A study carried out in Niger in 2005 and 2006 analyzed long-term trends in agriculture and environment as well as impacts of investments in natural resource management. One of the most surprising findings of this study was that farmers in the densely populated parts of Niger had begun protecting and managing spontaneous on-farm natural regeneration of trees and shrubs. This process began in the middle of the 1980s. This has happened at a scale that is unique for the Sahel, and possibly even for Africa. Farmers have protected and managed natural regeneration on at least 5 million hectares.

This large-scale on-farm re-greening in Niger inspired the development of a Sahel Re-greening Initiative (SRI). This initiative wants to build on the numerous smaller and bigger successes in on-farm re-greening in the Sahel in an effort to expand their scale. As a similar approach is also relevant in other drylands and sub-humid regions SRI is now evolving into African Re-greening Initiatives (ARI).

This initiative which involves Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Ethiopia, is quickly gaining pace and is being portrayed in the media as the other Green Revolution. Its key message is that by protecting and managing natural resources in general, and on-farm natural regeneration in particular, you not only help farmers to adapt to climate change, but you also help increase food production and reduce rural poverty. Trees are the backbone in this process.

DCG was involved in and has supported the initiation phase of the initiative and has been closely following its development ever since, both in Mali and at the international level.

For more information on this initiative, click here and for the last update please read the October activity report. For more specific information, please contact the facilitator of the initiative:

Chris Reij
Centre for International Cooperation - VU University Amsterdam
Tel: +31 20 59 89065 (direct) or + 31 20 5989090 (secretariat)
Fax:+31 20 59 89095
Email: cp.reij at dienst.vu.nl or c.reij at chello.nl
Website: www.cis.vu.nl

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