Abstract

Healthy agroecological zones (AEZs) are crucial for food security in the face of climate change, especially in Africa, where climate-induced challenges are still less contained. However, AEZs are gradually subject to significant human-induced imbalances that negatively affect their ability to support agricultural production and respond to unforeseen climate impacts. The Upper Guinean Savanna (UGS) includes large AEZs suitable for agricultural production while undergoing hazardous anthropogenic practices combined with climate-induced stresses that may disrupt its agroecological characteristics. However, there is no clear evidence of agroecological systems’ ability to cope with such disturbances, particularly drought episodes. Using key resilience-based indicators in line with resilience principles, this study developed an ecological drought resilience index (EDRI) based on remote-sensing data, field experiments, and community inputs to estimate the resilience of nine AEZs to climate-induced droughts in the UGS. Moreover, the explanatory factor analysis (EFA) was performed to identify factors underlying resilience. The EDRI showed that, among the selected AEZs, Kolokalan was the least resilient (0.109), whereas Woulada Plateau was the most resilient (0.412). The EFA revealed that the diversity of the land and vegetation cover (0.909), the diversity of species and ecosystems (0.885), the diversity of protected and conservation areas (0.712), and soil quality (0.633) were key factors shaping the resilience of the selected AEZs, which should be subject to regular monitoring for tailored remedial actions. The methodological approach developed in this study could guide future studies to assess similar ecosystems and adaptation planning purposes.