Intensified rice production negatively impacts plant biodiversity, diet, lifestyle and quality of life: transdisciplinary and gendered research in the Middle Senegal River Valley

A major programme of irrigated rice extension in the Middle Senegal River Valley has further limited river’s natural flooding floodplain (Waalo), initially reduced by drought. We conducted a transdisciplinary (TD) and gendered study region to explore links between agricultural biodiversity family diets using social analysis women’s practices. The results showed how expansion impacts local agrobiodiversity, diet quality cultural way life. Disappearance singular agropastoral fishing system is profoundly modifying landscape, limiting wooded riverine settings, undermining traditional diversified flood-recession cropping Waalo. This causing an overconsumption reducing alternative food sources, such as sorghum, vegetables animal products (fish, milk meat). In particular, sorghums are danger disappearing, yet they more nutritious than now sell for twice much, or more. life being disrupted, notably sociabilities previously based on territorial complementarities, women disadvantaged terms recognition added workload. Women’s groups have launched collective gardens, organic not, only supported NGO, but any surplus hardly ever sold weekly markets neighbourhood. Moreover, this imbalance increases nutritional risk factors health, vitamin iron deficiencies, especially women, hypertension diabetes. argue that, firstly, TD experiences relevant documenting activities order them gain political support and, secondly, that targeting care tasks gives value impact research results.