Exploring rural resilience and development constitutes a thriving discipline that aligns with socio-economic and climatic changes, necessitating a comprehensive inquiry. Beyond implementing the Sustainable Development Goals in 2015, rural development in West African countries like Senegal has not yet been a suitable solution, and rural resilience questions remain faced with several challenges. Accordingly, sustainable development in rural areas was one of the predominant challenges in Senegalese politics. Moreover, traditional subsistence farming faced climatic change and weak agricultural investment. This situation complicates the attainment of rural resilience and sustainable development. Therefore, focusing on the role of cultivated land and based on the 585 households’ questionnaire, this investigation explores the challenges and strategies for enhancing resilient and sustainable rural development in Senegal tailored to the Thiès region. A mixed linear regression model was developed to ascertain the correlation between main cultivated land functions and the potential factors influencing rural sustainable development and resilience. The core finding of this study depicted that about 71.97% of farmers are males, and the average age was about 45.1 years. In addition, farmers with primary school education and those without education were roughly 71.62%. A noteworthy observation was that 37.8% of the respondents possessed a cultivated area of less than 1 ha. The average agricultural production, reflecting a harvest of less than a ton and accounting for approximately 52.5%, underscored the pressing necessity to strengthen the resilience of rural households. The linear regression model showed a strong link (p < 0.01) between changes in rainfall, access to transportation, education, non-horticultural activities, land tenure, shifts in the shape of cultivated land, the ability to produce grains, living security, and the environment. Additionally, research and development and resource endowments were also found to be significant at the 10% level (p < 0.1) in relation to cultivated land function. Moreover, environmental factors such as soil salinization and wind erosion (p < 0.01) emerged as highly significant influencers in shaping rural resilience and development. Therefore, there is an urgent need in Senegal to boost agricultural production, generate new employment opportunities, and increase income levels in rural areas. So, counteract rural depopulation and enact policies that promote a comprehensive rural economic environment with political reforms, emphasizing diverse forms of economic diversification, sustainable agriculture, and rural social networks to keep rural resilience and sustainable development moving forward.