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.

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

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News

All news

Publication25 Sept 2026

CREATES launches its podcast, Cultiver les Territoires

First episode with Mariam Sow: for a political agroecology in Senegal. A podcast giving a voice to those who think about, live in and transform territories.

Event24 Sept 2026

Sessène: the Mbour Petite Côte DyTAEL trains farmers in agroecology and organic fertilisers

On 24 September 2026, at Sessène town hall, the Mbour Petite Côte DyTAEL brought together farmers from Sessène and Fissel, technical services and local elected officials around agroecological practices and the use of organic fertilisers.

Event23 Sept 2026

White Forest to screen in New York during Climate Week NYC 2026

The documentary by Thomas Grand and Joan Bastide, produced by CREATES, will be screened on 26 September 2026 at the Better Planet Film Festival, at the National Lighthouse Museum in New York, as part of the official Climate Week NYC programme.

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.

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