Crisis in Africa's drylands: the promise of agroforestry
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The Crises of Africa’s Drylands and the Promise of Agroforestry Dennis Garrity UN Drylands Ambassador Distinguished Board Research Fellow World Agroforestry Centre
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The recent events in Mali, and before that in Sudan, Somalia and other dryland countries of Africa, all happened in areas where food insecurity coincides with low education, growing populations and recurrent droughts. Prof Garrity shows how tackling the root cause of these issues - low agricultural productivity - will, by kindling economic growth, boost stability in these countries. His favourite saying? "Hungry people are angry people".
Transcript of Crisis in Africa's drylands: the promise of agroforestry
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:[email protected]
The Vision
An EverGreen Africa!
www.worldagroforestry.org
www.evergreenagriculture.net
