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Farming in drylands is the main source of livelihood for many inhabitants of West Africa. High variability in rainfall patterns, coupled with the soaring food prices, lead to a situation in which farmers’ investments to increase productivity are very risky. Improving the scientific ability to quantify risks and likely damages of climatic extremes on cropping systems can support building resilience and longer-term development goals. Process-based cropping system models are a key tool to assess the impact of weather variability and climate change, or crop management options on the farming system resilience. Given the urgency of finding solutions for sustainable development in the face of increasing climate risks, we outline here key aspects of building the scientific basis to support the desired transformation of cropping systems in West Africa.