Abstract
The study conducted in the village of Diohine, located in the heart of Senegal's groundnut basin, explores collective fallow management practices, a tradition that continues in this community despite its abandonment in the surrounding villages. We have been particularly interested in how these traditional practices, deeply rooted in local social structures, have withstood modern pressures, such as population growth and land degradation. Collective fallow, which consists of letting land rest to restore fertility, is presented by the inhabitants as a symbol of solidarity and social cohesion. By pooling land for grazing, the people of Diohine maintain a balance between agricultural production and resource conservation, while strengthening community ties. By combining methods of “Companion modeling” (ComMod) through co-building workshops, we illustrate how collective fallow functions as a mechanism of resilience in the face of contemporary environmental and social challenges, guaranteeing territorial stability, soil fertility and social peace. This work encourages us to consider fallow from an alternative point of view to agricultural practices, as a space for negotiation and sharing, where the stakes of modernity and tradition play out in the Senegalese rural context.