CREATES

Research. Action. Transformation.

The context

The Sahel is at a turning point.

Land degradation, food insecurity, rural exodus. Top-down solutions have failed. Yet Sahelian communities hold knowledge, practices, and resilience that remain largely invisible to mainstream approaches. CREATES was born from this conviction: lasting change must emerge from the territories themselves.

65%

of Sahel land degraded

300M

people affected

70%

of population under 30

CREATES

Our response

CREATES brings together researchers, communities, and practitioners around action-research rooted in the territories. We don't design solutions for communities. We design them with them. Our approach bridges natural and social sciences, local knowledge and innovation, art and data — because the Sahel's challenges don't respect disciplinary boundaries.

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Transformation Pathways

Our work is structured around five transformation pathways, from food to governance, from energy to knowledge.

01
Resilient and Healthy Food Systems
02
Governance of Land and Natural Resources
03
Social and Solidarity Economy
04
Renewable Energy and Sustainable Infrastructures
05
Politics of Knowledge Production and the Arts

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News

Publication10 Sept 2026

White Forest: the new documentary produced by CREATES

In Bandia, limestone quarrying has buried the forest under a veil of dust. Abdou Seck, a 72-year-old beekeeper, refuses to leave. The trailer for White Forest, a film by Thomas Grand and Joan Bastide, is online.

Community1 Sept 2026

Thiafoura: four days of training, and the Women's Union was born

From 18 to 21 August 2026, twenty women from the four neighbourhoods of Thiafoura trained in organisational dynamics. By the end of the week, they had founded the Thiafoura Women's Union.

Community20 Aug 2026

Thiafoura: from theory to practice in the Living Lab garden

On 20 and 21 August 2026, producers, women and young people from Thiafoura trained in agroforestry and land layout - then moved straight to practice in the Living Lab's community garden.

Event23 Jun 2026

Kaffrine: a participatory diagnosis to map the actors of local food systems

On 23 and 24 June 2026, CREATES brought together producers, processors, traders and authorities in Kaffrine to jointly diagnose the territory's food systems and lay the groundwork for the OBSAT.

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