CLIMATE-SMART AGRICULTURE, FOOD

SECURITY AND WATER IN AFRICA’S DRYLANDS:

LESSONS FROM EXPERIENCE

Urgent to act as a « perfect storm » is brewing

Temperatures will increase

> Rainfall is more extreme and irregular

☛ Soil fertility is depleting in many areas

☛ Inorganic fertilizers are expensive

☛ World food market prices are high

Crop yields will decline ( - 20% to – 50%)

Population will double every 20 years

CHALLENGE: INCREASE HOUSEHOLD FOOD

PRODUCTION, STABILIZE HH ACCESS TO FOOD AND

INCREASE WATER AVAILABILITY

Household access to food is

determined by:

HH food production

HH food stocks

HH productive assets (livestock,

trees, water........)

Farm and non-farm income

DO NRM INVESTMENTS INCREASE AND STABILIZE

ACCESS TO FOOD AND WATER?

The current ag modernisation paradigm:

Inorganic fertilizers, improved seeds, irrigation,

mechanisation, organisation input and output

markets, research and extension…..

STUDY AREAS LONG TERM TRENDS

IN AGRICULTURE AND ENVIRONMENT

TREND 1

FARMERS INVEST IN AGROFORESTRY

TREND 2

REHABILITATION OF BARREN LAND

USING

WATER HARVESTING TECHNIQUES

(500,000 ha in Niger and Burkina Faso)

Vegetation in Galma in 1975 and 2003

(before and after)

1975 2003

Improved soil fertility and

an increase in fodder production

BAOBABS DOMINATE REGENERATION

IN PARTS MIRRIAH DEPARTMENT

(NIGER)

The value of the leaves of one mature baobab

varies from 28 $ – 70 US $)

This can buy 70 – 175 kg of grain on the market

Source: Yamba and Sambo (2012)

Village Degree of vulnerability

Kouka Samou

Doukoum Doukoum

Kirou Haussa

Zedrawa

Daré

Least vulnerable

200

40

140

125

135

Medium Vulnerable

110

37

120

70

63

Very vulnerable

80

83

26

40

100

Extremely Vulnerable

104

50

116

80

45

AVERAGE ANNUAL HOUSEHOLD INCOME

FROM NEW AGROFORESTRY PARKLAND (US $)

Source: Yamba and Sambo (2012)

Farmer-managed re-greening in

Niger

5,000,000 ha re-greened in 20 years (only labour for protection, no investment costs, no recurrent costs to governments)

200 million new trees

additional cereal production/year: 500,000 ton

2.5 million people fed

1.25 million farm households involved

Grain surplus Kantché Department

(Zinder/Niger). 350,000 inhabitants; high

on-farm tree density

2007 + 21,230 ton

2008 + 36,838 ton

2009 + 28,122 ton

2010 + 64,208 ton

2011 + 13,818 ton

Source: National Committee for the Prevention and Management of

Food Crises and FEWS

Quoted by: Yamba and sambo (2012)

Why do farmers invest in

re-greening?

Soil fertility 58%

Food production 25%

Firewood 12%

Construction wood 12%

Fodder 11%

Other

Source: Yamba and Sambo (2012)

1990

WATER HARVESTING AND AGROFORESTRY

2004

Demi lunes

Combretum glutinosum

Zaï

Simple techniques

Piliostigma reticulatum

Important impacts

« The man who stopped the desert »

ZAI HELP CROPS GET THROUGH

DRY SPELLS

Group of

Villages

SWC technique Grain yield

(kg/ha)

Dry

matter

(kg/ha)

Ziga

Average region

434

2472

Zaï 772

3471

Stone bunds 574

2843

Zaï+ stone bunds 956

3798

Ranawa

Average region 376

2375

Zaï 804

3822

Stone bunds 531

2964

Zaï+ stone bunds 922

3968

Source: Sawadogo, H. (2008)

IMPACT OF WH TECHNIQUES ON CEREAL YIELDS

IN 2007 (NORTHERN CENTRAL PLATEAU, BURKINA FASO)

Rainfall, WH techniques and cereal yields in

Niger (1991 – 1996)

Rainfall

Badagui

chiri

Illéla

1991

726 mm

581 mm

1992

423 mm

440 mm

1993

369 mm

233 mm

1994

613 mm

581 mm

1995

415 mm

404 mm

1996

439 mm

440 mm

Average

1991 –

1996

Zaï

T0

T1

T2

----

520

764

125

297

494

144

393

659

296

969

1486

50

347

534

11

553

653

125

513

765

Half moons

T0

T1

T2

----

655

1183

86

293

538

77

416

641

206

912

1531

28

424

615

164

511

632

112

535

857

Average

Illéla

district

386

241

270

362

267

282

301

T0 = adjacent fields; T1 WH technique + manure

T2 WH technique + manure + urea

Internal rates of return to investments in:

Zaï (planting pits) (1) 82%

Zai (planting pits) (2) 39%

Half moons 37%

Agroforestry 31%

Tree planting 13%**

Source: Abdoulaye and Ibro (2006)

October 1988 (water harvesting techniques

introduced on barren land in 1985)

OCTOBER 2008 (COUNTERFACTUAL 0 kg/ha)

WATER HARVESTING TECHNIQUES CONTRIBUTE

TO LOCAL GROUNDWATER RECHARGE

Water levels in wells increased by 14 m

in 10 years (1994 – 2004) (picture Nov. 2004)

Water levels still – 4 m in January 2012 and

number of gardens incrased from:

0 in 1994

4 in 2004

10 in 2012

WATER SPREADING DAMS IN ADOUNA VALLEY

RECHARGED GROUNDWATER AND ALLOWED EXPANSION

OF DRY SEASON GARDENING

Natural regeneration and water harvesting upslope……

RE-GREENING IN TIGRAY (ETHIOPIA):

AT LEAST 1 MILLION HA (2.5 MILLION ACRES)

….have recharged groundwater levels

downslope…(300 new shallow wells)

…and expanded irrigation

…which contributed to food security in drought years

Re-greening + water harvesting =

asset building for the rural poor……

but multiple impacts still insufficiently quantified

AGROFORESTRY IS A LOW-COST WAY TO

INTENSIFY AGRICULTURE AND INCREASE DROUGHT

RESILIENCE;

NO RECURRENT COSTS TO GOVERNMENTS

APPROACH: SCALE UP EXISTING

RE-GREENING SUCCESSES

Some lessons

Since the 1980s, a growing number of

farmers practise Climate Smart

Agriculture

Farmers invest in trees if they have

clearly defined user rights

Governments need to develop supportive

policies and legislation

Much has been achieved, much more

remains to be done, but we know what

and how

It is possible to improve the food security

and livelihoods of millions of farmers by

increasing investments in agroforestry and

water harvesting (CSA)!!