In 2010 WASCAL began as a unique initiative of the German Federal Ministry of Education together with ten African countries and was coordinated by Center of Development Research ZEF. Since then WASCAL has developed into one of Africa´s leading organizations in the provision of climate services in and for West Africa.

Its collaborative international efforts are based on the firm conviction that regional problems can only be solved by regional research and the return to traditional knowledge. To establish food security and ecosystem services WASCAL continually provides tools and research to further adapt land use in West Africa, where adaptation is the one suitable strategy to achieve results in a short term. These efforts require - on site - good research infrastructure, continuous and reliable climate data and trained experts. The WASCAL science service center is organized around three principle components: Research, Climate service, and Capacity building.

The core of the climate service and research programs operates from the Competence Centre in Ougadougou, Burkina Faso. WASCAL´s research program brought together a German research consortium, coordinated by the Center of Development Research (ZEF) of the University of Bonn and an equivalent consortium on the African side. These Scientists together developed tools and models which combine biological processes and social economy. In the face of climate change they explore the resilience of land use systems, secure key ecosystem services like food production, provision of clean water or soil productivity and thus can secure and improve human livelihoods. For further information

please visit <link https: www.zef.de typo3 www.wascal.org external-link-new-window internal link in current>www.wascal.org or <link https: www.zef.de projects external-link-new-window internal link in current>ZEF's Project Site.