Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration Research Articles

Ex ante mapping of favorable zones for uptake of climate-smart agricultural practices: A case study in West Africa

Developing relevant decision-support tools for policymakers to support large-scale implementation of climate-smart agriculture in the Global South is challenging given the great diversity in biophysical, socio-technical, and organizational conditions. This article describes a pilot exercise inspired by the recommendation domain literature that aimed at mapping, beyond “classical” biophysical and socio-technical variables, the institutional variables (i.e., the existence of policy incentives in national policy documents) that could influence the large-scale implementation of climate-smart agricultural practices. Four practices were considered: cereal-legume intercropping, fodder legume cultivation, farmer managed natural regeneration (FMNR) of Parkia biglobosa, and crop residue mulching. The biophysical and socio-technical variables were classified based on thresholds identified in the literature and mapped with a geographic information system. The policy documents considered were investment plans, adaptation plans for climate change, nationally determined contributions, and Technology Needs Assessments project reports. Sixteen policy documents for four countries were thoroughly reviewed and classified as unfavorable, intermediate, and favorable for the four selected practices, based on a decision tree built for that purpose. Our analysis shows that areas where biophysical, socio-technical, and institutional variables are aligned for the four practices considered are small, particularly for fodder legume cultivation and crop residue mulching. For cereal-legume intercropping, incentives from national policies strongly differ from one country to another while for FMNR of Parkia biglobosa policies are more homogeneously conducive across countries. Nonetheless, it was possible to identify areas where biophysical, socio-technical, and institutional dimensions of the transition toward climate-smart agriculture (CSA) were aligned, for example, cereal-legume intercropping in southern Mali. The delineating of favorable and unfavorable areas allows specific recommendations to be made for policymakers as levers for action differ in favorable, intermediate, and unfavorable zones. Based on the exploration made for the four practices, this study highlights the need for further articulations from local to national scale to implement CSA.

Farmers’ Preferences for Conservation and Breeding Programs of Forestry Food Resources in Niger

In a less-favored area such as the Sahel, promoting sustainable management, breeding, and conservation of forestry resources would result in improvements for agroforestry systems and food security. A contingent ranking exercise allowed us to estimate the preferences and the values given by the rural population to the attributes that would be comprised in a conservation program. The resulting preferred program is farmer-managed natural regeneration (FMNR) based on the species Adansonia digitata (baobab), with plantation, stone bunds, or tassa, and selected or bred seeds. The proposed actions to improve the tree density and the seed quality were highly valued by the respondents. Nevertheless, no clear differences were found between tassa and stone bunds, or FMNR and plantation. The main effects of the program, according to the surveyed population, include an increase in crop production and soil conservation, and higher income from tree products. This study allowed us to identify the program that would provide the greatest well-being for farmers, since it would allow them to simultaneously improve both the production of their crops and the production of the woody food species. It was shown that farmers were particularly willing to contribute to a program based on baobab, mainly because its products are used for food in the home and can be sold in markets. In this sense, the yield and production of the system would be improved by increasing the number of baobab trees. Farmers would contribute to this production system and would be willing to invest sustainable effort in the long term. The conservation and breeding program can be directed at conserving and propagating the genetic resources of A. digitata in an initial phase, selecting trees with good production, growth, and adaptation characteristics.

The impacts of agroforestry on agricultural productivity, ecosystem services, and human well-being in low-and middle-income countries: An evidence and gap map.

The impacts of agroforestry on agricultural productivity, ecosystem services, and human well-being in low-and middle-income countries: An evidence and gap map.

Long-term differential effects of tree species on soil nutrients and fertility improvement in agroforestry parklands of the Sahelian Niger

ABSTRACTSoil sampling was conducted in a semi-arid region of Niger to study the long-term differential impacts of trees and shrubs on soil chemical properties. The sampling considered three factors: species, position to trunk (underneath crown, crown neighborhood, control) and soil horizon depth. Two shrub species (Annona senegalensis and Combretum aculeatum), and two tree species (Faidherbia albida and Piliostigma reticulatum) were investigated. We analyzed the following soil properties and nutrients: pH, Organic Carbon (OC), Ammonium-N (NH4), Phosphorus (P), Sodium (Na), Potassium (K), Calcium (Ca) and Magnesium (Mg). The results showed that the trees significantly affected each soil property considered, although with different magnitudes according to species. F. albida and P. reticulatum improved soil quality more than the other two species for almost all the investigated soil parameters. The effect of tree/shrub species on soil fertility extended to crown neighborhood. On average, all soil nutrients contents except Mg were consistently higher directly under crown compared to crown neighborhood and control position. We recommend that tree planting or Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) in agroforestry parklands be guided not only by the common objectives of improving soil fertility and producing food and fodder, but also consider the selection of the appropriate tree species.

Contribution of community-based initiatives to the sustainable development goal of Land Degradation Neutrality

Where poor people rely on land that is degraded or vulnerable to degradation, they are at high risk of being locked into a downward spiral of poverty. It is estimated that over 1.5 billion people are affected by land degradation (UNCCD, 2014).The World Overview of Conservation Approaches and Technologies (WOCAT) and Both ENDS and their networks of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), promote sustainable land management (SLM) as a necessary shift from degrading the land to sustainable use and restoration. However, many SLM initiatives started by communities remain below the radar of policy makers and government institutions and therefore, being unrecognised for what they are, do not get institutional support, i.e. an enabling policy environment, economic incentives, and the technical support that they need to develop and be adopted by others.This paper analyses the contribution of community-based initiatives to SDG15.3: Land Degradation Neutrality (LDN), and the three LDN indicators: land cover, land productivity and carbon stocks. In addition, enabling conditions for community-based initiatives to contribute to the implementation of LDN are identified and discussed. The contribution of community-based SLM initiatives to LDN will be illustrated by the SLM practices documented in WOCAT’s global database and by the example of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR). It is concluded that community-based SLM initiatives can make a relevant contribution to addressing land degradation and achieving LDN, particularly so by improving land productivity and carbon stocks, and to some extent and in the case of FMNR, vegetation cover also. Creating enabling conditions for community-based initiatives to develop include: knowledge development by scientists, local communities and policy makers, inclusive land governance (land tenure security, strengthening institutions and the recognition of local knowledge), and access to technical and financial resources.

Farmer’s Prioritization and Adoption of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) Technologies and Practices

Farmer’s Prioritization and Adoption of Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) Technologies and Practices Seydou Zakari, Mathieu Ouédraogo, Tougiani Abasse, Robert Zougmoré Abstract Climate change affects seriously household food security, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where agriculture is still using traditional methods of farming systems. As strategies against the impact of climate change and way to increase agricultural production, several Climate-Smart Agriculture (CSA) technologies and practices were introduced and experimented at sub-regional and national levels in Niger. The purpose of this study is to prioritize these technologies and practices using participatory assessment approach and to analyze the determinants of their adoption. Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), organic manure, forest management, Zaï pits and stone bunds are the most preferred technologies and practices by the farmers according to the three pillars of Climate-Smart-Agriculture. The results of econometric models revealed that access to credit/subsidy, access to training, membership of an organization, source of income, family size and ownership of animal of traction influence significantly and positively the adoption of these CSA technologies and practices. The government and other development agents should reinforce the access of credit and training to farmers to boost the adoption of these technologies and practices, and to build sustainable and climate resilient livelihoods in order to move out of chronic poverty and food insecurity. Full Text: PDF DOI: 10.15640/jaes.v8n1a17

Effects of local institutions on the adoption of agroforestry innovations: evidence of farmer managed natural regeneration and its implications for rural livelihoods in the Sahel

The present study aims at (1) assessing how the existing local formal and informal institutions affect farmer managed natural regeneration (FMNR) practices and, (2) evaluating the benefits of such practices on livelihoods. The propensity score with continuous treatments was used to assess the effects of a set of covariates on FMNR as well as the impacts of that practice on income, cereal production and caloric intake using data collected from 1,080 rural households in Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, and Senegal. This study demonstrated that regeneration of trees on farms, whereby farmers play an active role in the types of trees and their densities, is important as a practice and safety-net by providing cash income, caloric intake and diet, and crops supplements throughout dryland areas of West Africa. Overall, FMNR cannot be excluded as a recommendation in any geographical region. In addition, the study concludes that the effects of institutions in fostering FMNR practices in the Sahel are mixed. In areas with well-structured formal and informal institutions, populations seem to have adopted a better collaboration attitude with the local government by developing plans for a good management and protection of natural resource including FMNR practices. However, in areas where these commissions are being assimilated to governmental institutions, the willingness to raise incentives towards a better management of natural resources is less perceived. While recognizing the benefits of trees and tree products on caloric intake and diet, there is a need to explore in much more details, the FMNR-food nexus in future researches by going beyond what was covered from this study.

Tree establishment and management on farms in the drylands: evaluation of different systems adopted by small-scale farmers in Mutomo District, Kenya

Agroforestry systems in Sub-Saharan African drylands are complex and heterogeneous in nature even under similar biophysical conditions. This can be attributed to household needs and socioeconomic status which influence the species and utility of the adopted trees. This has an impact on the trees establishment and management system through planting or Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR). This study evaluates how trees for different utilities are managed and which socioeconomic factors influence these decisions. The study used primary data collected in Mutomo District, Kenya through a household survey based on a structured questionnaire. A paired sample t-test was done to assess the preferred mode of adopting trees for different utilities while factor analysis was used to characterize the households as either planting trees or practicing FMNR. Multiple linear regression using household regression factor scores as independent variables and socioeconomic indicators as dependent variables was done to ascertain which socioeconomic factors affect tree adoption. The results show that trees planted were mostly exotic species valued for their nutrition and commercial value, while FMNR was used for subsistence products and environmental services. Household size, livestock levels and mobility had a positive correlation with tree planting, while income, access to markets and roads had an inverse correlation. Access to natural woodland, distance to the nearest motorable road and land size had a positive correlation with tree protection. It is hoped that this knowledge will act as a reference point when designing agroforestry projects in similar areas to ensure they are more aligned to specific site and household conditions.

Understanding patterns of tree adoption on farms in semi-arid and sub-humid Ethiopia

Trees on farms are a widespread feature of landscapes across a large part of Ethiopia with an important role in enhancing the resilience of smallholder livelihoods through the provision of ecosystem services. Despite their importance, little is known about what trees are planted or retained from natural regeneration by different types of farmers that results in the pattern of tree cover found in the region. We address this knowledge gap through analysis of household survey data from semi-arid and sub humid areas of Oromia regional state. A set of composite variables that represent distinctive patterns of tree cover on farms were derived from principal component analysis and Pearson correlation analysis. This revealed two major tree adoption strategies: farmer managed natural regeneration (FMNR) of trees to meet subsistence needs as well as contributing to other ecosystem services; and, high value agroforestry (HVAF) involving planted trees used largely to produce fruits, timber and fodder. Regression analysis further identified fine-scale variation in ecological and socio-economic factors that affect which of these two broad strategies are adopted by farmers. Favorable climatic conditions coupled with institutional arrangements to control free grazing were pre-conditions for HVAF, whereas poor biophysical potential and sloping land provided a positive incentive for farmers to adopt FMNR. Farmers with preferences for tree species with multiple utilities and locational flexibility favored FMNR while adoption of HVAF was more asset-driven. Our findings reveal that farmers integrate many native and exotic tree species on their farms to meet their variable farm conditions, needs and asset profiles in stark contrast to most tree promotion efforts that focus on a few, usually exotic, tree species. We recommend that future agroforestry promotion should embrace a diversity of tree species appropriate to matching the fine scale variation in ecological conditions and farmer circumstances encountered in the field.

Farmer-managed natural regeneration enhances rural livelihoods in dryland west Africa.

Declining agricultural productivity, land clearance and climate change are compounding the vulnerability of already marginal rural populations in West Africa. 'Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration' (FMNR) is an approach to arable land restoration and reforestation that seeks to reconcile sustained food production, conservation of soils, and protection of biodiversity. It involves selecting and protecting the most vigorous stems regrowing from live stumps of felled trees, pruning off all other stems, and pollarding the chosen stems to grow into straight trunks. Despite widespread enthusiasm and application of FMNR by environmental management and development projects, to date, no research has provided a measure of the aggregate livelihood impact of community adoption of FMNR. This paper places FMNR in the context of other agroforestry initiatives, then seeks to quantify the value of livelihood outcomes of FMNR. We review published and unpublished evidence about the impacts of FMNR, and present a new case study that addresses gaps in the evidence-base. The case study focuses on a FMNR project in the district of Talensi in the semi-arid Upper East Region in Ghana. The case study employs a social return on investment analysis, which identifies proxy financial values for non-economic as well as economic benefits. The results demonstrate income and agricultural benefits, but also show that asset creation, increased consumption of wild resources, health improvements, and psycho-social benefits created more value in FMNR-adopting households during the period of the study than increases in income and agricultural yields.

Effects of farmer managed natural regeneration on livelihoods in semi-arid West Africa

This paper used a multivalued treatment framework to assess the effects of farmer managed natural regeneration (FMNR) on selected outcomes among 1080 rural household farmers in the Sahelian and Sudano-Sahelian ecozone of West Africa Sahel. The results indicate that keeping, protecting and managing trees in the farmland have significant effects on the livelihoods of the rural poor in the Sahelian countries. If 1000 households in a community decide to practice the FMNR continuously, it results in an increase in the gross income by US$ 72,000 per year. Noticeable changes are also observed on the value of tree products, with an observed significant increase in the value of the products harvested from tree by about 34–38 % among those actively practicing FMNR as compared to their counterparts. The results also lend support to the household resilience hypothesis of FMNR in that it leads to a significant increase of the dietary diversity by about 12–14 %. However, it also appeared that several factors impeded the regeneration of trees on farms. To foster the widespread dissemination and enhance the capacity of farmers to increase, diversify and sustain tree-based production systems, an enabling institutional, technical and policy environment needs to be promoted.

Influence of Re-Greening on the Infiltrability of Soils in South-Central Niger

In the Sahel, the climate and the agricultural practices are the main factors used to observe regreening process. But the extension of the latter not being uniform in the farming fields, we can suppose that there are other factors that contribute to the re-greening of certain zones and not others. The infiltrability of soils is considered as an important factor for these changes in the last decades. The influence of re-greening on the infiltrability of soils in the southern strip of Niger was studied through a comparison of zones according to the type of sandy soils (Jigawa/Rerey), siltyclay (Guieza), silty-sandy (Hako) and clay-silty-sandy (Laka). The evaluated parameters are the texture, the infiltrability and the ecological characteristics (specific index of regeneration “SIR” and the Importance Value Index “IVI”). The main conclusions were: the soils of Niger South-Central are characterized by a sandy texture for more than 80%. The soils which are very sandy (“Jigawa”, “Rerey” and “Guieza”) are more permeable and have more trees contrary to the soil Hako and Laka. Their encrusting has the tendency to reduce the vegetation cover on the soil. The infiltration measurements indicated that the rate of initial and stationary infiltration diminishes while going down towards the South. In fact, it has been recorded a rate of 123 mm/min of initial infiltration and 87 mm/min stationary in Dan Saga on the sandy soils against 76 mm/min and 65 mm/min in Dare respectively for the initial and stationary rate. Therefore, the infiltration seems to influence the density, the SIR and the IVI of the trees from the North towards the South. Some additional work is necessary in order to determine the contribution of Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR) in the improvement of the quality of soils and the movement of water in the superficial zones of the soil.

Dry land tree management for improved household livelihoods: Farmer managed natural regeneration in Niger

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR), a set of practices farmers use to foster the growth of indigenous trees on agricultural land, has drawn substantial attention as a contributing factor to a trend of increasing vegetation greenness in the Republic of Niger. This paper identifies drivers of FMNR adoption and assesses its impacts on rural households in the Region of Maradi, Niger, an area covering 42,000 square kilometers. The results show that 26% of households practice a form of FMNR involving both pruning and protecting woody vegetation. Adoption is strongly linked to soil type, market access, and the education level of the head of household. FMNR raises household income and increases crop diversity, household migration rates, and the density and diversity of trees on farmland. It is estimated that FMNR raises the annual gross income of the region by between 17 and 21 million USD and has contributed an additional 900,000 to 1,000,000 trees to the local environment. These findings support the value of continued promotion of FMNR as an inexpensive means of enhancing rural livelihoods and an attractive alternative to reforestation efforts relying on tree planting.

Poverty Alleviation and Environmental Restoration Using the Clean Development Mechanism: A Case Study from Humbo, Ethiopia

Poverty, hunger and demand for agricultural land have driven local communities to overexploit forest resources throughout Ethiopia. Forests surrounding the township of Humbo were largely destroyed by the late 1960s. In 2004, World Vision Australia and World Vision Ethiopia identified forestry-based carbon sequestration as a potential means to stimulate community development while engaging in environmental restoration. After two years of consultation, planning and negotiations, the Humbo Community-based Natural Regeneration Project began implementation--the Ethiopian organization's first carbon sequestration initiative. The Humbo Project assists communities affected by environmental degradation including loss of biodiversity, soil erosion and flooding with an opportunity to benefit from carbon markets while reducing poverty and restoring the local agroecosystem. Involving the regeneration of 2,728 ha of degraded native forests, it brings social, economic and ecological benefits--facilitating adaptation to a changing climate and generating temporary certified emissions reductions (tCERs) under the Clean Development Mechanism. A key feature of the project has been facilitating communities to embrace new techniques and take responsibility for large-scale environmental change, most importantly involving Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration (FMNR). This technique is low-cost, replicable, and provides direct benefits within a short time. Communities were able to harvest fodder and firewood within a year of project initiation and wild fruits and other non-timber forest products within three years. Farmers are using agroforestry for both environmental restoration and income generation. Establishment of user rights and local cooperatives has generated community ownership and enthusiasm for this project--empowering the community to more sustainably manage their communal lands.

Evergreen Agriculture: a robust approach to sustainable food security in Africa

Producing more food for a growing population in the coming decades, while at the same time combating poverty and hunger, is a huge challenge facing African agriculture. The risks that come with climate change make this task more daunting. However, hundreds of thousands of rain fed smallholder farmers in Zambia, Malawi, Niger, and Burkina Faso have been shifting to farming systems that are restoring exhausted soils and are increasing food crop yields, household food security, and incomes. This article reviews these experiences, and their broader implications for African food security, as manifestations of Evergreen Agriculture, a fresh approach to achieving food security and environmental resilience. Evergreen Agriculture is defined as the integration of particular tree species into annual food crop systems. The intercropped trees sustain a green cover on the land throughout the year to maintain vegetative soil cover, bolster nutrient supply through nitrogen fixation and nutrient cycling, generate greater quantities of organic matter in soil surface residues, improve soil structure and water infiltration, increase greater direct production of food, fodder, fuel, fiber and income from products produced by the intercropped trees, enhance carbon storage both above-ground and below-ground, and induce more effective conservation of above- and below-ground biodiversity. Four national cases are reviewed where farmers are observed to be applying these principles on a major scale. The first case involves the experience of Zambia, where conservation farming programmes include the cultivation of food crops within an agroforest of the fertilizer tree Faidherbia albida. The second case is that of the Malawi Agroforestry Food Security Programme, which is integrating fertilizer, fodder, fruit, fuel wood, and timber tree production with food crops on small farms on a national scale. The third case is the dramatic expansion of Faidherbia albida agroforests in millet and sorghum production systems throughout Niger via assisted natural regeneration. The fourth case is the development of a unique type of planting pit technology (zai) along with farmer-managed natural regeneration of trees on a substantial scale in Burkina Faso. Lastly, we examine the current outlook for Evergreen Agriculture to be further adapted and scaled-up across the African continent.

Community mobilisation for improved livelihoods through tree crop management in Niger

Effective natural resource management requires interrelated technical practices and social arrangements that are appropriate to a region’s biophysical characteristics and that address protection and sustainable management of resources. This is illustrated from our experience in the Republic of Niger, West Africa. In 1980 barren plains, infertile soils, drought, dust storms, severe fodder shortages, and agricultural pest outbreaks were normal occurrences in Niger’s rural regions. In general, despite large investments of time and funding, conventional reforestation efforts had little impact. However by 2008 over five million hectares of once barren land had been transformed through wide adoption of an agroforestry method known as ‘Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration’ (FMNR), introduced in 1983. In the Aguie Department, the practice of FMNR was formalized through the Desert Community Initiative (DCI), addressing interrelated technical and social issues in resource management. New governance structures, which include marginalized groups, implement monitoring and enforcement systems enabling communities to manage land and regenerating trees. These, together with technical solutions that build on local knowledge and skills and use previously undervalued indigenous tree species, have generated a sustainable fuel-wood market for the first time. Increased linkage and compatibility between institutions at local and national levels and strengthened social capital have been crucial to these impacts. Food security and community resilience to drought have been markedly enhanced and local incomes have increased. The experience provides important lessons for approaches to addressing environmental degradation and poverty in other semi arid areas and facilitating the spread and adoption of new agroforestry systems.