Montpellier, France
+33 7 48 61 95 92
Beninese, Beninois
Driver's license B
29 years old

Yélognissè Frédi Agbohessou

Postdoctoral researcher at Cirad
My work focuses on modeling the energy budget and the water, carbon, and nitrogen cycles in tropical ecosystems, with an emphasis on GHG emissions, climate change, productivity, and food security. I have extensive experience conducting agronomic trials under tropical conditions. I integrate data from field experiments, eddy covariance systems, and remote sensing with process-based models to analyze ecosystem responses and adaptation strategies from local to regional scales.
Education
From January 2021 to March 2024
PhD (with Highest Honors)
Université Cheikh Anta Diop Dakar, Senegal

Ecology and Agroforestry

From 2018 to 2019
MSc (with Highest Honors)
Université Cheikh Anta Diop Dakar, Senegal

Agroforestry, Ecology and Adaptation

From 2013 to 2016
BSc (with Highest Honors)
Université de Parakou Parakou, Benin

Wildlife and Protected Area Management

Work experience
Since May 2024
Postdoctoral researcher
Cirad Montpellier, France
  • Modeling the impact of climatic stresses on the functioning of rubber trees (Hevea brasiliensis) in South-East Asia

  • As part of the FORSEA project, my work involves adapting the CASTANEA-MAESPA model to rubber trees, developing a latex production module, and simulating rubber growth and latex production under future climate scenarios.

From January 2021 to March 2024
PhD researcher
ISRA & LMI IESOL Dakar, Senegal
  • My PhD title: modeling greenhouse gas balance in agro-silvo-pastoral systems of the Sahel: from plot to landscape

  • My PhD work: involved contributing to the development of process-based models, model spatialization, the production of GHG flux maps, the development of digital tools for modeling, assisting colleagues in installing GHG flux measurement devices, and agronomic trials.

  • Outputs from my PhD: first‑author publications (2 + 1 to be submitted), co‑author publications (3), orale communications (8)

April 2023
Visiting PhD researcher
Cirad Montpellier, France
  • Model simulation (MAESPA & STICS)

From March 2021 to June 2021
Visiting PhD researcher
Laboratoire d'Aérologie Toulouse, France
  • STEP-GENDEC-N2O model calibration, parametrization and spatialization

Work experience
From April 2019 to December 2020
Research Assistant - Internship & service provider
CIRAD & ISRA Dakar, Senegal
  • Master's thesis: Using drones to upscale yield and land-equivalent-ratio (LER) from plot to stand in an agrosilvopastoral system through a geostatistical-based method

  • My work: involved conducting field experiments (monitoring millet and groundnut crops) and performing data analysis.

  • Outputs: first-author publication (1-to be submitted), co-author publication (1), oral communications (2).

From 2017 to 2018
Forestry technician
Office National du Bois Bohicon, Benin
  • Building databases, Forest mapping and Ecological monitoring

From July 2014 to August 2014
Intern
Asecna / Kandi weather station Kandi, Benin
  • Introduction to tools for measuring meteorological parameters

Additional training and professional development
2024
Fortran Programming Complete Course,
Udemy Online

Certificate not available yet

2023
Explore Data Science with Julia,
Udemy Online
2022
Modelling approaches for climate risk and climate change adaptations
CMRA 2022 Summer School organised by ZALF and ICRISAT Thies, Senegal
2021
Data Visualization and Geospatial Analysis With R
Leah Kocian, Shubham Jain, Alan Lewis & Vinit Sehgal (Texas A&M University) New Orleans, USA
2021
Introduction to Time Series Analysis and Forecasting in R,
Udemy Online
2021
Python et Shell,
datacamp online

See certificates of completion on my website here

2021
R Programming for Statistics and Data Science,
Udemy Online
2021
Applied Statistical Modeling for Data Analysis in R,
Udemy Online
2021
Complete Google Earth Engine for Remote Sensing & GIS,
Udemy Online
2020
Using process-based models to simulate the soil-plant-atmosphere system (STICS & MAESPA models),
Remi Vezy, Olivier Roupsard and Guerric le Maire (Cirad) Dakar and Online
2019
Design of experimental databases for modeling purposes,
Michel Giner (Cirad) Dakar, Senegal
2016
Drone Setup and Usage for Park Conservation,
Abdelaziz Lawani (Eastern Kentucky University) Tanguiéta, Benin
Awards
2021
Doctoral research fellowship
EU-DESIRA CASSECS (PhD)
2018
German Excellence Scholarship
in-region DAAD (MSc)
2013
National Merit Scholarship
Government of Benin (BSc)
Skills
Fields of research

Agronomy, bioclimatology, forestry, ecology, modeling, biogeochemistry, biogeophysics, hydrology...

Programming language

R (advanced), Python (intermediate), Julia (intermediate) & Fortran (intermediate). I mainly code in R and currently learning Fortran

GIS

QGis (advanced), Earth Engine (intermediate) & R (advanced)

Software & tools

Git/Github & TortoiseHg

Language

Fon & Goun (native), French (C2) & English (C1)

Digital tools
rstep

rstep is a workflow package that I developed to perform STEP-GENDEC-CN model simulations within the RStudio environment

My scripts

In addition to traditional academic contributions, I have made all the code used for data visualization and analysis in my previous publications available on my GitHub. You can check it out here

Teaching
2024
Training
for students and professionals Online
2023
Guest lecturer
UCAD Dakar, Senegal

Guest lecturer for the Master's program in Agroforestry Ecology and Adaptation: Delivered a short lecture on the introduction to process-based modeling

Leadership, Service & Community Engagement
Since 2022
Member of European Geosciences Union
EGU Vienna, Austria
2021
Member of American Geophysical Union
AGU USA
2017
Volunteer: Reforestation campaign in Zogbodomey
ONAB Zogbodomey, Benin
2017
Member of the Young African Leaders Initiative
(YALI) Network Dakar, Senegal
2015
Volunteer: Reforestation campaign in Djidja,
Forest Station of Abomey Djidja, Benin
From 2014 to 2016
Children's instructor on biblical studies at
MEF (Mission Evangélique de la Foi) Church Kandi, Benin
Publications
Research Articles
  • Wieckowski, A., Vestin, P., Ardö, J., Roupsard, O., Ndiaye, O., Diatta, O., Ba, S., Agbohessou, Y., Fensholt, R., Verbruggen, W., Gebremedhn, H. H., & Tagesson, T. (2024). Eddy covariance measurements reveal a decreased carbon sequestration strength 2010–2022 in an African semiarid savanna. Global Change Biology, 30, e17509. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.17509

  • Agbohessou, Y., Delon, C., Grippa, M., Mougin, E., Ngom, D., Gaglo, E.K., Ndiaye, O., Salgado, P., Roupsard, O. (2024). Modelling CO2 and N2O emissions from soils in silvopastoral systems of the West African Sahelian band. Biogeosciences, 21, 2811–2837. https://doi.org/10.5194/bg-21-2811-2024

  • Sow, S., Senghor, Y., Sadio, K., Vezy, R., Roupsard, O., Affholder, F., N’dienor, M., Clermont-Dauphin, C., Gaglo, E.K., Ba, S., Tounkara, A., Balde, A.B., Agbohessou, Y., Seghieri, J., Sall, S.N., Couedel, A., Leroux, L., Jourdan, C., Diaite, D.S., Falconnier, G.N. (2023). Calibrating the STICS soil-crop model to explore the impact of agroforestry parklands on millet growth. Field Crops Research, 306, 109206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.fcr.2023.109206

  • Agbohessou, Y., Delon, C., Mougin, E., Grippa, M., Tagesson, T., Diedhiou, M., Ba, S., Ngom, D., Vezy, R., Ndiaye, O., Assouma, M.H., Diawara, M., Roupsard, O. (2023). To what extent are greenhouse-gas emissions offset by trees in a Sahelian silvopastoral system? Agricultural and Forest Meteorology, 343, 109780. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agrformet.2023.109780

  • Delon, C., Galy-Lacaux, C., Barret, B., Ndiaye, O., Serça, D., Guérin, F., Gardrat, E., Mougin, E., Agbohessou, Y.F., Probst, A. (2022). Nitrogen budget and critical load determination at a Sahelian grazed grassland site. Nutrient Cycling in Agroecosystems. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10705-022-10220-6

  • Roupsard, O., Audebert, A., Ndour, A.P., Clermont-Dauphin, C., Agbohessou, Y., Sanou, J., Koala, J., Faye, E., Sambakhe, D., Jourdan, C., le Maire, G., Tall, L., Sanogo, D., Seghieri, J., Cournac, L., Leroux, L. (2020). How far does the tree affect the crop in agroforestry? New spatial analysis methods in a Faidherbia parkland. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 296, 106928. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2020.106928

Research Articles to be submitted
  • Agbohessou, Y., Audebert, A., Ndour, A., Sokhna Sarr, M., Jourdan, C.,Clermont-Dauphin, C., Diatta, S., Sow, S., Leroux, L., Pierre, C.,Taugourdeau, S., Sanogo, D., Seghieri, J., le Maire, G., Vezy, R.,Fonceka, D., Roupsard, O., (2024) Is the distance of influence of agroforestry trees on crops an indicator of their impact on yield and on Land Equivalent Ratio? Results from an improved multispectral UAV and geostatistics approach. To be submitted to Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

  • Ba, S., Roupsard, O., Chapuis-Lardy, L., Agbohessou, Y., Bouvery, F., Wieckowski, A., Duthoit, M., Tagesson, T., Taugourdeau, S., Assouma, H., Gaglo, E.K., Irvine, M., Soudani, K., Sambou, B., Serça, D., (2024) Soil CO2 fluxes in a Sahelian agroforestry parkland dominated by Faidherbia albida : seasonal dynamic, trees effect, and annual balance. To be submitted to Agricultural and Forest Meteorology

Publications
Selected Oral Communications

I have participated in oral presentations at 13 conferences (9 international, 4 national). See the full list on my website here

  • Agbohessou, Y., Ba, S., Ferchaud, F., Léonard, J., Bouvery, F., Duthoit, M., Sow, S., Delon, C., Vezy, R., Ngom, D., Mougin, E., Falconnier, G., Taugourdeau, S., Roupsard, O. (2024). Modelling CO2 and N2O emissions from a tropical semi-arid parkland cultivated with groundnut and millet. EGU24, 14-19 April 2024, Vienna, Austria. Copernicus Meetings. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu24-7588

  • Agbohessou, Y., Delon, C., Grippa, M., Mougin, E., Ba, S., Ngom, D., Roupsard, O. (2023). Soil CO2 and N2O emissions in Sahelian Silvopastoral systems: spatial distribution and annual budget estimation (No. EGU23-7304). Oral Presentation at the EGU23, 23-28 April 2023, Vienna, Austria. Copernicus Meetings. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu23-7304

  • Agbohessou, Y., Audebert, A., Ndour, A., Sarr, M.S., Jourdan, C., Clermont-Dauphin, C., Diatta, S., Leroux, L., Taugourdeau, S., Sanogo, D., Seghieri, J., Delon, C., Roupsard, O., 2022. Using UAV and geostatistics to upscale crop yield in heterogeneous agro-silvo-pastoral system (No. EGU22-11773). Presented at the EGU22, 23-27 May 2022, Vienna, Austria. Copernicus Meetings. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-11773

  • Ba, S.M., Roupsard, O., Chapuis-Lardy, L., Bouvery, F., Diongue, D.M.L., Agbohessou, Y.F., Guérin, F., Tagesson, H.T., Sambou, B., Serça, D., 2022. Monitoring soil greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions in a Sahelian agrosilvo-pastoral parkland (No. EGU22-4337). Presented at the EGU22, Copernicus Meetings. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu22-4337

  • Roupsard, O., Frederic, D., Alain, R., Christophe, J., Didier, O., Laure, T., Sidy, S., Waly, F., Djimm M.L., D., Khalisse, D., Yélognissé, A., Seydou, D., Serigne, F., Mame Sokhna, S., Diaminatou, S., Guerric, le M., Remi, V., Josiane, S., Laurent, C., 2020. More C uptake during the dry season? The case of a semi-arid agro-silvo-pastoral ecosystem dominated by Faidherbia albida, a tree with reverse phenology (Senegal) (other). display. https://doi.org/10.5194/egusphere-egu2020-11203

Posters
  • Agbohessou, Y., Delon, C., Grippa, M., Mougin, E., Tagesson, T., Ngom, D., Gaglo, E.K., Ba, S., Ndiaye, O., Roupsard, O., 2024. Modélisation des émissions de CO2 et de N2O des sols dans les systèmes sylvopastoraux sahéliens : de l’échelle locale à l’échelle régionale. JMSC2024, 19-20 Juin 2024, Strasbourg, France.

  • Agbohessou, Y., Delon, C., Grippa, M., Mougin, E., Tagesson, T., Ngom, D., Roupsard, O., 2021. Modeling Greenhouse Gas Emissions from Sahelian Sylvo-pastoral Ecosystems. Poster presented at the AGU Fall Meeting 2021, AGU, 13-17 Dec 2021, New Orlean, LA, USA. https://agu.confex.com/agu/fm21/meetingapp.cgi/Paper/809234

References
Dr. Olivier Roupsard

Senior research scientist at CIRAD: olivier.roupsard@cirad.fr

Dr. Claire Delon

Senior research scientist at CNRS: claire.delon@aero.obs-mip.fr

Dr. Guerric le Maire

Senior research scientist at CIRAD: guerric.le_maire@cirad.fr

Pr. Daouda Ngom

Full Professor at UCAD & Minister of Environment and Sustainable Development of Senegal: daouda11.ngom@ucad.edu.sn & ngom_daouda@yahoo.fr