Management Practices/Techniques Commonly Used in Niger Republic, West Africa

Abstract

Niger republic, a Sahelian country with about 75 % of its area covered by the Sahara desert, continues to face high land degradation due to human activities and climate change. This land degradation, which is mainly manifested in the forms of soil crusts, gullies, sand dunes, siltation of water bodies such as River Niger, Lake Chad, and many other inland lakes, has many consequences including loss of productivity and biodiversity that lead to desertification and poverty. To reverse the trend of land degradation, Niger Republic, with the support of its partners, has undertaken many actions on land restoration. These have helped to rehabilitate more than 250,000 ha of degraded land and develop local knowledge and skills that can be used worldwide. Sustainable land management practices and agroforestry techniques used in Niger to rehabilitate these degraded lands include tree planting (shelter belt, living fence, urban planting) and construction of anti-erosive infrastructures using soil and water conservation techniques such as: rock dikes, half-moon, stabilization of gullies and river banks, sand dunes stabilization, and protection and promotion of natural regeneration. Benefits derived from these techniques include reduction of wind and water erosion, production of fuel wood and fodder, increased soil fertility, food security and carbon sequestration, recovery of wild species, improvement of local population revenues and livelihood, and local knowledge and skills in land restoration.