BUILDING RESILIENCE TO CLIMATE CHANGE AND INCREASE FOOD SECURITY THROUGH SCALING UP FARMER MANAGED NATURAL REGENERATION

•  CONTEXT:    •  A  «  PERFECT  STORM  IS  BREWING  »    

•  >  Temperatures  will  increase  (2-­‐3°  C?)  

Ø Rainfall  will  become  more  erraMc  

Ø Soil  ferMlity  is  depleMng  

Ø Crop  yields  will  decline    (  -­‐  20%?)  

Ø PopulaMon  will  double  in  20  years    

Drought in the 1970s and 1980s …

•  SOME  CHALLENGES:  

•  HOW  TO  REDUCE  TEMPERATURES  ?  

•  HOW  TO  INCREASE  THE  QUANTITY  OF  WATER  AVAILABLE  TO  PEOPLE,  CROPS  AND  LIVESTOCK?  

•  HOW  TO  FEED  A  GROWING  POPULATION?    

Vegetation reduces soil temperatures

Vegetation reduces sand blast and protects crops

Techniques simples

REHABILITATION OF BARREN LAND

1990 Zaï Demi lunes

Impacts importants

Piliostigma reticulatum Combretum glutinosum

2004

 

Contour stone bunds increase water available to plants and induce rainfall and runoff to infiltrate

In Batodi water levels in wells increased about 14 m in 10 years enabling women to start vegetable garden

Half moons used to rehabilitate degraded land are becoming increasingly popular

   

REACTIONS IN THE 1980s TO THE CRISIS Niger Story: More People, More TREES 5 MILLION HA  

WHERE ARE THE RE-GREENING SUCCESSES?

Farmer-­‐managed  natural  regenera.on  in  Niger  

•  5,000,000  ha  re-­‐greened  in  20  years  (only  labour  for  protec.on,  investment  in  extension,  no  recurrent  costs  to  governments)  

•  200  million  new  trees  •  addi.onal  cereal  produc.on/year:  500,000  ton  

•  2.5  million  people  fed  •  1.25  million  rural  households  involved    

New agroforestry parklands in Zinder (about 1 million ha) dominated by Faidherbia Albida

IMPROVED SOIL FERTILITY AND INCREASE IN FODDER PRODUCTION  

           

What induced farmers to protect and manage on-farm natural regeneration?  

Rehabilitated field in 1988 The same field in 2008; this farm family has been food secure since they began rehabilitation

TREES PERMIT LOW COST AGRICULTURAL INTENSIFICATION

LIVESTOCK IS INCREASINGLY CONTROLLED AND DEPENDS SIX MONTHS/YEAR ON TREE

FODDER  

THE RURAL POOR SURVIVE ON TREES AND HAVE HIGHER TREE DENSITIES

Impact on biodiversity: this was barren land in 1985

More fodder, more water : reduction in conflicts between herders and farmers

Strong reduction in time required for collection of firewood

New village committees were established to ensure that:

Action plans are developed collectively; •  Rules for management of FMNR are shared

and respected by all villagers (+ sanctions enforced in case of non respect)

 

NEW VILLAGE INSTITUTION FOR TREE

MANAGEMENT    

OTHER REASONS FOR THE SUCCESS OF FMNR  

•  Inclusion of youth in village committee activities •  Technical simplicity and cost effectiveness •  Replicability •  Low cost agricultural intensification •  Increased drought resilience •  Establishment of wood markets requiring

membership and adherence to community endorsed regulations for wood harvesting

 

CONCLUSION:      

•  FARMERS  IN  PARTS  OF  THE  SAHEL  HAVE  •  ADAPTED  TO  CLIMATE  CHANGE  AND  HAVE    •  BUILT  MORE  COMPLEX  AND    •  DROUGHT-­‐RESILIENT  FARMING  SYSTEMS  

•  HOW  TO  SCALE  UP  EXISTING  SUCCESSES?    

•  HOW  TO  DEVELOP  AGROFORESTRY  VALUE  •  CHAINS?