The Crises of Africa’s Drylands and the Promise of Agroforestry

Dennis GarrityUN Drylands Ambassador

Distinguished Board Research Fellow World Agroforestry Centre

Perfect Storm of Challengesin the Drylands

 • Rainfall is becoming more erratic and extreme. • Temperatures are increasing, intensifying crop stress.

• Soil fertility is further declining in many regions.• Inorganic fertilizers are increasingly expensive. • Population growth rates remain estremely high • Farm sizes are rapidly declining. Farming is expanding into more marginal lands.

Reversing Desertification through Farmer-Managed Natural Regeneration

Southern Niger in the 1980s

The albida halo effect

• Microclimate buffering

• Soil fertility improvement

Creating a Climate SMART and Productive Agriculture with

fertilizer and fodder trees

Aerial view of a parkland dominated by Faidherbia in Niger

Major agroforestry regions in West Africa and directions of expansion

Adaptation of fertilizer recommendation to local conditions with strategic application of nurients

Application of fertilizers in the seed holes at planting time

Other Successes:

•Local fertilizer packaging and blending

•Target input Vouchers

•Legume-cereal rotation or intercrop

•Participatory approaches

Microdose

Control

Contour stone bunds

Contour stone bunds slow runoff, increasing infiltration and water available to crops.

Rainwater Harvesting

Farm pond technology

Now suitable for mass

upscaling

More than 3000 farm

ponds are now operating in

Lare, Nakuru, Kenya

www.searnet.org

Scaling up Evergreen Agriculture

Integrating Biofertilizer and Fodder Trees into croplands to restore and build more productive and drought resilient farming and livestock systems

Rainwater Harvesting with an accent on simple techniques for enhanced crop production, water recharge and water retention integrated with agroforestry.

Integrated Soil Fertility Management with fertilizer microdosingwith enhanced organic nutrient sources combined with agroforestry.

17 Countries are engaged in EverGreen Agriculture

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration

Conservation Agriculture with trees

Trees interplanted in conventional tilled cropland

Farmer Managed Natural Regeneration +

Trees interplanted in conventional tilled cropland

Conclusions – Way Forward• There is a ‘Convenient Convergence’ –

Create a Climate Resilient Agriculture through EverGreen Agriculture for land regeneration and food security on small-scale farms.

• The approach has taken root in Africa, and is spreading rapidly.

• Millions of smallholders are adopting effective land regeneration methods

• Many nations are creating the policy and institutional environments to favor adoption

For More Information

Evergreen Agriculture Partnershipevergreenagriculture.net

World Agroforestry Centre www.worldagroforestry.org

Email contacts:d.garrity@cgiar.org

– d.garrity@cgiar.org

The Vision

An EverGreen Africa!

www.worldagroforestry.org

www.evergreenagriculture.net