ALM UNDP

Summary:

The landlocked country of Niger is located in Western Africa. The Sahara desert and the semi-arid Sahel zone cover approximately 80 percent of the country’s land. The climate is Sahelian and unfavorable due to the low altitude. The rainy season lasts three to four months, from June to September, and the dry season lasts eight to nine months.

The project site is Maigochi Saboua in the district of Dakoro, found in the Centre-South of the country. The population is approximately 7,564 people whose main economic activities are agriculture, breeding, crafts and trading. Employing more than 80% of the population, agriculture is considered the primary driver of economic growth.

Farming is mainly carried by Haoussa peoples, while Peulh, and Touareg peoples are largely agro-herders. The Tarka Valley is the main ecosystem in the area. Communities depend on it to provide natural resources such as wood, water and fertile lowland fields. In the last few years, it has experienced significant changes due to multiple periods of drought, increased pressure from farmers and shepherds, and from the detrimental effects of climate change.

The UNDP/GEF CBA project improves agro-forestry practices in the community by using assisted natural regeneration (ANR), planting trees, carrying out awareness campaigns, and promoting sustainable agricultural practices that use improved seeds to adapt to climate change and variability. The project was formulated through a participatory process carried out by the NGO ALAD and involving a variety of stakeholders. Specifically, the project increases the resilience of the community and its ecosystem through the following outcomes:

• Establishing one village nursery
• Planting 10,000 Acacia albida and Acacia senegal species in the fields of at least 60 farm managers
• Opening an improved seed bank to help boost agricultural yields
• Improving the incomes of vulnerable women through backyard farming of sheep and goats
• Though ANR, improving agriculture and forestry techniques and the management of natural resources
• Increasing awareness of observed and forecasted climate change impacts

The project helps the recipients protect against chronic food insecurity by maximizing their agricultural production. It will also improve the resilience of Tarka Valley ecosystems to the adverse effect of climate change.

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