In Burkina Faso, farmers received fewer locally tailored weather forecasts after U.S. funding cuts reduced support for the scientists producing them. Those forecasts had regularly appeared in agricultural outlook segments on local television, helping farmers make decisions about planting and harvests. The work was scaled back after the West Africa grant for a U.S.-backed geospatial technology and Earth observation network was terminated.
Date: 6/26
Region: Africa
Country: Burkina Faso
Topic: Climate & Environment, Food & Farming
Policy Lens: Climate & Resource Pressure
Entry Type: Human Impact
Additional Context: The Spatial Informatics Group—Natural Assets Laboratory, or SIG-NAL, manages the SERVIR Global Network. Previously, the SERVIR project was managed and funded by USAID and NASA. The alliance is composed of experts, institutions, and communities using geospatial technology and Earth observation to provide practical solutions for environmental and development challenges. Although the U.S. grants and agreements that helped establish and fund the network have ended, regional partners remain engaged. The network has since established a new governance structure as it rebuilds core capabilities, while emphasizing locally-led approaches.
Devex Researcher Note: According to a list of terminated grants from March 2025, the combined total estimated cost of canceled SERVIR awards across their fully planned lifecycle was $73.3 million. Around $26.2 million remained unobligated at the time of grant terminations. Around $15 million was expected to go to the network’s West Africa program between 2022 to 2027, with only around $5 million obligated at the time of termination.
Source: SIG-NAL/SERVIR