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Annex
BUILDING ON A CURRENT GREEN REVOLUTION IN THE SAHEL:
SOME LESSONS FROM FARMER-MANAGED RE-GREENING IN NIGER
International Institute for Environment and Development
Observatoire du Sahara et du Sahel
VU University Amsterdam
World Vision Australia
Both Ends
ICRAF Sahel
IED Afrique
IUCN Senegal
Réseau MARP Burkina Faso
CRESA, Université de Niamey
Drylands Coordination Group, Norway
ICCO-IC Consult
SOS Sahel UK
Tree Aid
and other partners
August 2008
1. A recent study on long-term trends in agriculture and environment in Niger, which was funded by the Swiss Development Cooperation with a significant contribution from USAID, uncovered the fact that farmers in the densely populated regions of Niger had protected and managed regeneration of trees on their farms. In some regions this process began in the middle of the 1980s – and the scale at which this re-greening has taken place has taken everyone by surprise. This on-farm re-greening has produced multiple impacts, which include increased crop production as a result of improved soil fertility, less crop damage due to reduced wind speed early in the rainy season and a longer cropping season (see points 6 i – ii).
2. This farmer-managed re-greening in Niger covers at least 5 million ha. The implication is that farmers have added each year during a period of 20 years an average 250,000 ha. This has never been achieved by any tree planting project in Africa.
3. Five million hectares at an average of 40 trees/ha implies 200 million new trees. If each tree produces an average annual value of one Euro per /tree (firewood, fodder, fruits, medicinal products, improved soil fertility, increased crop yields, etc.) this means an annual production value of Euro 200 million. This does not yet include the value of the carbon or timber sequestered by the standing tree stock (asset building). If 4 million individuals are concerned by re-greening, this means an average annual benefit of 50 Euro per capita, whereas average annual per capita income in Niger is in the order of 280 US $.
The number of on-farm trees has increased 15 – 20 times between 1975 (left) and 2003 (right) in the village of Galma (Tahoua Region). More people, more trees.
This transformation has occurred in hundreds of villages.
4. In some places projects have played a key role in stimulating farmers to protect and manage on-farm trees, but it subsequently spread spontaneously.
5. What has triggered farmers to protect and manage on-farm natural regeneration?
i. The environmental crisis of the 1970s and 1980s (the need to fight dust and sand storms, land degradation, declining crop yields,etc.)
ii The perceived shift in rights to trees from state-owned to private ownership.
iii The need to intensify production systems in reaction to strong demographic growth.
6. Which are some of the measured or perceived impacts of this farmer-managed re-greening?
i The farming systems have become more complex, more productive, which has lead to a reduction in rural poverty. Trees produce fodder, which allows farmers to keep more livestock. More livestock means more manure, which is no longer used as a source of household energy, but is all used to fertilize the fields.
ii. Higher crop yields, improved household food security and rural poverty reduction. Nitrogen-fixing trees, like Faidherbia albida (as pictured on the cover), help improve soil fertility without cash costs to the farmers and tons of litter/ha help improve the soils. This creates conditions which make it rational to use external inputs like micro-nutrients. Twenty years ago farmers had to plant 2 – 4 times before the crops succeeded as the strong winds early in the rainy season destroyed the plants or covered them with sand. The on-farm trees have reduced wind speed and now they often plant once, which increases the length of the growing season. According to a study by economists a 10% increase in agricultural production leads to a reduction in rural poverty by 6% – 9%.
The field on the left was almost barren in 1985. By protecting and managing spontaneous natural regeneration farmers have created more complex, productive drought-resilient farming systems, which integrate agriculture, livestock and forestry. The cattle on the right are fed crop residues in June 2006 at the end of the dry season. All manure is restituted to the fields. In the background numerous acacia can be seen.
iv The time women spent on the collection of firewood has gone down from about 2.5 hours/day to 0.5 hours/day.
v The re-greening has reduced vulnerability to drought. During the 2005 food shortage, infant mortality in villages which had protected natural regeneration was much lower than in villages without. Villagers could cut and prune trees and sell this as firewood on the market. They literally survived on the trees.
vi The economic benefits to farmers of investing in the protection and management of on-farm natural regeneration are high. A study by economists, which is based on a review of some of the benefits, shows an internal rate of return of 31%.
In the current context of the food crisis, climate change and rapid demographic growth, the challenge is to quickly move from research to substantive action. How to improve and expand tree-based production systems in the Sahel based on farmers managing on-farm natural regeneration?
Some activities under a new Sahel Re-greening Initiative (SRI)
1. Advocacy for policy change. It is essential that national policies and legislation support investments by farmers in trees and a vital policy measure is that farmers are granted exclusive rights to the trees on their fields.
2. Identify and analyze existing grass-root success stories in farmer-managed re-greening and use these success stories as a starting point for upscaling. Farmer study visits, which are a proven tool for spreading good practices.
3. Mainstream farmer-managed natural regeneration into existing and new agricultural development projects.
4. Use mass media to inform farmers and the widest possible audience about success stories, the impacts of farmer study visits, as well as about forestry legislation.
How to organize substantive action?
1. A Sahel Re-greening Initiative (SRI) is currently being developed by national and international NGOs together with research institutions. They will cooperate closely with relevant ministries (in particular Agriculture and Environment).
2. In each participating Sahel country (at present Niger, Burkina Faso, Mali and Senegal) a national alliance of NGOs and other partners is created. All partners in the national alliances will jointly promote the protection and management of on-farm natural regeneration by farmers.
3. An international alliance of NGOs and research institutions has been created to support the national alliances.
Final remarks
1. Promoting farmer-managed natural regeneration in the Sahel helps develop more productive and more sustainable farming systems, while also contributing to realizing MDGs 1 and 7
2. African Heads of State have proposed a Green Wall for the Sahara Initiative, which has become part of the strategic cooperation between the African Union and the European Union. It is important to note that farmers in the densely-populated parts of the Maradi and Zinder Regions in Niger have already created their version of a Green Wall at little cost to governments or NGOs, and by doing so they have transformed the environment and improved their livelihoods. Their trees are capital assets, which produce a stream of annual benefits. Not surprisingly they carefully manage and protect this resource at no cost to the State. Field visits to other Sahel countries have uncovered other examples of on-farm re-greening with a potential for scaling up.
The Sahel Re-greening Initiative (SRI) expects to become operational in January 2009.
If you are interested to contribute or if you want more information about the Sahel Re-greening Initiative, you can contact:
Chris Reij
Centre for International Cooperation
VU University Amsterdam
Tel. + 31 20 5989078
E-mail: cp.reij@dienst.vu.nl
Documentation:
World Resources Institute (2008) Turning back the desert: how farmers have transformed Niger’s landscapes and livelihoods” In: World Resources Report 2008 : pp 142 – 157.
See also http://www.frameweb.org/nigerregeneration for video footage and reports. This source still uses 3 million ha of re-greening, but a study by USGS EROS Center of high resolution satellite image, aerial photos in combination with ground truthing has led to an upward revision of this number.
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