• Home
  • IFAD website
  • Subscribe to posts
  • Subscribe to comments
Showing posts with label agroforestry. Show all posts
Showing posts with label agroforestry. Show all posts

Six surprising benefits of trees

Posted by Beate Stalsett Thursday, April 21, 2016 0 comments

In honour of Earth Day, we compiled six surprising ways that trees are improving the lives of millions of small farmers around the world. 

Written by: Mathilde Zins



Trees protect the earth, feed communities and play multiple essential roles in the livelihoods of rural people living around the world.

Earth Day, celebrated annually on 22 April,  is an occasion to honour the close connection we maintain with Mother Earth.

This year, organizations are raising awareness about the important function of trees in sustaining and protecting our planet.

This is true for small farmers too. Trees play a vital part in their livelihoods and communities, as they nourish the people and help conserve the land that they live on.

Did you know that trees help combat climate change by absorbing excess and harmful CO2 from our atmosphere? In fact, in a single year, an acre of mature trees absorbs the amount of CO2 produced by driving the average car 26,000 miles. That's the same distance as going right around the world at the equator... and a little bit more.

Trees also clean the air we breathe when they absorb odours and pollutant gases  (nitrogen oxides, ammonia, sulphur dioxide and ozone) and filter particulates out of the air by trapping them on their leaves and bark.

Trees can help communities achieve long-term economic and environmental sustainability and provide food, energy and income.

This is why IFAD works with small farmers on projects that involve the sustainable management of trees and forests.

How are trees important to the lives of small farmers? Let us count the ways.

Trees help farmers conserve rainwater 

Trees are vital for our water supply. They influence how and where rain falls, they filter and clean our water, and are therefore essential for agricultural practices.

Like thousands of poor farmers living on the eastern slopes of Mount Kenya, Christine Mugure Munene used to depend on seasonal rains to water her crops. Thanks to a pilot project supported by IFAD, more than 7 million seedlings have been planted in the water catchment along the eastern slopes of the mountain and now trees keep water flowing in the region. 

''When you have trees in a water catchment, it helps to ensure that when it rains the water is held into the soil and it joins the river basin slowly. This ensures the sustainability of the flow of the rivers," says Paul Njuguna from the Mount Kenya East Pilot Project.  

Now, farmers in the community are working together to conserve water resources by protecting rivers and planting trees.

Trees help farmers improve soil


Poor soil fertility is one of the main obstacles to improving food production in Africa.
A study carried out by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) in 2011 showed that planting trees that improve soil quality can improve soil fertility, reduce erosion and help boost crop yields for African farmers. 

In Niger, an IFAD-supported reforestation project in the Maradi and Zinder Regions has shown successful results. More than five million hectares of trees have been planted, according to Chris P. Reij, Sustainable Land Management specialist and  Senior Fellow of the World Resources Institute, who recently gave a lecture on climate change at IFAD headquarters in Rome. Farmers in the region continue to invest in agroforestry.

During the 2005 famine in Niger, villages that had invested in agroforestry had less infant mortality, because trees could be pruned or cut and sold, which generated cash with which farmers could buy cereals. Trees also produce fruit and leaves with high vitamin content for human consumption. 

Trees help farmers combat climate change 



Did you know that forests cover one third of the Earth's land mass, performing vital functions around the world? Around 1.6 billion people – including the members of more than 2,000 indigenous cultures – depend on forests for their livelihood. 

IFAD supports the sustainable management of forests, for example through a project in Latin America where forests cover 40 per cent of total land in the region, and numerous rural communities and indigenous peoples live and thrive in them.

The Community-based Forestry Development Project  is being implemented by Mexico’s National Forestry Commission (CONAFOR) in cooperation with project participants. It works to strengthen the capacity of communities to better manage their natural resources, adopt conservation practices such as increasing vegetation cover, and establish mechanisms to cope with the impact of climate change.

Trees help farmers increase income and food



Trees can be grown as cash crops and they can be used for carbon trading – both activities help give small farmers a steady income. And with a steady income, small farmers and their families have access to a nutritious and healthy diet.

In Laos, IFAD is working on a project for the preservation of Bong forests, and helping the Pacoh, an ethnic minority group, to secure their land rights and incomes. Bong trees were once abundant in countries like Laos but, in 2008, overexploitation led the Lao government to declare the trees on the verge of extinction. 

Now, the Pacoh have been provided with permanent land certificates where they can grow bong trees as a cash crop – ensuring that they have a steady income and enough food throughout the year.

Trees help farmers avoid desertification 



Desertification is often the result of human activity and can therefore be prevented or controlled by human effort. Planting trees can be part of this. 

In Burkina Faso, farmers have had to cope with less rainfall, loss of soil fertility and loss of trees – all of which could add up to desertification. 

To help farmers manage this threat and adapt to climate change, IFAD has supported a number of projects that work together with farmers to develop soil and water retention techniques. But the biggest payoff come from planting trees. Spreading the cuttings from young Bagana trees, improve the soil nutrients for growing crops. These trees also provide food for animals and people. And even more importantly, a compound released by leaves  into the atmosphere stimulates the formation of clouds and rainfall.

Indeed, up to 300 000 hectares of lands in Burkina Faso have been rehabilitated using this technique. This is not only helping these farmers to adapt to climate change, it has also increased their harvests.

Trees help farmers preserve ecosystems



Forests are among the most important repositories of terrestrial biodiversity. Together, tropical, temperate and boreal forests offer very diverse habitats for plants, animals and micro-organisms .

The island of São Tomé is one of the world's biodiversity hot spots. Every day scientists here discover new things.

''We've been coming now for 13-14 years, every time we come here, we find new species, species that have never been described before, I'm just racing to find out what's here before its gone,'' says Robert C. Drewes, Curator of Herpetology at the California Academy of Sciences.

IFAD is supporting cultivation of organic cocoa beans on the island. This helps farmers increase their incomes and build partnerships with the organic chocolate industry in Europe. With a steady income from cocoa plantations, farmers also have no need to encroach on protected forests.

Join us in celebrating Earth Day – share your stories of #Trees4Earth.

A new project co-financed by IFAD’s Adaptation for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP) launched in The Gambia

Posted by Ricci Symons Tuesday, March 8, 2016 0 comments

Last week IFAD and the Government of the Republic of The Gambia launched the  Strengthening Climate Resilience of the National Agricultural Land and Water Management Development Project (better known as Chosso) and followed with an inception workshop that lasted two days and involved 120 participants. Chosso brings a grant of US$ 5 million from ASAP to complement and optimise the effectiveness the project baseline (known as Nema)  in addressing climate-related threats to smallholder agriculture in the country.
©IFAD/Ilaria Firmian

Both Nema and Chosso have their roots in the needs and local knowledge of smallholders.  During his opening speech, the IFAD Country Programme Manager ,Moses Abukari, thanked the individual farmers who inspired the design teams on the project names. The word Chosso refers to a traditional early warning system used to inform the community members when the quality  of the river water is degraded. Nema refers to the prosperity that the project interventions intend to bring to rural communities in terms of increasing productivity and value addition of  rice and vegetable cultivation.
IFAD’s inclusive, consultative and highly participatory approaches, as well as, its resource mobilisation efforts in the country were recognised and celebrated by the Ministries of Agriculture, Finance  and Environment & Climate Change in their speeches. But what made the appreciation to IFAD’s work so tangible, more than ministerial speeches, was the dedication and the attention devoted to the workshop by all participants for the entire two days.
Chosso will support many different innovative activities, including: community water-harvesting techniques, community agro-forestry,  and climate-proof infrastructure. It will also  scale up best practices in mangrove restoration; community woodlots and smallholder climate information services, in order to improve the productivity of scarce agricultural lands through enhancement of watersheds. It was important during the workshop to go through detailed presentations on these different project aspects, in order to develop a full and common understanding of the project. This will in turn enable the team to plan meaningfully and realistically for effective implementation.
Climate games – an innovative learning approach – were also employed during the workshop and elicited high enthusiasm among participants. The games are a simulation of reality  where players experience the daily anxiety faced by smallholder farmers in the face of increasing climate-related disasters. Using dice to signify climate threats, and beans to signify currency, participants have to decide what to invest their capital in - ‘normal’ development versus drought or flood protection - within a simulated three decades of farm seasons.
©IFAD/Moses Abukari

The unanimous feedback considered the games a simple yet effective way to help participants understand the impacts of climate change and the importance of making resilient investments.  Many stakeholders also saw the possibility of cascading down the application of the game into local communities in the context of the project.
‘This would give women the opportunity to make contributions into the decision-making process’ wrote a participant on her feedback form. 
IFAD is determined to pursue this road. Meanwhile Chosso is already moving forward in mainstreaming climate risk management at all levels.

©IFAD/Ilaria Firmian

New photo-film: mapping soil diversity in Tanzania

Posted by Ricci Symons Friday, April 24, 2015 0 comments


The second ''photo-film'' of a  two-part series, "The Ground Beneath Your Feet," launched this week during Global Soil Week, where the International Centre for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in partnership with the International Fund for Agricultural Development's (IFAD) is highlighting the importance of soil, whilst debating the latest science and technology as well as methods for preserving this vital natural resource. 

In Lushoto, Tanzania, a cluster of ''climate-smart villages'' supported by  Climate Change and Food Security's (CCAFS) nestle in the stunning Eastern Arc Mountains, stretching between Tanzania and Kenya. The richly diverse landscape is a biodiversity hotspot with its sloping hillsides supporting a wide range of agricultural produce - from vegetables, beans, sugarcane and cassava to agroforestry.

But this diversity of crops takes a toll on the soils in which they are grown. Sloping land is becoming exposed to increasing rainfall, which is washing precious top soil away. Without replacing nutrients in the soil, or better management of the  soils on the steep slopes, Lushoto’s diversity will likely disappear.

Soil health is measured through indicators such as organic carbon. In Lushoto, carbon per kilogram of soil can vary massively between 15 and 150 grams within 10 kilometers. Designed originally by the World Agroforestry Centre, the Land Degradation Surveillance Framework has been updated and implemented globally by CIAT and regional partners, such as IFAD's Adaption for Smallholder Agriculture Programme (ASAP), to map the landscape and show variability in dynamic soil properties.
Using this framework, a biophysical baseline of key soil and land health information across the landscape can be mapped. It can show what crops can grow, where, and how well. By pinpointing what soil type farmers have on their farms, researchers can then advise farmers on inputs and management strategies to improve soil health and overall agricultural productivity.

Scientists are now linking soil health data with household survey data on cropping diversity, perceptions of climate change, and gender. Together with socio-economic data, it allows them to better understand and address farming system constraints. Lab tests help further identify soil nutrient quantities such as nitrogen content, building up a rich map of the soil. 



Initial research highlights: importance of gender in food security innovations

Posted by Ricci Symons Tuesday, August 5, 2014 0 comments

by
Leigh Winowiecki (Soil Scientist CGIAR)

Integrative approach in data collection for climate smart agriculture

CIAT led a Rapid Rural Appraisal (RRA), an integrative approach to data collection, in Northern Uganda to guide further research in a bid to improve food security and climate change resilience of small holder farmers; part of a new IFAD funded project*.  

An interdisciplinary team included CIAT, IITA, IFAD, Gulu University, and NARO members conducted the research in Adjumani, Gulu, Kitgum and Nwoya districts, to begin the process of building a representative picture characterising the physical and socio-economic dimensions shaping the local environment.  As per RRA principles, the nature of the team bolstered differing conceptual perspectives, skill-sets and institutional inputs, resulting in broad-based knowledge outcomes. The essential background gained from the appraisal will enable contextualized thought to support subsequent project objectives.

Local agricultural conditions were assessed utilizing a combination of communication and learning tools, whilst facilitating local knowledge gathering on priorities and constraints faced by farmers.  Key-informant interviews, participatory workshops, transect walks, resource mapping exercises, village and farm visits, as well as gender-disaggregated methods proved effective in gaining a comprehensive insight.



Households surveyed averaged ten people each, of which seventy percent were male headed, twenty-five percent female headed and five percent child headed.  Across these households in the four districts, it was found that agricultural labour is largely supplied by the family members, yet farmers felt that this was not adequate for purpose with regards to the amount of labour required.  Gender-disaggregated data revealed further details, showing that the labour itself, regarding both crops and livestock, was pre-determined by gender.  ‘Male crops’ and ‘female crops’ were a generic concept amongst the farming communities with men
cultivating rice, cassava and maize, primarily grown to sell, whilst women tended to be responsible for vegetables - crops for home-consumption.  Similarly the rearing of livestock had clear gender associations and divisions; in all districts at least 60% of livestock was associated with men only and in one of the districts it was over 85%; generally chickens and ducks were looked after by women where as cattle, goats, fish and bees were reared by men.  Commercial value of livestock, particularly for cattle, and related marketing duties were stated as a reason for male responsibility by some farmers, concurring with the cash based gender divisions seen in cropping.

Crop association by gender; blue papers indicated men and pink papers indicated women

Land management practices in the study districts were also explored with reference to Climate Smart Agriculture (CSA). It materialized that the most common ways to prepare fields was through a non-CSA-compliant practice, slash and burn, however the CSA practice of intercropping was commonly used for land management; often intercropping cassava with groundnut, maize or foxtail millet.  Socio-economic determinants were found to influence land-use practices, with for example population increase resulting in the decline of fallowing, where as the longer term limited use of inorganic and organic fertilizer was attributed to financial cost and a perception that the soil is fertile.  Constraints to agricultural productivity in the district prompted numerous ideas including the need to improve seed quality and accessibility; soil and water conservation; crop, land and soil management; road networks; provision of climate information; grain storage; market development and promoting value addition of produce.

SLASH AND BURN IS A NON-CSA COMPLIANT LAND MANAGEMENT PRACTICE
Detailed analysis of the RRA data will now support project objectives of conducting an informed, locally specific, assessment of the current use of agricultural practices in the area that satisfy CSA criteria of sustainably increasing productivity, resilience to climate change and reduction of green house gas emissions.  Subsequent objectives include clarification of on-the-ground potential impacts of these CSA practices, considering scientific data on land health and suitability, and assessment of any associated trade-offs.

INTERCROPPING IS A COMMON CLIMATE SMART AGRICULTURE PRACTICE 

Knowledge acquired will guide selection of locally appropriate CSA practices for implementation at the local level followed by further appraisal supported by local perceptions on benefits and barriers to adoption, with full consideration given to variations between socially differentiated groups.  Integrated data from the participatory research, intra-household gender surveys and biophysical baseline assessments aims to ultimately produce a model set of locally appropriate approaches to CSA to out-scale in East Africa, via work with development institutions such as ‘CSA; Agricultural Research For Development’ (CSA AR4D) and through strategic policy partnerships.Detailed analysis of the RRA data will now support project objectives of conducting an informed, locally specific, assessment of the current use of agricultural practices in the area that satisfy CSA criteria of sustainably increasing productivity, resilience to climate change and reduction of green house gas emissions.  Subsequent objectives include clarification of on-the-ground potential impacts of these CSA practices, considering scientific data on land health and suitability, and assessment of any associated trade-offs.

*Project title, “Increasing food security and farming system resilience in East Africa through wide-scale adoption of climate-smart agricultural practices” led by CIAT (Soil Research Area and Decision and Policy Analysis (DAPA)) in collaboration with IITA, ICRAF as well as local and national NGOs and institutions.

Dr. Leigh Winowiecki is a Soil Scientist with the International Center for Tropical Agriculture (CIAT) in the Soils Research Area. Her research includes soil and landscape health monitoring, employing the Land Degradation Surveillance Framework (LDSF) globally.  Dr. Winowiecki maps and analyzes soil conditions to help provide options for improved soil management and adaptation to climate change.

Dr. Winowiecki holds a PhD in Soil Science and Tropical Agroforestry. A joint Program between the University of Idaho, Moscow, ID and CATIE.

Click here for a link to the Report

Parkland Trees and Livelihoods: Adaptation to Climate Change in the West African Sahel project

Posted by Ricci Symons Thursday, April 17, 2014 0 comments

By Ilaria Firmian
I have recently returned from " Parkland  Trees and Livelihoods: Adaptation to Climate Change in the West African Sahel " project completion workshop in Burkina Faso.
Funded by an IFAD grant, the project works in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. It is implemented by the World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF) in collaboration with the national agricultural research institutes and four different IFAD funded projects in the three countries.
The main goals of the projects were to improve the livelihoods of rural communities in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger by adapting, diversifying and conserving parkland agro-forests, and diversifying revenue-generation options from parkland trees in response to climate change.

The workshop consisted of twenty-six presentations over the space of two days. They dealt with many research topics, brought forward in the past three years by researchers and students from universities in the three countries, working closely with smallholder farmers. The innovative nature of these projects lay in the approach in which small farmers were closely involved in research programs. The farmers had to take responsibility for testing seed varieties and farming techniques in their plots.

Project activities have been guided by ‘participatory vulnerability analysis’ at the village level. A specific tool to conduct this type of analysis has been developed and adopted by research teams in different countries (Participatory Analysis of Vulnerability and Adaptation to Climate Change - APVACC - http://www.worldagroforestry.org/downloads/publications/PDFs/OP17611.PDF1), based on which the coping strategies of different gender groups at the village level have been identified.
The project has adopted the ‘Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration’ approach that, at least in Niger, has generated income capable of ensuring the long-term support of the communities. This approach is to create, through the adoption of soil and water conservation techniques, favorable conditions for the development of woody species. Farmers protect and manage these species and in doing so create new agro-forestry systems on previously barren land.
One of the factors behind the success of the farmer-managed natural regeneration in Niger has been the involvement of young students. Their ability to involve their parents in causing a change of mindset in the management of parkland agro-forests is invaluable. Participants at the workshop stressed the importance of increasing the scale of this practice by involving an increasing number of primary schools.
Another major recommendation was the need to revisit the forest laws to facilitate the large-scale application of farmer –managed natural regeneration.

Several of the studies presented focused on the economic value of Non Timber Forest Products (NTFPs), mainly Shea butter, which generates an average turnover of 5 billion FCFA (over 10 million USD) per year in Burkina Faso, but also tamarind and others.
Analysis of NTFP value chains clearly show the very important roles that these products play in the economy of women and even children, who are often involved in the collection of fruits, earning money that can be reinvested into school fees.

At the conclusion of the workshop, prizes were awarded to researchers for innovation, dissemination of research results, and the development of a methodology for innovative research on carbon sequestration.
All participants agreed on the importance and value of the results obtained by this project, but also the need to strengthen efforts in terms of knowledge management to ensure that these results are distributed widely amongst smallholder farmers.

The presence of universities at the workshop, and the involvement of students in the research activities, helped create a bridge between research institutes and universities, and hopefully this work will also benefit new generations of students.
Similarly, through links developed in the three countries where this IFAD investment project is implemented, the value of these results in other settings is maximized. In this regard, they have already influenced the design of IFAD ASAP-supported projects in the Sahel.
1) Boureima M, Abasse AT, Sotelo Montes C, Weber JC, Katkoré B, Mounkoro B, Dakouo J-M, Samaké O, Sigué H, Bationo BA, Diallo BO. 2013. Participatory analysis of vulnerability and adaptation to climate change: a methodological guide for working with rural communities. Occasional Paper 19 – English version. Nairobi: World Agroforestry Centre. ISBN: 978-92-9059-351-5

Une collaboration efficace entre la Recherche et les projets du FIDA au bénéfice des petits producteurs sahéliens

Posted by Marjolein van Gelder Sunday, February 23, 2014 0 comments

Je reviens du Burkina Faso où j’ai participé à l’atelier de clôture du Projet  «Les arbres des parcs agroforestiers et les moyens de subsistance: adaptation aux changements climatiques dans le Sahel ouest-africain».

Il s’agit d’un don FIDA géré par l’ICRAF (World Agroforestry Center) et mis en œuvre au Burkina Faso, Mali et Niger par les instituts nationaux de recherche agricole en collaboration avec les équipes de quatre projets d’investissement financés par le FIDA.

Le but général du projet était d’améliorer les moyens de subsistance des communautés agricoles et pastorales pauvres vivant dans les zones d’intervention, grâce à la diversification et à la conservation des parcs agroforestiers, ainsi qu’à l’accroissement de la valeur des produits des arbres commercialisés dans le cadre d’associations communautaires.

L’atelier de clôture a été extrêmement intense. Vingt-six présentations en l’espace de deux jours sur autant de thèmes de recherche,  portés à terme dans les trois ans passés par des chercheurs et des étudiants des universités des trois pays susmentionnés, en étroite collaboration avec les petits agriculteurs. Car l’aspect innovateur de ce don a été de travailler  selon une approche participative dans laquelle les petits agriculteurs ont été impliqués étroitement dans les programmes de recherche, en prenant eux-mêmes la responsabilité de tester des variétés de semences et des techniques agricoles dans leurs parcelles.
  
Les actions du projet ont été guidées par des analyses participatives de la vulnérabilité au niveau villageois. Un outil spécifique pour conduire ce type d’analyse a été développé et adopté par les équipes de recherche dans les différents pays (Analyse Participative de la Vulnérabilité et de l’Adaptation au Changement Climatique-  APVACC -http://www.worldagroforestry.org/downloads/publications/PDFs/OP17387.PDF), sur la base duquel les stratégies d’adaptation des différents groups au niveau villageois ont étés identifiées.

Un des résultats majeurs du don est la mise au point de l’approche Régénération Naturelle Assistée (RNA) qui est devenue, au moins au Niger, une source de revenus capable d’assurer la survie à long-terme des communautés. Cette approche consiste à créer, à travers l’adoption de techniques de conservation des eaux et des sols, des conditions favorables pour le développement d’espèces ligneuses. Les agriculteurs protègent et gèrent ces espèces en créant ainsi des nouveaux systèmes agro-forestiers sur des terres auparavant stériles.

Un des facteurs à la base du succès de la RNA au Niger a été l’implication des jeunes élèves (et de leur capacité d’impliquer à leurs parents en provoquant ainsi un changement de mentalité dans la gestion du parc forestier). Les participants à l’atelier ont souligné l’importance de mettre cette pratique à l’échelle  en impliquant un nombre croissant d’écoles primaires.

Une autre recommandation majeure est la nécessité de revisiter les législations forestières pour faciliter l’application à large échelle de la RNA.

Plusieurs études présentées étaient axées sur la valeur économique des Produits Forestiers Non Ligneux (PFNL), principalement le karité - qui engendre en moyenne une chiffre d’affaire de 5 milliards de FCFA (plus de 10 millions de dollars) par an au Burkina Faso - mais aussi le tamarinier, le savon de balanites…. L’analyse des chaines de valeur des PFNL montre clairement le rôle très important que ces produits jouent pour l’économie des femmes et même des enfants, qui sont souvent impliqués dans la collecte des fruits en gagnant de l’argent qui peut être réinvestis en frais scolaires. 

En conclusion de l’atelier, des prix ont été remis aux chercheurs pour l’innovation, la dissémination des résultats de la recherche, et pour le développement d’une méthodologie de recherche innovatrice relative à la séquestration du carbone.

Tous les participants ont été d’accord sur l’importance et la valeur des résultats obtenus par ce projet, mais aussi sur la nécessité d’amplifier les efforts en terme de gestion des savoirs pour assurer que ces résultats arrivent à être disséminés à grande échelle parmi les petits agriculteurs.

La présence des universités à l’atelier, et le fait d’avoir travaillé avec des étudiants pour faire un pont entre instituts de recherche et universités, font espérer que ce travail puisse bénéficier à une nouvelle génération d’étudiants. 

De la même manière, grâce aux liens développés dans les trois pays avec les projets d’investissement du FIDA, la valorisation de ces résultats dans d’autres cadres est maximisé. A cet égard, ils ont déjà bénéficié à la conception de nouveaux projets d’Adaptation de l’Agriculture Paysanne aux Changement Climatique (IFAD ASAP) au Sahel.

 By: Ilaria Firmian

La multifonctionnalité des arbres dans le Sahel ouest africain

Posted by Roxanna Samii Friday, July 12, 2013 0 comments

par Ilaria Firmian

Ma mission de la semaine dernière dans le Sahel ouest africain pour la supervision d’un don FIDA a été l’occasion une nouvelle fois de mettre en évidence le rôle capital de l’arbre dans les champs agricoles.
Le don objet de la supervision s’intitule «Les arbres des parcs agroforestiers et les moyens de subsistance: adaptation aux changements climatiques dans le Sahel ouest-africain».

Il est géré par l’ICRAF (World Agroforestry Center) et mis en œuvre au Burkina Faso, Mali et Niger par les instituts nationaux de recherches agricoles en collaboration avec les équipes de quatre projets d’investissement financés par le FIDA dans les trois pays.

Le but général du projet est d’améliorer les moyens de subsistance des communautés agricoles et pastorales pauvres vivant dans les zones d’intervention, grâce à la diversification et à la conservation des parcs agroforestiers, ainsi qu’à l’accroissement de la valeur des produits des arbres commercialisés dans le cadre d’entreprises communautaires.

Les parcs agroforestiers sont des mélanges d’arbres que les paysans choisissent pour certaines fonctions et cultivent en combinaison avec des cultures vivrières de base telles que le petit mil et le sorgho. Dans le Sahel ouest-africain, les communautés rurales utilisent plus de 115 espèces locales d’arbres à différentes fins : alimentation humaine, fourrage, médicaments, bois de feu, bois de construction, outillage agricole et ménager, sculptures, instruments musicaux, fibres, etc… ces arbres rendent également des services environnementaux essentiels comme l’amélioration de la fertilité du sol, la conservation des sols et de l’eau, la création d’un microclimat etc.). Beaucoup d’ espèces d’arbres contribuent ainsi au revenu familial. Cependant, plusieurs d’entre elles sont en voie de disparition au niveau local faute de gestion appropriée et en raison du climat de plus en plus chaud et sec.

Les visites de terrain confirment magnifiquement ce  qu’indiquent les rapports à savoir  le rôle crucial que jouent les arbres dans la réduction de la vulnérabilité, le renforcement de la résistance des systèmes agricoles et la protection des ménages pauvres contre les risques liés aux changements climatiques. Les arbres grâce à leur système racinaire parfois très profond, mobilisent d’importantes réserves d’hydrate de carbone, et sont, par conséquent, moins vulnérables que les cultures annuelles à la sécheresse et aux fluctuations des niveaux de pluie d’une année à une autre.

L’approche du projet se base sur l’identification des espèces prioritaires pour des groupes différents (hommes – femmes - jeunes hommes - jeunes femmes) et sur la recherche-action pour conserver ces espèces et améliorer leur productivité et leur résilience.

Selon les scientifiques de ICRAF, les bonnes techniques pour conserver et améliorer les espèces arbustives existent, et sont pour la plupart faciles et accessibles, mais le lien entre recherche et paysans est encore trop faible, et c’est là qu’il faut intervenir.

Dans les cas où la vulgarisation des techniques d agroforesterie est effective, les paysans peuvent d’eux-mêmes quantifier les revenus procurés par les arbres. Un petit sachet de fruits du tamarinier est maintenant vendu sur le marché à Bamako à 1.000 FCFA, alors qu’il y a quelques années il n’était pas du tout considéré sur le marché, et un tamarinier adulte peut atteindre une production de 50 à 100 kg /an.
La recherche a montré qu’avec des techniques de coupe appropriée, les arbres  peuvent produire toute l’année, ce qui peut se traduire par un doublement des revenus. Avec des techniques de greffage il a été démontré aussi que des plantes comme le karité commencent à devenir productives en deux-trois ans au lieu de dis.

Et puis chaque espèce arbustive a bien plus qu’une seule fonction. Par exemple avec les feuilles de neem les paysans fertilisent le sol, mais ils les utilisent aussi en pharmacopée sous forme de tisane ; le bois de neem est un des meilleurs bois de feu, o les feuilles et les fruits sont d’excellent insecticides, et avec son huile on fait du savon qui a des propriétés antibactériennes.

L’Acacia Nilotica est aussi utilisé pour faire des haies vives, pour ses gousses et feuilles comme alimentation animale, pour le tannage à partir de la décoction de ses gousses, et pour le soin des enfants en utilisant son écorce.

Les fruits du Résinier sauvage sont très appréciés et normalement récoltés et vendus par les enfants sur le marché. Les femmes les sèchent et en font une décoction sucré riche en vitamines et bue en période de soudure. Le même arbre est aussi élagué pour faire du paillage améliorant la fertilité du sol.

Les agronomes se  concentrent souvent sur les cultures annuelles, en oubliant que les arbres peuvent satisfaire beaucoup de besoins des familles, comme le montre bien le Docteur Bationo, Maître de Recherches en Biologie et Ecologie de l’Institut national de l’environnement et des recherches agricoles (INERA) au Burkina Faso dans cette interview: